What is it?
It's the Volvo C30, but fresh from some age-defying surgery that gives the three-door hatchback a little more justification for its 'SportsCoupe' name. In a nutshell, the C30 now looks sharper, should be better to drive, and offers the added bonus of a tax-busting ultra-green version.
Why's it here?
Volvo will never relinquish its all-encompassing quest to be regarded as the safest carmaker on the planet, but recently it's been throwing a whole lot of unique styling flair into the mix. The updated C30 is a continuation of Volvo's slow but sure ascent to a stylist of sporty, rakish cars. It's quite a turnaround.
The newcomer is standard facelift stuff really - treatment for the front and back ends, some new interior trims and options, and new paint colours - but it does give the car a new lease of life. Added to that is a new sport chassis option that drops the ride by 10mm, stiffens the springs and dampers and sharpens up the steering. Plus, more significantly, there's a new DRIVe version that boasts 99g/km CO2 emissions - and is therefore VED exempt. It'll do 74.3mpg combined and has a theoretical tank range of a massive 857 miles.
Show stopper or floor filler?
Not a show stopper, but the type of car the buying public will be interested in when the Frankfurt floodgates open to the public. The 99g/km DRIVe is particularly impressive, and colours like the new burnt orange one on the stand should bring attention seekers into Volvo showrooms for sure.
Mark Nichol - 17 Sep 2009
