Volvo C 30 – Going for the younger Set
Whilst the Volvo brand is already an icon insofar as safety is concerned, it has recently started a push to get its cars into the hands of a younger set of buyers, and the recent model launches are reflective of this. We have seen the beautiful C70, and the all-new C30 that was also launched recently are two models that are trendy and young.
The Volvo C30 is a cute three-door hot hatch that turned eyes everywhere I went with it for the three days that Volvo Car Malaysia allocated to me for a road test. Built on the same platform as the Volvo S40, the C30 shares the same 2.4 litre, 5-cylinder, 170 horsepower engine with the S40, and carries the same 5-speed automatic gearbox with Geartronic (manual shift option), at least for the CBU units currently being imported into the country. Elsewhere in the world, there are other engine options available, including a 230 horsepower turbo-charged T5 version. There is also a 180 horsepower turbo-diesel version, which is very interesting.
The C30 is a little shorter than the S40 on account of it not having a boot, and of course, without any rear doors. The front doors are slightly longer to allow for easier ingress and egress for the rear. An electric switch mounted near the head restraint allows one to slide the front seat forward easily when needed for getting in and out of the rear. Inside, plush leather seats welcome you, and hug your body when you get into them. Everything is tastefully done, neat, and classy, with the signature Volvo ‘ultra-thin’ centre dash panel.
The naturally aspirated version that I tested has a rated fuel consumption of 9.0 litres per 100 kilometres (mixed cycle); it was difficult to resist pushing the pedal to the metal for such a sporty-looking animal, and I didn’t. I had a personal mission in Batu Pahat, about 240 kilometres away, and that was where I ended up a little more than two hours later. On the highway, the C70 is very stable and easy to drive. Power builds up pretty fast, and the C70 can hit a top speed of 215 km/h. I had a white Porsche 911 as a ‘traveling companion’ for a while, and although it could pull away on the empty stretches, it didn’t get very far away. Anyway, as a direct result of my heavy-footed driving, I got a consumption figure of 12 litres per 100 kilometres, which I find quite impressive.
The suspension keeps the car firm and secure, and I was very comfortable even when cruising fast at between 180 to 200 km/h. Overall ride is on the firm side of comfortable. On the stretch from Yong Peng to Batu Pahat, it rode well through the corners and took the undulating conditions caused by the road sinking in the peaty soil all in its stride, but at times on the very bad stretches, you might wish you had higher profile tyres to help a little on the cushioning.
The safety package that is typically found in all Volvos is also found in the C30, of course. I won’t waste time going through it in detail, but the traction control, ABS, EBA (Emergency Brake Assist), WHIPS, SIPS are all there. One item I found to be very useful is the Bi-Xenon lights, which are really great, when I drove way back to Kuala Lumpur that same night.
RM215k is a reasonable price to pay for the C30, considering that it is a fully imported model; it is still a lot of money, but what it offers is something that is radically different from the mainstream, and is fun to drive.
