s60 to a c30

[jasmith44]

Hi I have a 07 s60 2.0t and was wondering what the difference is in comfort and performance in the c30 please.

[scoobysn7x]

Originally Posted by jasmith44

Hi I have a 07 s60 2.0t and was wondering what the difference is in comfort and performance in the c30 please.

I went from an IS220d to a C30, never regreted it, comfort wise they are a volvo so the seat and driving positon are very comfortable, the cabin is roomy and spacious you feel ike your in a bigger car, remember the C30 is the same platform as the S40/V50. The backseats aren't massive but fit 2 adults fine, the boot is a good size but will be smaller than an S60.

With the backseats down, it can take more stuff than you'd think.

Performance wise depends on the engines

1.6, 1.8 petrol are ok but not speed machines, 2.0 petrol is better but still not what you'd call quick, the T5's are quick and fun.

the 1.6D is slow, seems to have more issue than most engines, but good MPG wise
2.0d again seem to have issues but not as many as the 1.6d.

The volvo engines are the pick of the Diesels

D3/D4 are 2.0 5 cylinder volvo engines, with 150bhp/170bhp they are both the same engine just different maps on the engine. I had a D3 felt quick enough standard, lovely 5 cylinder growl. I had it reampped went to 200BHP, and was very fun after that, still manage mid 40 mpg round town higher on a run.

D5 is a 2.4 5 cylinder can't remember the exact bhp, but I know they are rare to find with a manual box. Again great relaible engines.

I have driven or owned all the engines in various guises (S40/C30/V60), my opinion (for what its worth) if you can afford the tax insurance and petrol costs T5 all the way. If you do mainly short journeys get a petrol, if you can't afford the T5, 2.0l would be my choice.

If you do long journeys every now, and then and want a diesel my choice would be the D3/D4.

I would also prefer an R Design (R Design Lux if you can find one) Spec, looks nicer with the bodykits, get theR Design touches (the R Design steering wheel is much nicer than the standard) and have the lower suspension, and nicer wheels as standard. If you go for an R design try and get one with the all black R design interior as the black white one looks dirty and doesnt age as well. Also make sure it had the stereo, bluetooth/aux options you want as it very hard to upgrade them.

Thats my 2p's worth

[jasmith44]

Scoobysn7x. Thank You very much for everything i need to know, That is quite a summary of the C30.

[scoobysn7x]

No probs, I really loved my C30, my partner got a V60 and I kind of fell in love with that, just a bit more practical than the C30, great specs, and good fun to drive, very chuckable even for a big car :-). So I sold the C30 to get a V60, The lad I sold mine too is actually looking to sell it now so if your after a facelift D3 it would be worth a look ;-)

[niggly]

[QUOTE=scoobysn7x;2383325]comfort wise they are a Volvo so the seat and driving positon are very comfortable, the cabin is roomy and spacious you feel like your in a bigger car - interior, seats and controls are wonderful
remember the C30 is the same platform as the S40/V50. - Also remember that it is the Ford Focus platform so it handles very well.
The backseats aren't massive but fit 2 adults fine - everyone who travels in the back of mine actually comments on how great the seats are, because they are individual, it being a 4 seater not a 5.
the boot is a good size but will be smaller than an S60. With the backseats down, it can take more stuff than you'd think. - I use mine like a van at times. The issue is the size of the hatch opening.

Performance wise depends on the engines

the 1.6D is slow, - Mine is a mapped D2 DRIVe and I have no complaints at all about it being slow. The torque flood at 2,000rpm which is about 60mph in 6th, is magic. On a motorway it'll pull like a train from 60 to 90 in 6th satisyingly quickly.

but good MPG wise - astoundingly good. On lot of local runs it never gets below 55mpg. On a run it will always do 65mpg, keeping up with all the Beemers, Mercs, Audis. I did a 25 rural, 60 Mway run, making no attempt to drive economically. The traffic was very light, so out of interest I pipped the ave mpg at the end - and it had done 71.4mpg
2.0d again seem to have issues but not as many as the 1.6d. - Not sure what these are? Mine has done 109,000 currently, never had any issues. It is a Peugeot engine. If properly maintained should clock 200k no problem.

D5 is a 2.4 5 cylinder can't remember the exact bhp, but I know they are rare to find with a manual box. Again great relaible engines. - Agree. The D5 is a beast.

the tax - My 2011 DRIVe has zero VED.

If you go for an R design try and get one with the all black R design interior as the black white one looks dirty and doesnt age as well. - They do get and look v grubby.

Also make sure it had the stereo, bluetooth/aux options you want as it very hard to upgrade them. - Yup, mine has the High Performance system with all the BT/AUX/USB. It is excellent. But so integrated you cannot mess with it.


I've enjoyed my little C30 immensely.

[T5R92011]

This is a good comparison. I have both!

- 08 S60 2.0T SE Lux (141,000miles)
- 62 C30 2.0 R-Design (66,000 miles)

In terms of comfort, the S60's seats are slightly less bolstered, and a bit more comfortable. C30's are still good, but better for slimmer folk.

The S60 has slightly more space for the front passenger, though still feels a bit tight. The C30 has it's handbrake on the passenger side, which means you will keep hitting the passengers leg when you use it. Not a problem on the S60 though.

The S60 is better soundproofed, I find the C30 to be bit "boomy" inside compared to the S40 and S60, which I assume is due to the air gap between the 2 rear seats that allows sound to travel from the boot area into the rest of the car.

In terms of build quality, this a bit of a strange one as they both trade blows in different areas. The center console around the S60's handbrake is made of squeaky hard plastic, whereas the dash section is rock solid. However In the C30, the entire centre stack feels extremely good quality apart from the 4 main control knobs on console. On earlier S40s/C30s those knobs were covered in a rubbery layer, which made them feel very high quality, whereas in later C30's (and the V40) those knobs are now made of hard plastic. Also, the indicator stalks on the C30 are very nicely damped, but on the s60, they aren't.

The rest of the C30's interior material quality isn't as good as the S60, hard plastics in the lower door cards, whereas in the S60, the entire door cards from top to bottom are soft to the touch (apart from the speaker grill), even the bottom of the door pockets are leather lined (or faux leather not sure).

In terms of performance, the 2.0 petrol (144bhp) in the C30 goes very well indeed. 0-60 is 8.8 seconds, which is VERY close to the 2.0T S60. In gear though, the 2.0T will beat it.

The T5 is very bad on fuel though. I think the Ford/Mazda 2.0 petrol is a good compromise, and mechanically it is very easy to work on, if a bit boring.
MPG is around 28-30mpg on the 2.0 petrol. Not so great in the 2.0T S60.

The 2.0 petrol clutch and gearbox is a bag of crap though. A long inaccurate throw, and the clutch engagement feels a bit cheap. I think this is exclusive to the 2.0 petrol through, as the 2.0d gearbox and clutch are pretty good, as is the T5. Also, checkout some of the tuned D5 C30's on youtube. These diesel engines are good for 250bhp and the in-gear acceleration in phenomenal. I hate diesels but I would genuinely consider a tuned D5.

My S60 handles better than the C30, which I was quite surprised about, especially given my S60 has more than double the miles of the C30, (with R-Design sports suspension). It may be that my C30 needs some suspension refreshing though. The turning circle in the C30 is crap given how small the car is. Feels no better than the S60 in that regard.


Headlamps in the facelift C30 are exceptional for halogen bulbs. They're crap in the older pre-facelift however. Xenons in a facelift C30 must be out of this world.

Personally I prefer the S60 because it's bigger, heavier and overall feels a better quality car.

The C30 has 'flashes' of excellent Volvo quality in certain areas, but the Ford underpinnings hold it back.

Looks much nicer on the outside than the old skool S60 though.

[Bendolfc]

The 1.6D / D2 are probably fine if you live somewhere flat, the loan ones I've driven whilst having mine serviced down in Devon have been hideous on hills and run out of steam rapidly, Haldon Hill as you get onto the A380 is no fun.

[RedRoseC30]

I've had a 1.6s petrol (2007) for over three years, in which time I've done a strange combination of around town and long motorway journeys, in all about 17k miles.

It's certainly no fireball, but the engine pulls well enough around town (though you have to be prepared to use the gearbox, which is precise and easy), but it really excels on the motorway, where it will cruise at the legal limit with little noise (3300 rpm) and turn in mpg in the late 30s.

Though it would not have been my ideal choice of engine (I bought it because it was in particularly good condition and had well below average mileage), on balance I'm content.

the only issue with the 1st generation C30s that has affected me is the lack of a lower grill to protect the air conditioner condenser, which is an expensive replacement, so having read other threads on here, I had a FIAT 500 lower grill fitted to give some protection - fitted at the rear of the bumper, it is unobtrusive and looks as if it is an original fitting.

I also use Osram Nightbreaker replacement headlamps, which I find are a great improvement on the original specs.

Apart from that (and the usual replacements that a 75k mile car needs) I'm really happy to drive what I consider a slightly quirky modern classic that is different to the BMW 1 series or the Golf or the Audi A3.

[bjc7319]

the c30 r design steering rack is upgraded on the r design model ie faster/better

[Parisien]

A very useful thread guys, am looking to pick up a C30 later in the year for my better half, don't do huge miles so the petrol 2.0L engine may well suit best ( never mind the diesel engines, especially the 1.6 general issues), plus the R Design does indeed seem very smart, even more so with a full black leather interior!


P