Like the 480, the Volvo C30 is able to accommodate four adults in relative comfort. It is designed to appeal to both the young fashion conscious without a family and to those young-at-heart whose children may have left home and who want a distinctive, small, sporty yet functional safe car. Volvo plans to make 65,000 C30s a year and sell approximately 7,000 a year in the UK, Europe’s second biggest market for the Volvo C30, although the downturn in new car sales might make some impact on these figures.
The front wheel drive Volvo C30 is available with a choice eight engine variants and five trim levels, prices start at £14,995 for the petrol 1.6 R Design Sport and go up to £21,105 for the Volvo C30 Diesel SE LUX. Our test car was the entry level 1.6 R Design Sport with a five speed manual gearbox. Volvo introduced the R Design model to appeal to the younger buyer who is looking for a more ‘sporty’ image. The petrol range includes a 100 PS 1.6-litre, 125 PS 1.8-litre, 145 PS 2.0-litre, plus one five-cylinder model a 230 PS T5. The three diesels include the 109 PS 1.6D the 136 PS 2.0D, plus Volvo’s five-cylinder, 2.4-litre, 180 PS D5.
There is even a bioethanol fuel option the Flexifuel 1.8 (125 PS) engine which runs on E85 bioethanol fuel which is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fuels, emitting up to 80% less fossil carbon dioxide emissions than petrol. Our test car was fitted the four cylinder 1596cc, 16v, petrol engine which develops 100PS and 150Nm of torque at 4000 rpm, which is enough to propel it from 0-62 mph in 11.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 115 mph. The entry level 1.6 litre engine can feel a little underpowered especially out of town and does sound a little noisy at low speeds. The five speed manual gearbox is very easy and rewarding to use but we recommend a more powerful engine if you do a lot of out of town driving.
Volvo’s most imaginative car in years, the C30 gives buyers seeking an upmarket compact hatchback a viable alternative to the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. C30 buyers certainly won’t be short of engine choice, with 1.6, 2.0 litre four-cylinder motors and a turbocharged 2.5 litre “T5” at the top of the range. The basic engines lack much in the way of urge, but the five-pots are fast. Three diesels are also available, and the 1.6-litre DRIve models are impressively economical with lowly CO2 emissions.
contractcarsuk 