Review of the new Volvo C30 1.6 petrol

On the face of it, Volvo's C30 1.6 petrol model isn't the most perplexing of vehicles. Sassy contemporary Volvo design draped over mass-market Ford underpinnings is a formula that seems quite straightforward but this is one of the strangest vehicles in Volvos' current line up. Just who is the target customer for this car and why?

With those aggressive hips and a frowning front end made extra malevolent by a recent facelift, the C30 looks as if it should pack at least 180bhp under its snub bonnet but pop the catch on this one and you'll be looking at a piece of plumbing that's good for a mere 99bhp. Let's give Volvo the benefit of the doubt and call it 100bhp on a good day. Atmospheric pressure and all that. In case you were wondering, this is less than something like 1.6-litre Hyundai i30 or Kia cee'd models roll from their respective factories with. Fast it isn't.

Yet despite having an engine that will need Ventolin after trying to punch its way out of a wet paper bag, this C30 carries a not inconsiderable sticker price in the region of £15,500 for the ES models - SE and R-DESIGN cost extra. This positions the 1.6-litre C30 at a competitive level compared to rival models but can the car really justify that price tag?

The likes of Audi's 1.4-litre TSI A3 and BMW's 116i have a power advantage but those models are rather more expensive. Underpowered though it may be, with its generous equipment provision, the C30 can make a case for itself on financial grounds.

"The bigger the engine, the better the value seem to be the C30 credo"

With rivals as good as the Audi and the BMW, does the Volvo really stand a chance of making it big? The chassis is one of the best front-wheel drive platforms around and the C30 handles with some verve although it never feels quite as sharp as an equivalent Focus, the car's extra weight lending a little more roll into corners. The most illustrative thing about the ride/handling bias is that it feels how you would expect a Volvo premium hatch (or 'SportsCoupe' to use their parlance) to feel.

Very sensible and inestimably safe just about covers it. That said, the C30's cabin feels just as good, if not better, in terms of quality as the BMW and almost on a par with Audi. If it can't quite pip the A3 in terms of soft-feel, silicon damped, slush-moulded extravagance, it definitely scores a points victory when it comes to daring design, the floating centre console quickly becoming a Volvo staple.

The design brief was formed from various customer clinics and when it took shape, it was loose and relatively easy to fulfil - customers wanted something desirable, low and wide with big wheels and four seats. They also fancied lots of standard equipment and a punchy stereo. Given that latter day small Volvos have had a rich design element to their interiors, translating that to the exterior wasn't a tough job for Volvo's stylists.

Some things are reassuringly Swedish. Safety hasn't been skimped on and as well as the usual airbags and seat belt tensioners, the C30 serves up WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System), SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) and even the option of BLIS (Blind Spot Information System). This acts much like an extra set of eyes and utilizes digital camera technology mounted in the door mirrors to monitor the areas 3m to each side and up to 9.5m behind the driver. If a vehicle enters this area, a symbol appears on the windscreen pillar near the rear view mirror to indicate that something's there when you take a quick look towards the mirror. Active at speeds above 10km/h, this system isn't the only safety benefit buyers of the C30 enjoy. Special water repellent glass is fitted to the mirrors and side windows. Water beads up on the glass and the airstream quickly clears it, leaving unimpeded visibility.

Volvo has high ambitions for the C30 and hopes to convert around 65,000 cars per year with 75 per cent of buyers coming from Europe. Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK are being touted as key markets. Built at Volvo's Ghent facility in Belgium, the C30 SportsCoupe has room for four adults, the rear seats folding flat to form a useful loading space. The stereo choice is also worth mentioning. As well as some quality basis systems, there's the option of something even the most pernickety audiophile would enjoy. The Premium Sound system features a digital 5x130w Alpine amplifier with Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound and no fewer than ten Dynaudio speakers, Volvo now challenging Lexus as the prime exponents of quality car audio.

Although it shares the same wheelbase as the S40, the tape measure shows the C30 to be fully 22cm shorter. It scarcely seems possible that so much has been pared from the overhangs of the saloon car but such is the wheel-at-each-corner stance of the C30 that it measures just 4,248mm from stem to stern. Performance figures, in case you're interested, are an unspectacular 11.2 second sprint to 60mph with the top speed pegged at 115mph. More relevant is a fuel economy figure of 40.4mpg (combined) and an emissions showing of 167g/km, both reasonable.

I'd have little hesitation in recommending this car to aesthetes with little interest in driving. That may sound damning but when you play with the big boys you've got to come equipped. The Swedish model for doing so has traditionally been to offer much more power for the same money. Offering less might be novel but I can't see it being sustainable in either the long or short term.