Click here for the Ride&Drive Index!

Posted April, 2008

Road Test: 2008 Volvo C30

By Thomas E. Bonsall

When people think of truly small cars, they don't often think of Volvo. Yet, Volvo has been building such vehicles in Europe ever since they bought up D.A.F in the Netherlands back in the 1970s. D.A.F produced a cute little car called the Daffodil — which is Dutch for daffodil — and soon became the basis for Volvo's compact coupe series.

On a trip to Sweden in 1991, I saw a Dutch-made Volvo 343 hatchback coupe not all that different from the C30 we're reviewing here and wondered why they didn't export it to the US. I was told by Volvo officials that they had considered such a move, but that the 343 would have been too expensive by the time it reached these shores. Given the recent collapse of the dollar, the cost situation cannot have improved, but, none-the-less, the C30 has arrived.

We couldn't be happier. The C30 is a very pleasant car from almost any angle. It looks good, drives well both around town and on the open highway, has ample room for four adults, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. 

Among the innovations in the C30 is what Volvo calls its Custom Build ordering process. This allows prospective buyers to custom order their cars from the factory rather than having to take what's on the dealer lot — which is generally the case with European brands due to the distances involved from there to here. A one-time charge of $300 opens up a wide array of options, accessories, exterior colors and interior combinations — 17 exterior colors and 12 interior color combinations, and more than 30 individual options.

Power comes via a turbocharged T5 5-cylinder engine that produces 227 horsepower. This is a proven Volvo engine used in, for example, the S40, but the S40 weighs 320 pounds more than the C30 with a resulting boost in performance for the latter. EPA rated fuel economy is 19 city/28 highway — good if not exactly outstanding.

The interior is comfortable and flexible with a surprisingly airy feel and generous amounts of room for four adults. Like with all Volvos, the front seats are ergonomically designed and offer excellent comfort and support. The tapered design of the B-pillar also contributes to the easy entrance.

The C30 Version 1.0 comes standard with a 160-watt stereo system. The Version 2.0, which we tested, comes with a Premium Sound system that closely matches the system offered in the new C70, with a digital 5x130W ICE Power amplifier from Alpine, Dolby Pro Logic II Surround, and 10 loudspeakers from Danish loudspeaker manufacturer Dynaudio. Total output for the Premium Sound System is 650 watts. Both systems come standard with an auxiliary audio jack for connecting MP3 players, and an in-dash CD that can playback MP3 and WMA format music files.

We found the Premium Sound system to be adequate, but not much more than that. Moreover, our one complaint with the C30 was that whenever we honked the horn, the radio switched stations! I'm sure there was an explanation for this, but it was a little bit frustrating.

Safety is always important to Volvo buyers and they won't be disappointed in the C30. It features Volvo's patented front structure. Divided into zones, the frontal structure incorporates different deformation properties with the outer zones accounting for most of the deformation in a frontal collision. The more the collision forces approach the passenger compartment, the less the material is deformed. To ensure that each zone has the right characteristics, the quality of the steel has been varied. Four different types of steel are used. Apart from normal body steel, three different grades of high-strength steel are used: High Strength Steel, Extra High Strength Steel and Ultra High Strength Steel. Different steel grades also are used in the rear to help protect occupants in the event of a rear-end collision.