Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £14,995 to £20,845
Good-looking, classy small hatchback; solid and safe; comfortable and fun to drive.
Not hugely practical; access to rear seats awkward; rather expensive.
All the usual Volvo virtues - except lots of luggage-space - in an attractive, compact package.
The first small Volvo hatchback since the 480-series, the C30 is essentially a Ford Focus with a Swedish makeover. No bad thing: like the Focus, it's a fine-handling, well-engineered and well-built vehicle, with a five-star score in the Euro NCAP crash tests proving that it lives up to all the usual high standards Volvo sets for safety.
Its design and styling is all Volvo, however, with a retro rear glass hatch (like the 480's) and an outline which recalls the pretty P1800 ES shooting-brake of the 1970s. The cabin may be strictly a four-seater, but those seats are typically Volvo: supportive, sumptuous and well-shaped.
For 2009, the C30 - already the most affordable Volvo to run - gets more economical (and more environmentally-friendly) yet. The 1.6-litre diesel models are now branded 'DRIVe', signifying their credentials. The 109bhp engine now returns 64.2mpg and emits just 115g/km of carbon dioxide, thanks to a series of specific modifications. It's pretty expensive to buy, though: prices start at just over £15k
The 1.6 DRIVe has its aerodynamics enhanced, with flat under-body panels, a redesigned rear spoiler and rear bumper for smoother airflow, a partially-closed front grille, low-drag alloy wheel hubs and low rolling-resistance tyres.
The gear ratios have been adjusted and the power steering assistance refined, and ride has been lowered by 10mm. There's even low-friction oil in the engine. But does this make a difference to the way the C30 drives?
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volvo C30
wrote on 23 07 2007