If you’ve always thought that Volvo products were simply staid and unadventurous, wait until you see the C30 – a machine that the Swedes have come up with to take "conservative" out on an all night bender.By Ian McLaren
First shown as a concept at last year’s Detroit Motor Show, the new baby Volvo is seen as the perfect tool with which to introduce a new generation of customer into the Swedish manufacturer’s stable. With the award-winning S40 models currently shaking up the compact saloon segment around the globe, including the traditionally German-car biased South African market, the C30 is set to scare the sub-compact sector.
Volvo is looking to make this new model available to the younger, trendier set looking to stand out in a crowd. With only two doors and a seating layout designed to accommodate two rear passengers, it’s not seen as the first choice for a family car, but rather as the second car in the family driveway.
Up front, there can be no mistaking to which family the C30 belongs. However, here the Volvo nose sits low and wide, and black surrounds circling the headlamp clusters add to an aggressive stance.
While the new C30 shares the same platform as its bigger brother S40, and indeed its cousin the Ford Focus, the new hatch is 22 cm shorter than the saloon. The hatched back features a low-slung glass tailgate that closes well into the rear bumper line and a roof spoiler is available in two different versions. South African buyers can expect to see a choice of wheels from 16- and 18-inches once specification levels for the initial two models have been finalised.
Volvo South Africa will initially launch two petrol models around the first quarter of 2007. Those following the movements of the S40 model line-up in our market, would have noticed that the impressive four-cylinder, 2,0-litre engine producing 107 kW at 6 000 r/min and 185 N.m of torque at 4 500 r/min is now the entry-level offering. In the larger S40 this engine provides effortless go-forward and should be as smooth and refined in the lighter C30.
On our launch route along the particularly narrow mountain pass roads around the north coast of the Balearic Island of Mallorca, we were given the chance to drive the flagship T5 model. With 162 kW of power at 5 000 r/min and 320 N.m of torque at a low 1 500 r/min the T5 version shares its engine with our current hot hatch champ, the Focus ST. This means the 2,5-litre C30 is also very quick, and because its power is available at such low revs, pointing and squirting through the tight mountain pass was an absolute pleasure. First with the five-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox option, with its smooth and quick gear changes, and later with the six-speed manual transmission, the car felt nimble and sporty.
Steering felt light and precise as the squat stance of the C30 made for fantastic handling characteristics. Our test unit had the optional lowered sport chassis fitted and Volvo South Africa is looking into offering this as standard on this market’s T5 models.
As mentioned, Volvo is intent on appealing to a young and hip market and, as such, a number of options are available on the order form to allow buyers to add individual touches to their cars. The car shares the same neat interior as big brothers S40 and V50, but the younger model can afford to be more daring and comes with two-tone seats, as well as a choice of three finishes on the great-looking "floating" centre console. Because the C30 is strictly a four seater, the driver gains extra rearward visibility through the space let open between the rear seats.
With the S40 models, Volvo South Africa has proved that it is possible to offer a quality package, loaded with standard features, at an affordable price. Should they continue the trend when the C30 is launched here, more space may be required in the company trophy cabinet.
