This may be the first Volvo I’ve ever tested that I don’t like. Volvo seemed to think that they needed to return to the old days when they offered a sporty P1800ES coupe back in the 1980s. The rebirth of the 2008 C30 even looks like that old, now classic, Volvo coupe.
I have always thought of Volvos as appealing mostly to the Mensa crowd and over-paid professors in tweed jackets with leather elbow patches. These cars are known for their utility and strong construction, and moms love them because they think a Volvo may protect the “baby on board” deal.
2008 Volvo C30
C30 opens new doors
One for the road
However, just try to get a child safety seat in the back of a C30, and the kid will be college age before mom straps the once little tike in. The C30 has plenty of passenger room up front, but any real application of using the rear seats is problematic.
A better use of the rear seats is to lift the tall glass rear hatchback lid, flip those seats down and gain a little more luggage space. Better bring a blanket along, though, because any of your goods stashed in the cargo area will be on full display through the glass hatch cover.
But, perhaps I’m off point here because this C30 is directed at the youthful buyer and not old fogies like me. Then again, I can cash in some CDs and buy the C30. My grandson, who may like the C30, can’t. Tough luck, kid, you haven’t paid your dues yet.
But, let’s overlook the overbearing as-tested $29,350 price tag and check out the car. A walk-around reassures me that Volvo has not lost their reputation for good quality fit and finish, although the test C30 had a prosaic bland silver-gray color for only $475 extra. Big 18 inch alloy wheels held 214/45 summer tires, I could see some healthy disc brakes peeking through the wheel spokes. The stubby rear-end had a small wind wing just over the glass rear hatch, but the rear bumper looked like it would not stop a small backing-up mistake before the damage got to the body area.
While the C30 is meant to attract the youth market it, seems that the Volvo stylist could have sketched up a little more excitement -- at least around the front end. The C30 coupe looks like Mom’s Volvo wagon. I don’t expect to see many C30’s around the youth night spots.
Inside the C30, things don’t get any better starting with the dark cheap fake leather bolsters on the bucket seats. As for the center seat area, ours had a light silver-gray cloth that became stained within a couple of days, and I never put the dogs on those seats. An effort to dress up the dashboard area with a brushed aluminum trim also failed to impress me. All I could think of was how few luxury items or expected accessories were in the C30 for nearly $30,000.
A premium stereo sound system with 10 speakers and MP3 input capability was part of the standard equipment, and it did sound very good. But, a single CD disc player and lack of any gee-whiz display will not make any points with the targeted youth buyer. Even old goats like me enjoy all the new hot stereo stuff.
And where are the power and heated seats? Not here, but it’s actually possible to find a reasonable comfort setting after pumping and cranking the seat levers. Problem is, when the shorter lady co-tester takes her turn, I could hear her complaining all the way to the barn.
After inserting the key that looks like a box of breath mints and pushing the start button, it was time to make it down the snow covered back road. While front-wheel drive vehicles are somewhat better than rear wheelers, the Volvo C30 is no match for slippery roads or average snow mounds. The powerful 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine and its turbo-charger deliver way too much torque to finesse your way out of getting unstuck. The $1,250 optional five-speed automatic transmission at least allowed me to rock the C30 enough to get free. The standard six-speed manual stick would have made that maneuver nearly impossible.
Things did not fall off the C30 when I hit a modest pot-hole, but I felt like I should have pulled-over just to check. The suspension is harder than any real sports car I can recall, and an unnerving thump is telegraphed through the body every time those thin tires meet a hole.
Once on the dry pavement, its better if you have the C30 pointed straight ahead if you’re going to nail the gas pedal. There is some torque steer, but the 227 horsepower is eager to run the C30 to 60 mph in just a click over 6.5 seconds.
For the money, I’ll shop around a little more.
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