Review of the new Volvo C30 Range

The C30 isn't quite the sort of car we've come to expect from Volvo but we like it anyway. The revised model we look at there has funkier styling but the finely honed driving experience remains, making it a desirable option for younger buyers who don't need the rear seat legroom and bootspace that a car of this size can't offer. Being a Volvo, it's safe and well-built too.

One of the things that's always puzzled me is how Swedes, the hardest drinkers and biggest partiers of all western Europeans, can end up turning out cars like Volvos. Is there some sort of switch that trips as soon as they reach the age of 21 whereby they turn into Sven-Goran Eriksson? Well perhaps, but the development of cars like the Volvo C30 shows that there can be a real spark in contemporary Swedish car design.

The original version we first saw in 2007 wasn't a bad looker but more recently, the front of this car has been redesigned to reflect Volvo's current family look. Body panel changes, including the wings and bonnet, create a more distinctive personality that's more dramatic and expressive. The air intake has been enlarged while the grille also has a smarter honeycomb pattern, unique to the C30. Otherwise, it's much as you were. The original C30 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. As a result, this is the fourth car spawned from the S40 platform, the others being the V50 estate and the C70 convertible. But it's the C30, more than any other model that has been responsible for driving down the average age of Volvo ownership.

On the road, the more powerful C30 models can feel slightly nose heavy but traction is so good that when you get it right, the car just slingshots out of a bend with no drama, and very little in the way of torque steer. There's also now the option of a stiffer Sports chassis. The T5 petrol unit also produces one of the most infectious engine notes around. Wet traction off the line isn't the greatest but lateral grip is superb. If you want to really exploit the C30's performance, you'll need to steer clear of the automatic option which really takes an edge off the car's punch. The six-speed manual version is certainly the smart pick, although an advanced, automatic twin clutch transmission called Volvo Powershift is also available.

"A highly desirable alternative to other premium small cars"

Engine selection is agreeably broad, taking in the modest, this 100PS 1.6-litre petrol unit, to the decidedly immodest in the shape of a 230PS T5 turbo five-cylinder powerplant more widely renowned as the engine that flings the Ford Focus ST up the road. In between these two in the petrol line-up lie 125PS 1.8, 145PS 2.0 and 170PS 2.4i engines. Diesel drivers get the choice of a 109PS 1.6D, which also comes in eco-friendly 'DRIVe' guise. Plus there are 136PS 2.0D and 180PS D5 units. Your only other option is the 1.8-litre FlexiFuel engine that can run non normal unleaded or renewable E85 bioethanol.

Built at Volvo's Ghent facility in Belgium, the C30 has room for four adults, the rear seats folding flat to form a useful loading space. Although it shares the same wheelbase as the S40 saloon, the tape measure shows this car to be fully 22cm shorter and the car shares not one panel with its four-door stablemate, instead offering a very different look and feel. 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. That inevitably means that bootspace is at something of a premium but at 433 litres, it's not too bad and you can always extend it to 947 litres by flattening the split-folding rear seat.

There are fascinating design touches everywhere you look around the car, from the 'floating' instrument panel to the horseshoe tail lamps, the deep arc of the rear glass and the pumped-up Volvo shoulders that run from the front to the rear lights in one uninterrupted sweep. 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).

Prices lie around the £15,000 to £22,000 bracket, so the C30 sits somewhere between mainstream sportily-orientated three-door hatchbacks - say a Vauxhall Astra Sporthatch - and premium-badged compact hatches like three-door versions of BMW's 1 Series and Audi's A3. All models get Volvo's sporty R-DESIGN trim as standard. Here, the exterior incorporates an exclusive sports bodykit, a rear spoiler, plus an R-DESIGN logo on the grille and alloy wheels. Inside, the unique interior is upholstered in off-black T-Tec fabric with contrasting cream leather embossed with the R-DESIGN logo and is complemented by eye-catching blue instrument dials, a leather sports steering wheel, aluminium ridged sports pedals and a gear knob with aluminium inserts.

The 1.6D diesel engine in the DRIVe model helps the C30 to a 74.3mpg return on the combined cycle which really is very good for a car in this class. It will also emit just 99g/km of CO2. The 2.0D is better able to give the C30 the sporty driving experience its styling hints at and its 49.6mpg is also a good showing. In the petrol line-up, it's just over 40mpg and 167g/km emissions for the 1.6 and 38mpg with 177g/km for the 2.0. The T5 and D5 models produce 32mpg and 45mpg respectively. Insurance groups range between 7 and 16.

Younger customers have started adding Volvo to their shortlists in recent years and the C30 'SportsCoupe' is a major reason why. It's stylish and genuinely enjoyable to drive while also retaining core Volvo qualities like build quality and safety. The car's sleek looks do come at the expense of interior space but it offers impressive value if you're comparing to other premium-badged rivals. Choose the right model and running costs can be class-leading too. Overall, the C30 is a highly desirable alternative to other premium small cars.

TOP 5 C30 DEALS

The results below show the top C30 deals on buyacar

Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe SE Lux 3dr [Start Stop] Diesel Sports Coupe
Price £17,151 Click for a C30 Review	Save £3,214
Volvo C30 1.6 R DESIGN 3dr Sports Coupe
Price £14,432 Click for a C30 Review	Save £2,663
Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe R DESIGN 3dr Diesel Sports Coupe
Price £16,115 Click for a C30 Review	Save £3,010
Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe SE 3dr [Start Stop] Diesel Sports Coupe
Price £16,017 Click for a C30 Review	Save £2,998
Volvo C30 1.6 S 3dr Sports Coupe
Price £12,668 Click for a C30 Review	Save £2,327