Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £16,245 to £21,360
Clever mix of Volvo design and three-door hatchback compactness, airy cabin, quick but quiet, strong grip, confident handling and disciplined ride, well finished and well-equipped, five-star NCAP crash test score.
Jerky manual downshifts in auto versions, no paddle-shifts, tiny glovebox, sliding electric front seats for rear access are slow and have no memory.
Volvo virtues in a sporty hatchback make an alluring combination. It's the first 'affordable' Volvo in years to appeal to the heart.
The 1.6-litre diesel is the star here, with a combined-cycle average of 57.6mpg (we'll be amazed if this C30 will do so well in the real world) and average CO2 emissions of just 129g/km. At the opposite end is the T5 Geartronic at 32.5mpg and 208g/km.
Servicing shouldn't cost any more than for a Ford Focus, but it probably will because Volvo dealers have plusher showrooms to fund.
Particulate filters are optional for the diesels, and the Swedish market will have a FlexFuel version of the petrol 1.8 which can run on E85 bioethanol. That will be offered in other markets later.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volvo C30
wrote on 23 07 2007