Up front, the driver and passenger sit in a cabin that's nearly identical
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| Up front, the C30 gets the S40/V50's ultra-thin console and classy layout. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada) |
to the S40/V50. This means you get clear, simple instruments, and the wonderfully futuristic thin, floating centre console that looks like it was designed by stereo-maker Bang & Olufsen. And on that note, sure to appeal to audiences young and old is the C30's Premium audio system. Sound fills the interior via ten high-end Dynaudio (also Danish, like B&O) speakers, intelligently processed by Dolby's Pro Logic II Surround Sound processor and powered by a 5x130 watt Alpine amplifier. The system is controlled via a sleek remote control-like head unit integrated into the console.
Although the C30 may be a small, compact hatchback, it has one seriously powerful engine under its hood: a turbocharged 2.4-litre of traditional inline-five layout that produces a fire-breathing 260-horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a proper six-speed manual gearbox, a necessity for
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| Unlike most hatchbacks, this is a strict two-door. (Photo: Volvo Cars of Canada) |
any high-performance hot hatch, the C30 can dash to 100 km/h from naught in under six seconds, while the top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h.
While any Volvo fan would melt over a 260-horsepower, all-wheel drive C30 R, chances are that this heavily boosted motor won't make production. As compared to this mad scientist concept vehicle, the production versions will draw from the S40/V50 line, the North American models to be powered by the 170-horsepower 2.4-litre inline-five, and perhaps the 220-hp turbocharged T5. Other global powerplants include PSA-Ford sourced diesels and smaller gasoline engines.
