The last time Volvo offered Canadians a sporty compact coupe, Bobby Hull signed for a $1,000,000 to headline the upstart World Hockey Association, and Jackie Stewart drove his last Formula 1 race at Mosport Park.
With thirty-five years between Volvo's P1800 ES and Volvo's latest C30 sports coupe, the phrase "highly anticipated" seems a bit of an understatement.
C30: A S40/V50 lovechild
Volvo's existing premium compacts--the S40/V50 sedan and wagon--are Volvo's most fun-to-drive cars to date, and are certainly a good place for the supposedly sportier C30 to be based upon.
The $27,495 base C30 2.4i's 168 horsepower, 170 pound-feet of torque, naturally aspirated 2.4-litre five-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission will be familiar to S40/V50 owners.
As will the 218 h.p., 236 lb.-ft. of torque, turbocharged 2.5-litre five, as found in my C30 T5 test car with one more gear in its standard stick.
A five-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic sequential shifting is available in both models.
One deletion from the S40/V50 gene pool is the option for all-wheel-drive, as both C30s are strictly front-wheel-drive.
For a $31,995 starting price, the C30 T5 also adds electronic climate control system, a more powerful audio system, and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob on top the C30 2.4i's standard kit. My test car came with Sport and Dynaudio packages to total up to $37,895, not including the optional bodykit and 18-inch alloys with the Pirelli P Zero Rossos which pricing Volvo is still working on.
From the C30's driver's seat, one will find a nearly identical setup as the existing S40/V50. Same supportive seats, crisp and clear driver instrumentation, steering wheel wands that can be readily accessed, audio remote-inspired floating centre console and those surprisingly dainty foot pedals.
With thirty-five years between Volvo's P1800 ES and Volvo's latest C30 sports coupe, the phrase "highly anticipated" seems a bit of an understatement.
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| The C30 is Volvo's first sport compact car since the P1800 ES. |
C30: A S40/V50 lovechild
Volvo's existing premium compacts--the S40/V50 sedan and wagon--are Volvo's most fun-to-drive cars to date, and are certainly a good place for the supposedly sportier C30 to be based upon.
The $27,495 base C30 2.4i's 168 horsepower, 170 pound-feet of torque, naturally aspirated 2.4-litre five-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission will be familiar to S40/V50 owners.
As will the 218 h.p., 236 lb.-ft. of torque, turbocharged 2.5-litre five, as found in my C30 T5 test car with one more gear in its standard stick.
A five-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic sequential shifting is available in both models.
One deletion from the S40/V50 gene pool is the option for all-wheel-drive, as both C30s are strictly front-wheel-drive.
For a $31,995 starting price, the C30 T5 also adds electronic climate control system, a more powerful audio system, and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob on top the C30 2.4i's standard kit. My test car came with Sport and Dynaudio packages to total up to $37,895, not including the optional bodykit and 18-inch alloys with the Pirelli P Zero Rossos which pricing Volvo is still working on.
From the C30's driver's seat, one will find a nearly identical setup as the existing S40/V50. Same supportive seats, crisp and clear driver instrumentation, steering wheel wands that can be readily accessed, audio remote-inspired floating centre console and those surprisingly dainty foot pedals.
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| The C30 design is signed by Simon Lamarre. |