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By
EWAN KENNEDY
31 March 2008
This sporty little Volvo coupe comes with an interesting blend of
tradition and innovation. The radical styling of the rear is a
major talking point, being dominated by a large glass tailgate
fringed by long vertical taillights that taper up to the roof.
Viewed directly from the rear there's the look of it being an
unnaturally narrow car, but from even the slightest of angles it
becomes much more pleasing and photogenic.
Although the C30 is Volvo’s smallest passenger car and aimed
unashamedly at the sporting coupe market there’s surprisingly
good interior space for four adults. There’s plenty of front leg
and headroom and reasonable rear legroom, indeed rear legroom is
most impressive when compared with others in this class. All four
seats are large and supportive. The sloping roof may trouble
passengers in the way of headroom, but it’s more than acceptable
for a good-looking sports model.
However, the back seat is set up only for two occupants, so
families considering using this little Volvo as interesting
transport had better count the kids first.
There’s also good, easily accessible boot space. The Swedes
really are past masters at making cars that are practical, even
when they are set up in a sports mode.
Volvo C30 has a neat, clean dashboard layout the centrepiece of
which is the company’s clever ‘floating’ centre console.
Only about two centimetres thick the unit can be customised to
suit individual owners.
Being a Volvo means that the C30 is an extremely safe vehicle.
Its comprehensive list of standard features include front, side
and curtain airbags, side impact protection system, ABS brakes
with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, whiplash
protection system, stability control and traction control.
On the road the C30 T5 is a delight to drive with precise
steering and excellent road grip. The six-speed manual gearbox is
a gem, with a small, sporty gear lever and crisp short-throw
changes that can make the driver swap cogs just for the fun of it.
Handling is largely neutral and only when you push hard at
bends does some understeer start to enter the equation. It never
really intrudes and can be easily controlled on the throttle by a
thinking driver. And should the car be pushed far too fast at a
bend it’s generally desirable to have understeer that pushes it
headlong into whatever it’s going to hit.
Ride comfort remains good despite the suspension leaning
slightly towards the sporty-handling end of the compromise. On
dirt roads the car can be knocked about a little at times, but you
can say the same about many Euro machines so it’s barely a
criticism.
The new 2.4-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel was the reason for
our re-test of this Volvo model. It has plenty of grunt due to
that big capacity, up to 400 Nm in manual form, though that comes
down to 350 Nm with an automatic transmission. There’s certainly
nothing wrong with 350 Nm, but the full 400 would have been
appreciated. Knowing the predilection of motoring journalists for
maximum performance it came as no surprise that our test Volvo C30
for the past week had the manual gearbox.
The big-engine feel of the 2.4-litre turbo-diesel gives the
sort of acceleration you normally only get in a petrol sports
model. That’s once the inevitable turbo lag has passed and the
engine is getting full boost. Those full-on driving enthusiasts
who like the nearly instantaneous performance of a non-turbo
petrol engine may not like the diesels initial characteristics. We
suggest they take one for a decent test drive before falling in
love with the diesel’s low fuel consumption.
Like all of its type, the diesel is on the noisy side at idle
and when asked to accelerate more than moderately. And there's
some lag before you get the full benefit of all that torque.
Cruising sees sound levels reduced to virtually as those on the
petrol engine.
We were most impressed by the low fuel consumption, which of
course translates into minimal emissions of carbon dioxide. On
motorways we frequently saw the usage of diesel drop below six
litres per hundred kilometres for extended distances. Even around
town this seldom rose much over eight litres per hundred
kilometres, and that was in pretty heavy traffic at times.
Keep in mind that this is a big turbo-diesel with plenty of
acceleration and exhilarating torque and these economy figures are
even more impressive.
Volvo is to be praised for designing a car that looks and feels
sporty, yet has a practical interior, good ride comfort and sells
at a pretty modest price. The cost of the turbo-diesel as tested
was $43,950.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
C30 S 2.4-litre two-door coupe - $34,450
C30 LE 2.4-litre two-door coupe - $38,450
C30 T5 2.5-litre two-door coupe - $42,450
C30 D5 2.4-litre diesel two-door coupe - $43,950
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: $1500 option in all models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Volvo C30 D5 2.4-litre two-door coupe)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.4 litres
Configuration: Transverse, five cylinders
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 17.3:1
Bore/Stroke: 81.0 x 93.0 mm
Maximum Power: 132 kW @ 4000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 400 Nm @ 2000-2750 rpm (manual)
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.77:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4252 mm
Wheelbase: 2640 mm
Width: 1782 mm
Height: 1447 mm
Turning Circle: 10.6 metres
Kerb Mass: 1379 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 62 litres
Towing Ability: 900kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts, lower link, coil springs,
anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll
bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 7.7 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 16.9 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Diesel
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 6.2 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/unlimited km
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Marque Publishing Company
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