The original tires on my 2001 Volvo V70 XC were from Michelin, if I recall correctly. They seemed like fine tires, but when I needed to replace them initially in 2004, I read a bunch of reviews that suggested that Continental (ContiPremier P215/65HR-16) would be a better tire. They're also were considerably cheaper. I paid $77 per tire, I think the OEM tires were over $100 per tire.
I had quite limited expectations for these tires. Heck a tire is a tire to me, except when distinguishing between winter tires, stud tires, or all season ones. I was pleasantly surprised. These tires were quite a bit quieter than the original tires. They also seem to handle somewhat better. I'm told that Continental tires are actually quite exceptional, but the company IMO doesn't really market very well here in the US. So I figured they were some kind of off brand.
I should also note I bought the tires from TireRack. That entire experience went quite well. I used their reviews to narrow the selection criteria and then they drop shipped the tires to a near by installer. It was as easy to get my tires changed as getting an oil change. I think the whole process took around 1/2 hour.
In the future, if Continental tires are available for your car, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. I'm still driving on this new set of tires with no need in the foreseeable future to change them. I think they are even wearing better than the Michelin's.