BMW or Volvo: Only 1 in 18 People Can Correctly Identify the Make of These Vehicles! Can You?

AUTO

By: Robin Tyler

6 Min Quiz

Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

So you are a car expert, right? Think you know everything there is to know about a range of car manufacturers? How good is your knowledge about European car makers? Particularly, one from Sweden and one from Germany.

With a history stretching back to the 1920s,  BMW has always produced vehicles of the highest quality. Loved the world over, these cars are the epitome of sophistication, style, safety and performance.

Volvo is Sweden's most famous car brand. They, too, produce some of the luxurious cars available on the road today. Not only that but they manufacture some of the safest cars in the world.  Volvo were the inventors of the three-point seatbelt and made it available for all manufacturers to use in 1959. But you knew that, didn't you? Of course, you did.

But will you be able to identify which manufacturer is which from just looking at an image of one of their vehicles? Can you? 

Take our quiz and see how many you can get right out of 50 questions. Be warned, however, it certainly is not as easy as you think. In fact, these two auto manufacturers, despite coming from different parts of Europe, make similar looking vehicles, particularly sedans and SUVs. 

Let's put that knowledge to the test!

BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The X3 is a compact crossover SUV and part of the X range. It is based on the 3-series platform and was first produced in 2003. The second generation X3 offers two gas and two diesel engined models.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

A stylish roadster from the 1950s, the P1900 had a fiberglass body. Only 68 of these stunning machines were built between 1956 and 1957. The P1900 had a 3-speed manual gearbox and was powered by a 1,400cc straight four engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The Zagato Roadster, commonly known as the Z4 was introduced by BMW in 2009 and remained in production until 2016. This was the first BMW convertible to have an automatic hardtop roof. The top of the range model was powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine capable of producing 335 brake horsepower

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The 940, with its distinctive square shape, was marketed by Volvo between 1990 and 1998. Like the 850, it too was available as a sedan or estate.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

A hybrid sports car first seen in 2014, the i8 is not only good for the environment but it is possibly one of the best-looking cars on the road today. And for a hybrid, it is incredibly quick, going from 0-60 mph in just 4.4 seconds.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Designed by Italian design house Bertone, the 780 was a two-door coupe produced by Volvo from 1986 to 1990. Interestingly, it was also manufactured in Italy. The top of the range 780 was powered by a 2.8-liter V6 engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

This early Volvo model was manufactured between 1946 and 1950, although development had started in 1939 but was stifled by World War II. The PV60 featured a 3-speed manual gearbox coupled to a 3.7-liter straight six engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

A compact car from BMW, the 2 Series has a range of body styles including a coupe, active tourer and grand tourer. It was first introduced in 2010.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

BMW M models have a reputation as some of the finest passenger cars ever produced. The M5 was no different, but this was also a beast thanks to its 400 brake horsepower V8 engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

A range of cars produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the 140 series was available as two-door and four-door sedans as well as a five-door station wagon. They were either powered by a 1.8 or 2.0-liter engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Although the P1800 came out as a sports car in a two-door coupe style, strangely, a 3-door sports estate was also released. Over 39,000 of the coupe were built. This vehicle quickly became popular, largely thanks to appearing in the TV series, The Saint.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The i3 is an electric vehicle offering from BMW. Obviously, people buy cars such as these to have as little impact on the environment as possible, but as you would expect from a BMW model, the i3 offers so much more. Performance and handling are both impressive while the interior is top class. This is the perfect car for the environmentally conscious.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Introduced in 2016, the S90 won Production Car Design of the Year award for 2015 even before it was released to the public. This luxury 4-door model is available as both a sedan and estate.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The popular 200 series from Volvo saw the Swedish company sell close to 3 million cars from 1974 to 1993. The 240 was available as both a sedan as well as estate, while a sports saloon, the 240 Turbo also formed part of the stable. It was based on a Group A touring car that raced across Europe

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Introduced in 2002, the 1-series offered BMW fans a smaller car than both the 3- and 5-series. The first generation included a hatchback, not a model type often found in the BMW range.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Although it had a strange shape (often called the clown shoe) the M Coupe was another winner from BMW in the 1990s. Released in 1998, the first generation was powered by a 3.2-liter straight -six engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

As a way to compete with American cars which were popular in Sweden, Volvo needed a bigger car than the OV4, one with a six-cylinder engine. This came in the form of the PV650, which was marketed between 1929 and 1933.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The smallest of BMW's SUV models, the X1 entered the market in 2009. It is currently in its second generation which is powered by either turbo gas or diesel engines. Around 100,000 have been sold in the United States since 2012.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The Duett was released in 1953 and produced right up until 1969. It came in two main body styles, a station wagon and a panel van. Some were also released as convertibles. It was powered by a 1.8-liter straight four engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, the M1 sports car was released in 1978 and built for a period of three years in which 453 were made. This was BMW's first mid-engined car and was powered by a 3.5-liter double overhead cam straight six engine. It had a top speed of 162 mph.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Based on the two-seat Isetta microcar, the 600 microcar was bigger and could seat four occupants. It was the first four-person car produced in Germany after the war but was not much of a success in terms of sales. The 600 was powered by a 600cc engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Built between 1956 and 1970, the Amazon was one of Volvo's mid-sized car offerings marketed globally. Over 600,000 were made in those 14 years, with more than half exported.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The XC classic is sold in China, and is actually the first generation of the XC90. Only one engine option is available, a 2.5-liter turbo gas engine.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Introduced by BMW in 1975, the 3-series is one of the German car maker's top-selling brands. In fact, worldwide, over two million of these vehicles have been sold in the last 60 months.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Available as both a sedan and estate car, the 740 was essentially the lower-priced, less trim version of the top of the range 760. As with many Volvo sedan models, it included an estate option . Although fairly bland looking, the 740 was loved for its reliability.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The Z4 Roadster first hit the streets in 2002 and still forms part of the BMW fleet. Although the first generation included a convertible with a soft-top roof, this was changed to a retractable hardtop from the second generation onward.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Part of the Volvo 200 series, the 262C was a special edition designed with the help of Italian styling house Bertone. It was available for a three-year period between 1978 and 1981. It was only available as a coupe, which featured some unique styling when compared to its counterparts in the series.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Powered by a 4.9-liter V8 motor, the Z8 Roadster not only looked good, it offered excellent performance as well. Built between 2000 and 2003, the Z8 had been developed since 1993. 5,703 were produced by the company.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Part of the X-series of SUV's the X5 was introduced by BMW in 1999 and remains in production today. This was the first SUV produced by the company. It is currently in its third generation and offers two gas and diesel powerplant options.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Part of the Volvo 300 series, the 340 came in the form of a sedan and well as a hatchback. Interestingly the vehicles were designed by Dutch auto manufacturer DAF who Volvo had bought a stake in. The 340 had a range of gas and diesel powerplants. It was marketed by Volvo from the late 1970s till 1991.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The most expensive model from BMW, the Gran Coupe was first introduced in 2011. It has a range of powerplant options including diesel and gas with the biggest engine a 4.4-liter S63 V8 twin-turbo.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

First introduced in 2012, the V40 is a sleek hatchback in the compact car/family car segment. There are 13 models on offer of this vehicle, either with gas or diesel engines.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

A little over 500 examples of this sports touring car were produced by BMW from 1962 to 1965. The 3200 Coupe was essentially seen as a 2-door grand tourer and was powered by the first-ever V8 car engine produced by the company.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The 480, produced by Volvo from 1986 to 1995 had distinctive pop-up headlights in later models. This compact car, a 3-door hatchback was also the first Volvo model to have front-wheel drive.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

An off-road roadster, the Z18 was a concept car from BMW in 1995. It was powered by a 4.4-liter V8 which produced 355 brake horsepower. Incredibly, the body of this vehicle was built out of plastic.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Now in its seventh generation, the 5-series was introduced in 1972. Larger than the 3-series, this was the first model to use the number naming convention employed by BMW to this day.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The 66 was a direct descendant of the DAF 66 and built between 1975 and 1980. Available as a 2-door sedan or 3-door estate, the 66 included the Viromatic, a continuously variable transmission. Strangely, these cars were never popular in Sweden but sold well in Europe.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

The BMW X6 is a mid-sized luxury crossover SUV based on the BMW 6 series platform was first produced in 2007. Now in its second generation, around 7,000 are sold in the United States each year.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

This luxury compact crossover SUV was first released by Volvo in 2008. Now in its second generation, the XC60 forms part of the 60 series, a range of vehicles which includes station wagons, sedans and hatchbacks. It is based on the Volvo P3 platform.

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BMW or Volvo: What am I?

Produced from 1936 to 1940, the 328 Roadster from BMW is simply beautiful. This two-seater, open top sportscar was powered by a 2.0-liter straight six engine coupled to a manual 4-speed transmission. Only 464 were built.

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