More than any other car maker in the last decade, Volvo has managed to change its public image. Once seen as safe and staid, the Swedish marque has managed to create a name for itself in the styling stakes. Nowhere more so than in the subject of this week’s road test, the 2009 Volvo C30 coupe.



The radical styling of the Volvo C30's rear end sets the tone. A large glass tailgate is fringed by tall vertical taillights, it's loved by some, but disliked by others. This latest styling theme harks back to the lovely Volvo P1800 ES of the late 1970s, particularly in the way the rear window drops well down below the car’s waistline, and opens to reveal a luggage area that’s part station wagon, part coupe.

While the Volvo C30 is aimed at the sporting coupe market there’s a surprisingly spacious interior. There’s good front leg- and head-room and the rear legroom is impressive when compared with others in this class. All four seats are large and supportive. The sloping roof may trouble passengers in the way of headroom, so get potential passengers to try it as part of your personal road test. Though getting into and out of the back seats through the front doors is easier than average for a car of this type, ask the aforementioned passengers for their opinions at the same time.

Interior design is also modern and stylish and the Volvo C30 has a neat, clean dashboard layout that features the marque’s ‘floating’ centre console. Only about two centimetres thick the unit can be customised to suit individual owners. There's stowage space behind this console, this is complemented by reasonably sized door pockets and other smaller areas.

There’s good, easily accessible, boot space under that stylish tail. This sporting little Volvo coupe could easily be used as the only car for a family with two pre-teen children.

The 2.4-litre, five-cylinder, turbo-diesel in ‘our’ Volvo this week had plenty of grunt due to that big capacity and high torque. There's up to 400 Nm when the engine’s mated to a manual gearbox, as on our test vehicle. Note that torque drops to 350 Nm when an automatic transmission is specified.

The turbo-diesel gives plenty of acceleration once the inevitable turbo lag has passed and the engine is getting full boost. Full-on driving enthusiasts who like the nearly instantaneous performance of a non-turbo petrol engine may not like the diesels initial characteristics.

Like all of its type, the Volvo diesel is on the noisy side at idle and when asked to accelerate more than moderately. Once up to speed and cruising the sound levels reduce to virtually as those on the petrol engine.

On motorways and level country roads we frequently saw the Volvo C30's fuel consumption below six litres per hundred kilometres for extended distances. Even around town this seldom rose much over eight litres per hundred kilometres, and that was in pretty heavy traffic at times.

On the road the Volvo C30 T5 is a delight to drive with precise steering and excellent road grip. The six-speed manual gearbox is a gem, with a small, sporty gear lever and crisp short-throw changes that are delightful in their precision.

 

Handling is largely neutral and only when you push hard at bends does some safe understeer begin to show up. It never really intrudes and can be easily controlled on the throttle.

Ride comfort remains good despite the suspension leaning slightly towards the sporty-handling end of the compromise. On dirt roads the car can be knocked about a little at times, but you can say the same about many Euro machines so it’s barely a criticism.

It goes without saying that any Volvo is an extremely safe vehicle. The C30's list of standard features include front, side and curtain airbags, side impact protection system, ABS brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, whiplash protection system, stability control and traction control.

Volvo is to be praised for designing a coupe that looks and feels sporty, yet has a practical interior and good ride comfort. But it sells at a pretty modest price. The cost of the C30 T5 turbo-diesel as tested was $43,450, the range begins with the 2.4 S manual at $34,950.

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE
C30 S 2.4-litre two-door coupe: $34,950 (manual), $36,450 (automatic)
C30 LE 2.4-litre two-door coupe: $39,450 (manual), $40,950 (automatic)
C30 T5 2.5-litre two-door coupe: $43,450 (manual), $44,950 (automatic)
C30 D5 2.4-litre diesel two-door coupe: $43,450 (manual), $44,950 (automatic)

FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: $1500 option in all models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models

SPECIFICATIONS (Volvo C30 D5 2.4-litre turbo-diesel two-door coupe)

ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.400 litres
Configuration: Transverse, five cylinders
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 17.3:1
Bore/Stroke: 81.0 x 93.2 mm
Maximum Power: 132 kW @ 4000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 400 Nm @ 2000-2750 rpm

DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive Ratio: NA

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4252 mm
Wheelbase: 2640 mm
Width: 1782 mm
Height: 1447 mm
Turning Circle: 10.6 metres
Kerb Mass: 1347kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 62 litres
Towing Ability: 1500kg with braked trailer

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts, lower link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc

PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 7.7 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 16.3 secs

FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 95RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 9.0 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5/10

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/unlimited km