Facelifted C30 (T5 R-Design) questions from a newbie

[Markos01]

Hi all

Just researching these as much as I can and so far from what I can tell the R-Design C30s looks great but seem to have a relatively low-spec as standard, which I find a bit odd. An ideal spec would be nav, BT, sunroof and heated seats with the manual gearbox but that looks to be a real task to find. And I like the external look of the R-Design too much to forego that.

So my first question: is the nav actually worth having? On previous cars I never used the built in nav but the screen is useful for providing information, song details etc: is this the same for a facelifted C30? And do all have ports to connect phones/iPods or can they stream via BT? Anything else I'm missing or that's good to know about or have?

What's the deal with the boot cover? Some seem to have a sculpted cover with an opening, others seem to have a simple, sprung cover by the looks of it. One looks better than the other but the other looks more practical...

And the last question, are they all on yearly service plans? Many new cars are happy with 15k miles or 24 months, so just thought I'd check with these.

Thanks in advance everyone!

[FunkyMelon]

I wouldn't worry too much about a few of those extras.

Bluetooth, nice to have but pretty primitive UI through the system, better off with a FM transmitter to be honest.

Sat nav - Forget it, on the long list of car integrated sat navs, the Volvo one is truly awful! They were late to game and rushed it, it's crap. You're better off using your phone with Google maps/Waze/whatever.

They're not yearly service plans, though if you've got a T5 and want to look after it, I'd do the oil and filter every year at least.

If extras are your concern, get heated seats and make sure you get one with the high performance sound system, that's something Volvo did do right! Xenons are very good too, face lift car headlights are better than pre face lift models but are still pretty poor, after market xenons are straight plug and play into these headlamps though ( just a quick swap prior to MOT ).

[kmb]

Having bought a C30 T5 R-Design 4 months back I also struggled to get the spec I wanted due to low choice on the market, I did manage to get one with only Sat Nav missing, having now seen a few Sat Nav Volvo systems I'm quite relieved I didn't hold out for this...

Mine has Rain sensing wipers, auto headlights, Cruise, Bluetooth/Aux/USB, autodim rear view, electric folding mirrors, electric drivers memory seat, heated front seats, cornering xenons (which I find excellent), High Performance Sound system which is also amazing, keyless entry, plus some other stuff... But I'm not sure what was an option and what was standard

Here's my one https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=283210

I think I read that the Bluetooth can be used for music streaming from 2012 models onwards, mine doesn't stream on a 2010.

I have a hard and a soft boot cover (also a full set of spare wheels/tyres and roof bars) but have only been using the hard load cover with the flip up hatch. The soft cover seemed to require some faffing around.

[foneman]

I agree with some of the previous post but I would say the Bluetooth is worth having.
I have a C30 R-Design not a T5 though a D3 but the later face lifted models 2012 have Bluetooth streaming which is well worth having as you can then for go the Sat Nav and use Google maps and audio through the sound system.
As for the Bi-xenon lights I have them,there ok nothing magic though makes me wonder how bad the halogen candles must be.
I would agree on the sound system sadly I only have the basic set up and well frankly it's not great and I believe it's non upgrade-able so try to get the better system.
The better spec R-Design is the Lux,I think as a manual T-5 you might wait a long time to find such a car never mind one that's not worn out.
It seems a lot of R-Designs have the base spec bit like the Ford Zetec equivalent.On the less sporty SE it tended to have the folk who spend money on the extras.

[domhart10]

pretty difficult to find the spec you want on these, they should all have in phone bluetooth? but make sure you get the one with the premium speakers and also ensure it has an aux and usb port. These are really handy.

[Markos01]

Originally Posted by domhart10

pretty difficult to find the spec you want on these, they should all have in phone bluetooth? but make sure you get the one with the premium speakers and also ensure it has an aux and usb port. These are really handy.

It's not taken me too long to realise what I want will mean a long wait or a bit of a compromise I think!

About the premium speakers: can you visually see whether a car has the better hifi, such as extra speakers or different speaker grilles? Would be good to see in any ads on Autotrader whether a car has the better sound or not, as sometimes sellers don't spec the car fully...

[Parisien]

Considering getting a C30 towards end of year for the better half, can anyone detail the facelift differences and date from which they took effect?

P

[kmb]

Originally Posted by Markos01

It's not taken me too long to realise what I want will mean a long wait or a bit of a compromise I think!

About the premium speakers: can you visually see whether a car has the better hifi, such as extra speakers or different speaker grilles? Would be good to see in any ads on Autotrader whether a car has the better sound or not, as sometimes sellers don't spec the car fully...

When you switch on the stereo it will flash up with 'High Performance Stereo', which helps tell you what's fitted

I can't sell mine yet, need to get some usage lol

[Markos01]

Originally Posted by foneman

I agree with some of the previous post but I would say the Bluetooth is worth having.
I have a C30 R-Design not a T5 though a D3 but the later face lifted models 2012 have Bluetooth streaming which is well worth having as you can then for go the Sat Nav and use Google maps and audio through the sound system.
As for the Bi-xenon lights I have them,there ok nothing magic though makes me wonder how bad the halogen candles must be.
I would agree on the sound system sadly I only have the basic set up and well frankly it's not great and I believe it's non upgrade-able so try to get the better system.
The better spec R-Design is the Lux,I think as a manual T-5 you might wait a long time to find such a car never mind one that's not worn out.
It seems a lot of R-Designs have the base spec bit like the Ford Zetec equivalent.On the less sporty SE it tended to have the folk who spend money on the extras.

Thanks foneman, useful info. Not sure what 2012 T5s go for, and have been thinking a 2008-2010 but will keep my eyes peeled for anything newer as BT streaming would be a 'nice to have'. Amazing how Volvo seem to have got the lights wrong on these bearing in mind their 'safety' heritage!

Originally Posted by FunkyMelon

I wouldn't worry too much about a few of those extras.

Bluetooth, nice to have but pretty primitive UI through the system, better off with a FM transmitter to be honest.

Sat nav - Forget it, on the long list of car integrated sat navs, the Volvo one is truly awful! They were late to game and rushed it, it's crap. You're better off using your phone with Google maps/Waze/whatever.

They're not yearly service plans, though if you've got a T5 and want to look after it, I'd do the oil and filter every year at least.

If extras are your concern, get heated seats and make sure you get one with the high performance sound system, that's something Volvo did do right! Xenons are very good too, face lift car headlights are better than pre face lift models but are still pretty poor, after market xenons are straight plug and play into these headlamps though ( just a quick swap prior to MOT ).

Thanks FunkyMelon, you've confirmed what I was wondering about the nav in them and that's good to know about swapping the xenons!

Originally Posted by kmb

Having bought a C30 T5 R-Design 4 months back I also struggled to get the spec I wanted due to low choice on the market, I did manage to get one with only Sat Nav missing, having now seen a few Sat Nav Volvo systems I'm quite relieved I didn't hold out for this...

Mine has Rain sensing wipers, auto headlights, Cruise, Bluetooth/Aux/USB, autodim rear view, electric folding mirrors, electric drivers memory seat, heated front seats, cornering xenons (which I find excellent), High Performance Sound system which is also amazing, keyless entry, plus some other stuff... But I'm not sure what was an option and what was standard

Here's my one https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=283210

I think I read that the Bluetooth can be used for music streaming from 2012 models onwards, mine doesn't stream on a 2010.

I have a hard and a soft boot cover (also a full set of spare wheels/tyres and roof bars) but have only been using the hard load cover with the flip up hatch. The soft cover seemed to require some faffing around.

kmb I love your car, these look great in white and you have the best spec one I've seen yet! I'll be along this evening with a deposit!