The Volvo C30 gets revised styling for 2011. A new front fascia, redesigned fenders, a new honeycomb grille, and trapezoidal headlights give the 2011 C30 a fresh look. The new front styling on the 2011 Volvo C30 complements nicely the unique styling of the rear of the car. The C30 comes with more standard equipment for 2011, also.
The C30 is a premium compact that competes with the Audi A3 and Volkswagen GTI sporty hatchbacks. A two-door hatchback, the C30 shares most of its mechanicals with the Volvo S40 compact sedan. While similar in character, the C30 has less standard equipment, allowing Volvo to make it its lowest priced car.
The C30 continues to be offered in two models, the C30 T5 and the more upscale T5 R-Design, which comes with leather upholstery. Both come with a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine rated at 227 horsepower and a choice of 6-speed manual or 5-speed automatic Geartronic with Auto-stick. The C30 uses front-wheel drive.
Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 21/30 mpg City/Highway with the automatic, 21/29 mpg with the manual gearbox.
The 2011 C30 T5 R-Design features a retuned suspension aimed at sharpening chassis dynamics and steering reflexes. Spring stiffness has been increased by 30 percent while the dampers feature a new mono-tube design that build-up pressure quicker for 20 percent increased low-speed damping. Steering is more precise with stiffer bushings and a 10 percent quicker steering ratio.
Youthful and fun to drive, the C30 is Volvo's best handling car. It has good steering feel, stays flat in corners, and is nimble enough to slice through traffic. The turbocharged five-cylinder engine provides plenty of punch to keep the fun coming. Ride quality is generally good, though it can become a little hard with the available 18-inch wheels.
Inside, the C30 offers a pleasant, fairly roomy cabin for four. The standard cloth upholstery is a unique fabric that resembles wetsuit material. Room up front is plentiful, and the controls are easy to spot and use. The two-door body style makes getting into the backseat a bit of a hassle, but the rear seat is comfortable for two passengers. Those rear seats fold down to create a large rear hatch area with lots of carrying capacity.
In addition to the revised The C30 was introduced for the 2007 model year.
Overall, the Volvo C30 is an attractive compact with premium equipment and trim that's practical and fun to drive. The C30 comes with Volvo's safety engineering and is loaded with safety features.
Volvo says four adults can fit inside the compact C30. Rear bucket seats are positioned slightly inward of the front seats, allowing more forward visibility. In front, the dashboard has an ultra-thin center panel that incorporates climate and audio controls. Interior features include:
- Cloth seats standard, leather seats optional
- Standard dual-zone climate control
- Standard CD stereo with an auxiliary jack
- Standard trip computer
- Upgraded stereo optional
- Optional navigation system with real-time traffic data
- Backseat folds forward
The Volvo C30 design is striking, particularly from the side. The roofline starts out high and slopes gradually down, pinching the rear windows. Those windows are drawn in, leaving room for another Volvo characteristic, pronounced shoulders.
The C30 is a two-door hatchback, also called a three-door. Sporty design cues include short front and rear overhangs, an integrated body kit, and big wheels on wide tires. The ground-effects-type body kit outlines the bottom of the T5 in black from front to rear and includes wheel flares at all four corners. On R-Design models the entire kit is body-color, for a more subtle look that we like much better.
The story isn't the C30's front or sides, though. It's at the rear. Volvo is putting more emphasis on the rear aspect of the C30, choosing to show that angle in promotional materials. The most prominent feature is the dark-tinted rear glass, an attractive frameless trapezoidal shape that recalls the rear of the 1971-73 Volvo 1800 ES wagon. The glass dips down low and is flanked by unique taillights that rise up to the roof and jut out at the bottom to match the shape of the car's shoulders. The Volvo name is spelled out across the bottom of the glass in bold, bright letters. The look is different from anything out there and is strong enough to give the car a distinct character.
For 2011, T5 R-Design models come with 18-inch wheels Volvo calls Midir. C30s come standard with 17-inch alloy wheels.
The Volvo C30 is based on the same platform as the S40 and V50, and all share the same 103.9-inch wheelbase. But the C30 is nearly 9 inches shorter than the S40, all sliced from behind the rear wheels.
The Volvo C30 competes with the Audi A3, Mini Cooper S, and Volkswagen GTI. The C30 has a longer wheelbase than all three. The Mini is two feet shorter than all three of these cars. From the rear, the C30 has the most character of these cars. From the front, it would be easy to mistake the C30 for a Volvo S40 or V50.
ENGINE
The front-drive C30 is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder engine. Mechanical features include:
- 227 horsepower and 236 pounds-feet of torque
- Six-speed manual standard
- Five-speed automatic optional
SAFETY
Safety features include:
- Standard four-wheel-disc antilock brakes
- Standard side-impact and side curtain airbags
- Standard traction control
- Standard electronic stability system
- Standard active front head restraints
- Optional blind spot warning system
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