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.
Too many of today's hatchbacks hem you in visually with their thick pillars and general air of bulk. The Volvo C30 avoids this, and it's very refreshing. The base of the windscreen is low, despite the C30's compliance with pedestrian protection rules, and the base of the rear window is even lower. The central pillars, though thick, are chamfered inside to help the view rearward for the driver and forward for the rear passengers, and the way the rear side windows angle inward makes for easy reversing with an excellent view.
The driving position is very comfortable, the instruments are clear and the switchgear is logical enough once you've learnt how the various menus work. One useful option is the BLIS blind-spot system, which flashes a warning in the base of a door mirror if another vehicle is coming up alongside.
The C30's Focus genes promised prowess in steering and handling, but the Volvo interpretation has turned out to be less, um... focused. The steering feels more rubbery around the straight-ahead, but its response is still progressive and the weighting is about right. The C30 holds the road with determination and can flick tidily from one direction to the other thanks to tight damping and a good balance. It's no hot hatchback - lifting the throttle in a corner tightens the line enough to get you out of trouble, but no more - but it gives a confident, entertaining drive. The brakes are powerful and progressive, but can feel a little mushy after some hard work.
The 2.0-litre diesel version is one of the more impressive cars in the C30 range, with plenty of useful pulling power - 236lb-ft of torque. It works very well when mated with the Powershift gearbox, which operates as two separate 'boxes with twin wet clutches. As the next gear in any sequence is ready to be engaged when the driver decides to change, there's a continuous flow of power and no loss of torque. Changes are therefore quick and smooth, allowing 0-60mph to be reached in nine seconds.
The Powershift is a significant addition to the C30 range and makes the 2.0-litre diesel engine an even better option when buyers choose which model to plump for.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volvo C30
wrote on 23 07 2007