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2008 Volvo C30 S review : Car Advice | News Blog

2008 Volvo C30 S review

June 11, 2008 by Karl Peskett  




2008 Volvo C30 S 2.4i review & road test

08volvoc30sf3qu2.jpg

Model Tested:

  • 2008 Volvo C30 S 2.4i

Options:

  • None fitted

Recommended Retail Price:

  • $35,950

plus.jpg Styling, smoothness, engine performs well

minus.jpg Bland steering, bland brakes, bland interior

CarAdvice Rating: rating11.gifrating11.gifrating11.gifrating_half.GIF (3.5/5)

- Photographs and review by Karl Peskett

 My wife was driving behind me the other day. I happened to be behind the wheel of this Volvo C30 S at the time. She rang me on my mobile to tell me something. As I picked up the phone and put it on speaker (naturally), I didn’t even get a hello.

The first thing she said to me was, “You know, your bum looks big in that.”

72-es-gold.jpg

And that pretty much sums up the styling of this car. You see, Volvo has paid homage to one of its classics, the 1800ES. Not that that’s a bad thing. In its heyday, the 1800ES, along with the P1800 coupe, was a masterpiece of design. It was certainly different.

08volvoc30srear3quarter.jpg

The slanted rear glass panel, the concave waistline; The 1800ES was a nice piece of metalwork. And to my eyes at least, the C30 is also a fine looking automobile.

So yes, it’s very bum oriented, but I reckon that’s a good thing. It certainly gets everyone talking anyway. And people talking and pointing is better than apathy – Volvo has to score points for polarising the people.

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Comments

10 Responses to “2008 Volvo C30 S review”
  1. Mitch says:

    Love the c30, my favourite hot hatch. would def go the T5 tho

  2. Supercujo says:

    Love the styling of this thing. The base model was always a puzzling item. The diesel has pull and the T5 has grunt, the base model is the definite orphan.

    One thing I have never liked is the textured black plastic trim. Always seems to fade to gray.

  3. Technofreak says:

    Wrong engine in this one…def need CRD or the T5.

  4. Mitch says:

    Of course it’s the worst engine of them, it’s the cheapest and the only naturally aspirated one

  5. Not really a fan of the rear, myself.

  6. Martin says:

    I saw the T5 reviewed on Fifth Gear today. They said it was quite good. The guy that reviewed it said that this car proves centre consoles can be practical and not boring, and that its a premium drive not a sporty one. So its not really in the hot hatch segment having little less power than the Focus XR5, which shares the same engine.

  7. milbob says:

    hmm.. quite a heavy car for its size, no wonder it sips 9.0L/100km.. not bad but still.. can’t quite figure out why Volvos are always so heavy.

  8. G says:

    How can you say the interior is bland. Take a look at Volvos from 3+ years back then you will appreciate the ultimate in bland – or better yet a SAAB.

  9. Luke says:

    I own a red S40 with this 2.4 five pot, and the engine is great. It has more power and torque than any rival (base engines in the Audi A3/A4 or BMW 120i or 320i), and the extra cylinder makes the difference. 125KW is huge for a ‘base’ powerplant. It’s far from the ‘poverty’ engine it’s portrayed as here.

  10. Duck says:

    also it’s a……………….bland Volvo.

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