Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £16,245 to £21,360
Stylish hatchback with good ride/handling and a fine new dual-clutch gearbox.
Small glovebox, sliding electric front seats for rear access are slow and have no memory, expensive when optioned up.
Volvo's latest automatic 'box is a good fit in the C30 and can hold its head high among competitor dual-clutch transmissions.
This is a nicely-made car with properly padded surfaces for the dashboard and the doors, an expensive-feeling padded headlining and a convincing air of solidity and quality. That's backed up by the structure's taut, rattle-free feel. There are several different interior textures but they complement each other well.
Some of the detailing is below the standard of an Audi A3's, though. The window-level padding on the doors is abrasive to a bare arm, and the same zone below the rear side windows is, disappointingly, of hard plastic. The monochrome LCD information graphic display in the centre console looks cheap and dated, too.
As for reliability, the combination of well-tested, mainly Ford mechanicals and a good Volvo reputation bodes well. The C30 should be light years ahead of the troublesome 480 here.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volvo C30
wrote on 23 07 2007