Hot on the heels of the new-look
Volvo C70 is a facelifted C30 SportsCoupe for the 2010 model year. It too will make its debut at the
Frankfurt Motor Show on September 15th, and given the continued reference to the
S60 Concept, we're pretty certain that the all-new production-ready Volvo S60 will also be on hand.
Virtually all of the C30's updates are cosmetic, with the front-end significantly made over. The new lights, wings and bonnet are obvious, but the air intakes are new too and the Volvo badge is bigger. More subtle design tweaks have been carried out at the rear. Customers will have the option of a new accessory styling kit that adds aluminium-look accents to the front and rear - and to the side sills - while D5- and T5-engined models will boast large, twin exhausts. New colour options and alloy wheels top off the list of exterior differences.
Inside, it appears that the only change has been with the choice of colours, with a new Espresso/Blond palette and Cranberry-coloured leather among the options.
If you're as interested in go as you are show, you'll want to hear about the new Sport chassis - an option on all models other than the 1.6D DRIVe with Start/Stop. Surprisingly, it seems to encompass a thorough rework of the C30's chassis. The ride height is 10mm lower for starters, while the springs, dampers, anti-roll bars and steering bushings have all been stiffened up for sharper response. On top of that a quicker steering rack is fitted.
When the new C30 arrives in 2010 there will be three petrol engine options and three turbodiesels. The highest performance derivative will continue to be the 227bhp T5, while the best sellers are likely to be the 2.0- and 1.6-litre diesels. The latter is sold as a DRIVe model and is also available with Start/Stop, reducing CO
2 emissions to an impressive 104g/km.
Full pricing and specification details will be announced closer to the car's on-sale date. If we find out any more in
Frankfurt, we'll be sure to let you know.
Shane O' Donoghue - 8 Sep 2009