Driven..c30 1.8

[longroad2nowhere]

Hi all :cyclops: , I was able to take out the new volvo c30 for a test drive whilst my s40 was in for some work; in the 1.8 guise. It was supposed to be the D5 engine (however, having driven it before I suspect in this car it is wonderful!!) however, there was a fault with the engine and only the 1.8 was available. My intial impressions (and bear in mind it was only an hour on country/A/town/motorways are that the c30 in a big step forward in visual impressions and handling ability. Although, I won't be buying the petrol 1.8 I found it to very agile in this chassis and quite lively. Although it is smaller than anything currently in the volvo range it does not feel it on the road and indeed does have quite an on road pressence! (It is strange looking in the rear-view through that expanse of glass tho). Levels of kits seems average for this particular model, but well appointed none the less (althought the audio system would require a higer spec (personal taste)). My main worries were that is would feel small (which it doesn't but it is still nimble) and that the unconventional two 'proper' seats in the rear would be restrictive, however, when sitting in the back I found them to be very comfortable and would expect two adults to be comfortable on a long journey (children even more so). Finally, dispite reports, I found the boot to be sensible and I imagine quite accommodating for any uses to which you put in to use.


P.s. please excuse any spelling errors :cyclops:

[Ross9]

Funny you should say that.

Jacquelines mum was looking at the C30 today and Jacq was along with her, they didn't test drive it but from the look, interior, "vibe" of the car, things it had to offer etc they were very impressed, I have to say from looking at the brochure etc I was also impressed.

ALso worth adding Jacq has just told me, is that they looked at around 10 different models/marques today, and the C30 was the only one given more than 5 minutes of attention.

Nuff said, impressive stuff from Volvo. I liked the look of it with the twin tailpipes, 220 bhp T5 engine etc, good car.

Ross

[alcorn1721]

My 1.8 SE in Sapphire black should be delivered late April. I currently drive a 440 GLT and wanted a little bit more in the power dept but felt that anything over 2 Ltr would be a waste with the type of driving I do. The style first drew me to the C30 but the test drives(which were in 1.6 petrol and 1.6 diesel SE Lux models) sealed it.

[Singlofty]

had mine for about 4 weeks now - my first Volvo - aaaah!
front wheel drive was weird at first but it handles fine and is a comfortable little car - my old mum loves it in the back as she can just step in!

[RoscoMac]

I had a c30 1.6 for a day as a courtesy car. Do like the styling & the "wheel at each corner" setup. Don't like the prices!! The 1.6 seems reasonable value at around £15k, but the 2.0d I would need is approaching £21k, which is a bit daft (could get a used xc90 for that money!).

Anyone driven a distance in the c30 yet? I felt although it was nice & sporty driving it around, couldn't help wondering what it would be like after a couple of hundred miles on the motorway. Even the Salesman at the Volvo dealer agreed he wouldn't like to travel a distance in it, until he realised what he had said, and tried to wriggle out of it!

Cheers

[C30fan]

Anyone driven a distance in the c30 yet? I felt although it was nice & sporty driving it around, couldn't help wondering what it would be like after a couple of hundred miles on the motorway. Even the Salesman at the Volvo dealer agreed he wouldn't like to travel a distance in it, until he realised what he had said, and tried to wriggle out of it!
I'm obviously from a different planet as I cannot relate to these comments at all! I drove my C30 for 270 miles each side of the Easter weekend and found it to be a comfortable and relaxing experience. Low noise levels, excellent seats, smooth ride on the motorway, a very capable cruiser. I've not had a big Volvo but I have owned a Saab 9000 so I do know what a big car feels like - and I think the C30 has a big car feel.

[GMcL]

I had a C30 1.8SE as a loan car for a day while my S60 was in the garage.

Driving the car was a nicer experience than Ford Focus' I have driven the fuel economy was a shock though. It used £15 of petrol to cover 65 motorway and dual carriageway miles at 60-70 mph.
The engine had covered 3k miles. Maybe still running in though the computer should be callibrated after the first 1k miles, having said that if it's just used as a loan car then it won't be getting the most gentle of run ins.

Where the Focus scores over this car is the boot. We have an umbrella style collapsable push-chair for our 1 year old daughter and it filled the boot. Getting her in and out of the rear was no problem thanks to the huge doors and walk in access to the rear. I think the doors will be a problem in the supermarket car park though. Very long and very little protection against others opening their doors onto it.

The seats were not what I would call Volvo seats. They had all the adjustment of the S60 seats but I felt as though I sat on rather than in them.
I don't know if I could live with the old style screen in the dash. It looked more like something you'd find in a £9k supermini than a £16k+ "prestige" hatchback.

Overall a nice car, different from the mainstream but not sure about those seats. If I were to buy one it would have to be diesel powered as the 1.8 felt gutless for the amount of fuel it consumed.

[36016v]

had a c30 1.8 petrol as loan while the s40 was in for service, the c30 handled really well, chucking it into corners, it held the road brilliantly, 1.8 engine was gutless, suspension could be improved but it probably is on the t5 model.

Main letdown was boot, i managed to fit my laptop and bag in their and that was it, what a waste of time, wouldnt buy one for that reason alone, apart from that you could be mistaken for thinking you were sitting in a s40

[alcorn1721]

I had a C30 1.8SE as a loan car for a day while my S60 was in the garage.

Driving the car was a nicer experience than Ford Focus' I have driven the fuel economy was a shock though. It used £15 of petrol to cover 65 motorway and dual carriageway miles at 60-70 mph.
The engine had covered 3k miles. Maybe still running in though the computer should be callibrated after the first 1k miles, having said that if it's just used as a loan car then it won't be getting the most gentle of run ins.



something's wrong there. i've just done my first full fill up and my 1.8 c30 has returned 28mpg(not taken from the computer) which is slightly better than my old 1721cc 440glt. the journeys have been mixed, varying from predominantly under 5miles (from cold with hardly any top gear work). no journey allowed speeds in excess of 60mph and there were no motorway trips. when travelling at a steady 60mph(cruise engaged) the computer was showing an instantaneous of over 44 mpg which again is similar to the 440glt when i did a motorway trip from london to edinburgh.

as the car was a loaner and i take it they told you to fill it up when you took it back, was the tank REALLY full when you took possession?

[Alec Dawe]

My wife went to look at a C30 at our local Norwich stealership four weeks ago. Yes, from the driving seat its the same as my S40, drives the same (althougth the 1.8 pertrol does seem gitless after my 2.0 diesel), and she had almost decided to have one, But, and here is the BUT, the price offered on her current car was AWFUL (£3500 below the forecourt prices of similar cars) the dealers would not even look at the 'Club' discount, saying that Volvo never discount new models, not even to the VOC. Then offered us the demo car, 6 months old, with 5000 on the clock, and offered £1500 off the list price!

Went to local Ford dealers in the village, where we have been buying my wife's cars for years. Instant extra £1500 on the trade in price, and we were offered a brand new Focus C-max 2.0D in Ghia trim with £4000 discount. Done deal I'm afraid, especially with the service that we do get from the village Ford dealers.

Volvo actually didn't seem that interested in selling the car, at least to us.. Noticed that the demo car is still there yeaterday..!

[alcorn1721]

so let me understand this, you still were offered £2000 less than the forecourt price of similar cars. what make was it(not a volvo i'm assuming)?

did you quote /show the dealer the agreement ref that voc has with volvo?

does their name begin with an "I" and end with an "E"? if so they aren't listed in the dealer guide at the back of "volvo driver" and your experience would go some way to explaining why.

although the ford comes with a big discount it will be reflected in it's value when you come to sell it on again. the consensus is that the c30 will hold it's value well.

[GMcL]

something's wrong there. i've just done my first full fill up and my 1.8 c30 has returned 28mpg(not taken from the computer) which is slightly better than my old 1721cc 440glt. the journeys have been mixed, varying from predominantly under 5miles (from cold with hardly any top gear work). no journey allowed speeds in excess of 60mph and there were no motorway trips. when travelling at a steady 60mph(cruise engaged) the computer was showing an instantaneous of over 44 mpg which again is similar to the 440glt when i did a motorway trip from london to edinburgh.

as the car was a loaner and i take it they told you to fill it up when you took it back, was the tank REALLY full when you took possession?

It was on half when I picked it up and slightly under half when I gave it back so I didn't truly replace what I had used.