2007 Volvo C30 Review

Specifications

My life has certainly changed since accepting an offer to do television. No, I don’t get stopped in the streets by admirers wanting me to sign autographs, nor, fortunately, does rotting fruit gethurled in my direction, at least not yet. Just the same, I do find myself in unique situations that I wouldn’t have otherwise imagined.

Take a recent trip to Mallorca, to test Volvo’s new C30. All was fine. How could I complain? I mean, I’d witnessed one of the most dramatic introductions ever at the ultimately trendy Palo Beach Restaurant the night before, where after a truly impressive video production that featured a number of very hip, very good looking twenty-something Brits of various ethnic and sexual persuasions living with the car, an actual life-size C30 emerged from beneath a black pool of water amidst bright colorful lights in dramatic effect, the Mediterranean surf crashing up against the beach as a backdrop. Then, a decent night’s rest later in a spectacularly modernista boutique hotel called Hotel Tres (www.hoteltres.com) in the heart of Palma, right next to the rather ominous but nevertheless breathtaking Catedral de Mallorca (www.catedraldemallorca.org), I was greeted by a very congenial but nevertheless very Spanish (i.e. he didn’t speak a word of English) cameraman for the shoot. Oh, this was going to be interesting. I’ve gotten used to working with my main C-man Tyler, finding it a challenge to adapt myself to two very good but different camera people previously, so how was I to direct what I had in mind for the show through such an unfathomable languagebarrier. Added to the problem was a lack of wireless microphones, meaning that I had to stand in front of the car with a hand-held unit, the too-short cord dangling on the ground in front of me, and the integrated camera mike for in-car filming. Ugh!

I used to love a day’s drive in some exotic location, but now the complexities of filming take some of the laissez-faire out of the experience. Don’t get me wrong, I’m starting to really enjoy the creative process of writing scripts, directing my five minutes segments and performing for the camera, but I’m no longer able to merely slum it in a pair of shredded jeans and a T-shirt, unshaven and looking like I’d just woken up all day. You know exactly what I mean: a look best suited for radio. Now I’ve got to think about wardrobe, make sure my hair has been cut recently and then wax it to perfection the morning of the shoot so that wind, rain or shine won’t toss it about during an important shot, and finally, shave. I had all that stuff done before meeting up with Lorenzo, but the constant hand gesturing and hapless laughter that needed to somehow overcome my Spanish deficit kind of threw me off my game.

Just the same, he certainly wasn’t complaining about my driving,or at least not that I could understand. We drove through Palma towards the Serra de Tramuntana mountains and beyond to Port de Sóller, and rather than take the tunnel (where would the fun be in that) we set out to scale the peaks. Scale is right, as the road up to the top is about as narrow and serpentine as any I’ve ever experienced. Oddly, rather than the usual ever present sunshine, the island was overcast with slight showers, causing oils and such to rise from the pebbly road surface, which forced me to a slow crawl around some of the turns due to lack of traction induced understeer which enlisted the standard electronic stability and traction control in full force. The driving nannies did their job and kept us from flying off of the steep slopes, but just the same I wouldn’t consider the opportunities for testing the C30’s limits of performance as awe inspiring as the spectacular views we were experiencing as I tried to keep my minds eye focused on the road ahead.

Down we swept into the heart of Port de Sóller, as picturesquely Mediterranean as any coastal Euro town I’d ever seen in post card, pictography or in person. A well protected cove, the business district that lined its perimeter is about as small as any two-bit fill-up-the-tank-and-keep-driving watering hole I’ve ever come across in our neck of the woods, although the mountain cliffs that dove into the water near the inlet’s gateway to the sea would feel homier to a Mainean than a Texan – or a Washingtonian for that matter. The red-roofed villas that clung to the cliff-tops and brightly painted pastel-colored hotels that were clumped in the center of town were unique to this part of the world, however, and reminded me that, despite the rain, I was far from my hometown in Vancouver.

I wheeled around Sóller, having driven a mile or so beyond the turnoff, partly because we’d missed it and partly because I wanted to get closer to town, and enjoy as much of it as time would permit. Contrary to what some may believe, the junkets that the automakers invite journalists on aren’t lovely vacations filled with opportunities for personal reflection in the quaint, sixteenth century churches of our choice, but rather activity filled business trips with little time to even stop and take in a breathtaking view, let alone bask in thesolitude of a well appointed hotel room. Therefore I find I have to steal a moment or two now and then just to enjoy a locale that I might never return to in this life or the one to follow.

Making this moment more enjoyable was the C30, perfectly suited to winding its way through tightly congested European streets. This is a really easy car to drive, which should make it extremely popular with those who don’t have to be reminded by strong-arm steering or punishing suspension components that they’re driving a sporty car. Rather than some of its competitors, which impress with a flat, purposeful stance in the corners but otherwise run a body ragged on rough inner-city roads, especially the cobblestones, tram tracks and uneven, broken pavement that runs rampant in many parts of Europe, including this particular spot on the isle of Mallorca, the C30, complemented by its extremely supportive yet unusually comfortable seats, was fully up to the task of cosseting its occupants.

On that note, while some handling performance is obviously given up to accomplish a comforting ride, I don’t think it would have too much trouble keeping up with the best in this fast-growing market segment. In case you want a refresher, Americans have the option of a number of entry-level offerings in this C-segment sport-luxury class, the most obvious competitor being Audi’s sporty little A3(and at the lower end the Rabbit and GTI). BMW? Yeah, that one doesn’t make any sense at all. To think that the Bavarians could have taken this market by storm in North America years ago when it introduced the new 1-Series makes me shake my head in bewilderment. Who knows? Maybe BMW’s decision will be seen as keen foresight in the future, after other top-tier brands tarnish their once hallowed names in middleclass mediocrity? BMW, at least, seems to be getting ready to bring their 1-Series Stateside soon, mind you, so we’ll just have to see how Americans warm up to it, and if it’s a car that will carry the brand’s name forward with the pride necessary. Volvo, mind you, won’t have to worry about that.

Why? First of all, it doesn’t yet play in BMW’s league; probably a blessing in this case. Being endowed with a legendary name in luxury circles can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to selling high-volume models, the constant worry being that too many three-pointed stars in rental neighborhoods won’t exactly do much to elevate the brand’s core identity. Volvo, while respected, is seen more on par with Acura and Infiniti, and in some ways, even Volkswagen, which has elevated its game in recent years to play among the privileged.

Volvo has even surpassed Volkswagen’s impressive capabilities when it comes to producing a high-quality interior, mind you. So good is it, in fact, that I’d rather spend time inside the C30 than BMW’s 3-Series. All the plastics are expected soft to the touch, and the metals are truly metal. I’m still in love with Volvo’s floating center stack theme, as first shown in the S40 and V50 models that I drove a couple of years back in and around Malaga, Spain. The Bang & Olufsen-like layout, replete with a simple, easy-to-use set of ancillary buttons and switches, looks as if a little press at the bottom would have it pop out and drop into the palm of the hand like a high-end stereo remote.

Audio on the mind, Volvo’s stereo choices include three different systems. The first is a simple 80-watt, single disc player,while the upgrade unit doubles power to 160 watts and enhances the features too. Still, the younger types that Volvo is pursuing with its C30 will want to go for the top-line Dynaudio system, available as a standalone option across the line. This stereo gets ten speakers, a six-disc stacker, an input jack for the iPod or MP3 player, and, sit down when I tell you this, 650 watts of crystal clear power! Now that’s what I call earth shattering news!

Not so dramatic is the C30’s base engine with 168 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque, yet the inline five-cylinder should pull away from stoplights with enough verve to be enjoyable. Volvo didn’t provide us with any entry-level cars to test as none were available, so I had to suffer through a six-speed manual equipped turbocharged C30 T5 that moved along a little quicker thanks to 218 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque.

And it really charges forward at full throttle, the engine making a unique mechanical note that didn’t exactly get the hair on the nape of my neck standing at attention but nevertheless let me know it was getting down to business. The new Volvo gets an optional five-speed automatic if requested, for a price of course, which includes a manual shifting feature, the same gearbox as available with the base C30 2.4i. The entry-level car, mind you, gets a five-speed manual as standard equipment.

Just to make clear, the C30 is front-wheel drive only, a choice made to keep costs down as well as lower its overall curb weight. Being that it’s derived from the S40 sedan and V50 wagon, it’s possible Volvo may add all-wheel drive at a later date, but no one is promising anything yet. Still, it’s possible they will for a special performance model… maybe with an R badge attached? I’m not going to speculate.

And why should I, because the current top-line T5 is plenty fun to drive, with more power than most people will ever want or need. Truly, the C30 does everything a sporty compact model should, and more, plus more important to its success than engine performance, it looks fabulous.

Volvo has taken an augmented yet similar front end design from its S40 sedan and clipped on a rakish tail that reminds me a bit of the old P1800S, theliftback version of the car Roger Moore drove in the spy thriller TV series, The Saint. While no doubt influenced by Volvo’s original sports car, especially in the back where its glass hatch is a dead giveaway to its inspiration, the C30 has more practical aspirations in mind. While one of the sportiest Volvos to come along in years, but its roomy four-seat interior and practical cargo area make this car easy to live with. Even the open space between the split rear seatbacks makes for better rearward visibility, enhancing safety.

And on that cue, safety is Volvo’s calling card, of course, and the people who brought us the three-point seatbelt, among other things, make sure and include a full assortment of active and passive safety features in even the least expensive C30 2.4i, such as dual front, side-impact, and side-curtain airbags for all outside passengers, ABS brakes with brake assist and electronic brake force distribution, Volvo’s innovative WHIPS system, which basically pushes the headrest forward during a collision from behind, protecting your neck from injury, and many other features that normally only find their way into the luxury class. And while talk of safety features don’t assist in the sale of cars as much as styling and performance characteristics do, a poor rating in crash tests can do much to put people off of what might otherwise be an intriguing prospect.

Fortunately for Volvo, the C30 combines the brand’s leading safety history with enough style and performance, plus an estimated entry price that should slot it just above VW’s GTI at about $23,000, and a T5 price of what is expected to be about $27,000, that it should have no problem selling every one of its 65,000 global allocation in record time, and be steps further toward its 2009 model-wide goals of 600,000 units per year. Truly, if it keeps building cars as well-made and fun to drive as the C30, Volvo could find itself as well respected in the luxury segment as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Now that be something worth dragging a razor across my face, putting on some stylish duds, and getting my haircut for, before stepping in front of a camera to give an enthusiastic report. It now seems only a matter of time.