Secor Volvo
575 Broad St. New London, CT 06320Sales: 860-442-3232
Vehicle Reviews
2010 Volvo C30
Youthful fun and flair. edited by New Car Test Drive
Introduction
2010 Volvo C30
The Volvo C30 is a premium compact car, youthful and fun to drive. It competes with the Audi A3 and Volkswagen GTI class of sporty hatchbacks. The C30 is a two-door hatchback that shares most of its mechanicals with Volvo's compact S40 sedan and V50 wagon. While similar to these cars in character, the C30 has less standard equipment, allowing Volvo to make it its lowest priced car.
The C30 is also Volvo's best handling car. It has good steering feel, stays flat in corners, and is nimble enough to slice through traffic. The 227-hp turbocharged five-cylinder engine provides plenty of punch to keep the fun coming. Ride quality is generally good, though it can become a little hard with the available 18-inch wheels.
Inside, the C30 offers a pleasant, fairly roomy cabin for four. The standard cloth upholstery is a unique fabric that resembles wetsuit material. Room up front is plentiful, and the controls are easy to spot and use. The two-door body style makes getting into the backseat a bit of a hassle, but the rear seat is comfortable for two passengers. Those rear seats fold down to create a large rear hatch area with lots of carrying capacity.
For 2010, Bluetooth hands-free phone interface, a trip computer and cruise control come standard, along with more leather and aluminum interior trim. HDD navigation is optional for the base model. The C30 was redesigned for the 2007 model year.
Overall, the Volvo C30 is good looking, fun to drive, and offers the easily accessible cargo utility of a hatchback. It's affordably priced and, with a few well-chosen options, is a fine choice among sporty compacts. It comes with Volvo's safety engineering and is loaded with safety features.
Model Lineup
The 2010 Volvo C30 T5 and T5 R-Design have front-wheel drive and a 227-hp turbocharged five-cylinder engine. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, and a five-speed automatic is an option ($1,250).
The C30 T5 ($24,100) comes standard with cloth upholstery; air conditioning; cruise control; keyless entry; leather-wrapped steering wheel; leather and aluminum shift knob; leather parking brake cover, tilt/telescoping steering wheel with audio controls; height-adjustable manual driver's seat; trip computer; outside temperature display; power windows, locks and mirrors; 50/50 split-folding rear seat; 160-watt AM/FM/CD stereo with six speakers; Bluetooth hands-free phone interface; and 205/50R17 all-season tires on alloy wheels. Full leather seating is optional ($1,200).
The C30 T5 R-Design ($26,300) adds two-tone Leather/Flextech upholstery, aluminum interior trim, and blue-faced instruments. Outside, R-Design is distinguished by additional bright trim and body-color (rather than black) wheel flares and sill extensions. For 2010, fog lights are standard. R-Design gets a sports suspension complemented by 215/45R18 tires. Full leather is optional ($200).
Options for both models: The Multimedia Package ($1,000) includes Sirius satellite radio and a 650-watt Dynaudio Premium Sound System with 10 speakers and Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound. The Preferred Package ($1,950) comprises power-adjustable seats for both driver and front passenger, Keyless Drive, and active xenon headlights; on the base model it also includes fog lights and additional aluminum interior trim. The Climate Package ($900) has heated front seats, headlight washers, rain-sensing wipers, Electronic Climate Control with an Interior Air Quality System and a humidity sensor. Stand-alone options include a glass sunroof ($1,000), HDD navigation with real-time traffic and remote control ($1,800), and Volvo's Blind Spot Information System ($700). The Custom Build program, which charged a one-time fee of $300 to open up a larger option list, has been discontinued.
Safety features include the mandated dual front airbags, plus side-curtain airbags for head protection, and side-impact airbags for torso protection. Active safety features consist of anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control (ESC), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist.
