Historically, Volvo has been known as the Swedish car company that produces solid, dependable, reliable vehicles that don’t break down. But they also gained a reputation for building boxy cars with uninspired lines – the 1800S used in “The Saint” TV show from the 1960s, notwithstanding. Its cars were built with quality and were workmanlike, but generally were not considered to be “fun” cars.
The “quality”, “non-breakable” assertion still holds true to form, but the “boxy” and “uninspired” contention is no longer credible, as Volvo has added sporty, angular looks to many of its designs. One of those eye-catching and shapely constructs is the 2008 C30 Hatchback.
Volvo has not offered a two-door hatchback in its line-up since 1973, with is 1800ES, a vehicle that looked as much like a Pinto as it did a Volvo. Thirty-five years later, Volvo has introduced the C30, a hatchback imbued with style, grace, safety and dependability and designed with fun in mind as well.
From the front, the C30 provides the traditional Volvo look, with its straight-forward appearance, curved headlights and grid-grille with the Volvo “male-symbol” insignia in front of a diagonal strip. But from the side and rear, the C30 is new-school from its hatchback and 3.5-inch exhaust tips to its 18-inch alloy wheels, curved glass all around, sleek sides and back, rear spoiler and moonroof.
The 3201-lb. C30 rides attractively at a non-boxy height of 57.0 inches, width of 70.2 inches and a svelte 167.4 inches in length. Volvo's first-ever Custom Build ordering process allows for up to 17 different exterior color choices and 12 interior combinations. My version 2.0 test vehicle was outfitted with metallic paint, and as a hatchback, is 8.5 inches shorter than the Volvo S40 sport sedan and about 320 lbs. lighter than its sedan counterpart.
Assembled in Ghent, Belgium, my front-wheel-drive review ride was powered by 2.5-liter, inline turbocharged 5-cylinder engine mated a to a manual 6-speed transmission. The set-up rumbles out 227hp and 236 lbs.-ft. of torque. The manufacturer says that the C30 will ramble from zero to 60 in 6.2 seconds, but my best efforts resulted in a 6.4-second run to 60, on my way to a 14.9-second quarter-mile. The hatchback is rated at 19mpg in city driving and 28mpg on the highway, and during a week of testing from Baltimore, throughout Maryland and into Central Pennsylvania, with highway driving making up nearly two-thirds of some 500 test miles (excluding time on the track), I averaged about 23.6mpg.
The dynamic sport suspension helped the C30 hug the road and the track, feeling a few more bumps than family drivers are used to, but they afforded me a very good feel for the road during S-curve ordeals and fast-acceleration and quick-turn, sudden-stop tests. The suspension utilizes MacPherson struts with coil-over springs and stabilizer bar up front, with a multilink independent suspension with coil springs and stabilizer bar in the rear.
During all tests and circumstances, response was excellent and the power-assisted, variable-speed, rack-and-pinion steering and electronic stability control provided a confident, alert ride.
Safety has always been paramount for Volvo and attention to driver and passenger well-being is handled well in the C30. Use of varying grades of extra-strength steel in front and at the rear, as well as hydro-formed A-pillars, energy-absorbing impact structures and unibody construction with integral passenger safety help control collision intrusion into the cabin. Anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution are standard features. Other safety features include Volvo’s rollover protection system, tire pressure monitoring system, intelligent driver information system, inflatable two-row curtain side-impact air bags, head protection system, driver and front passenger side-impact air bags, driver and front passenger dual-stage supplemental air bags, weight sensor for the front-passenger multi-stage air bag and Volvo whiplash protection system.
Also standard are force limiters, anti-theft immobilizers, child seat anchorages, open-door warning system, and safe-approach/home safe-perimeter lighting systems.
The interior is roomy with headroom of 38.2 inches up front and 37.8 in row two; leg room is 41.6 inches in row one and 34.2 behind; while shoulder room measures 54.7 inches in the first seats and 51.3 in the rear.
The well-appointed cabin includes an ultra-slim center control panel, height-adjustable front seats with lumbar support, dust/pollen filter, heated rear window, illuminated vanity mirrors, tilt/telescope 3-spoke steering wheel, aluminum interior trim, reading lights, plush doormats, Sirius Satellite radio, 10-speaker premium sound system with 130-watt amp and Surround Sound, CD/MP3 player, steering wheel controls and outside temperature gauge.
The Volvo C30 hatchback is base-priced at $25,700 and my test ride stickered out at $27,950. My vehicle upgrades included metallic paint ($475), front fog lights ($295), cruise control ($185), sport gearshift knob ($100), sport steering wheel ($150), the custom-build package ($300) and destination charges of $745. The custom-build package included a litany of upgrades that include Bi-xenon headlights, blind spot information system, rear park assist, fog lights, trip computer, power driver and passenger's seat, soft cargo compartment cover, hard cargo compartment cover, electronic climate control, Homelink garage door transmitter, auto-dim rearview mirror, wood décor inlays, virtual white inlays, aluminum pedals and rear armrest.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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