The switch is fuzzy, the flywheel is heavy, the pedals are poorly placed for the front and rear legs, the mechanical clutch is high with low feedback, the engine runs silently, and in the cabin it is quiet – the difference between the NVH between 55 mph and 90 mph is insignificant. All this works because noise reduction and aerodynamics are quite effective, the suspension is well thought out and provides neutral handling, all tires have a slight negative camber, and there is the fact that the turbo is included in the famous modular 2.5-liter Volvo 5-cylinder. The root of the problem is that the driver does not have a sense of involvement – until the car is in a state of “reckless driving / danger” – the steering seems dead, and the engine just starts to produce a vacuum cleaner that sounds like a hum at 4000 rpm . The only permanent weak spot on paper is the brakes, which have a spongy pedal and may be prone to moderate fading upon impact.
Get a nice rack, you won’t regret it.
I live in Vermont and this car has replaced the Volvo 850 T-5 station wagon. The Volvo C30 has 20 cubic feet of space with folded seats – 850 has 65 cubic meters – and the C30 manages only 12.9 cubic meters with two bucket seats in an upright position. Despite the lack of space, the set of Thule Aeroblades and ski racks made it easy to get from the office to the north center in the middle of the day (mileage with mixed driving from only 30 mpg to 26 mpg with racks on). For two people, the storage space behind the rear seats is enough for a winter day hike. The rear buckets are actually quite comfortable and provide excellent cornering support – although the output is tedious. For couples with a street lifestyle and without children, this car is completely practical.
Think of the sex appeal (and mental strength required) of spreading a cold waffle.
The Volvo C30 has a heavy front, wheelbase is short, and a circular negative camber closes to make it a handful in the snow. With Hakkapeliitta winter winter spikes on it, “twitching” is the most important day. The turn is on the side of oversteer, and movement along a straight but destroyed part of the road leads to things moving sideways quickly. Did I drive past people from other states spinning their all-season tires in their SUVs up the hill from a full stop in this all-wheel drive low-clearance car? Of course, but it’s all up to the tires. Oh, and while we are on this topic, it was not easy for Volvo to put the DSTC switch (traction control) on the steering lever.
$ 3,000 a year for servicing an old Ford Focus?
The car clearly does not provide “all the sensations,” or something that children say these days, but what is it like to support? Volvo has been using the 5-banger since 1993, it’s not the first rodeo to get the Getrag M66 with Volvo, and let’s face it, it’s really a bloated Ford focus. The truth is accurate – $ 3,000 per year for maintenance at 20,000 miles per year. This includes independent work and independent work, although some things, such as clutch, have been handed over to the dealer. Most of the funds went to tires and suspension. Driving was energetic and it was difficult to cover a distance of about 30,000 miles on a set of tires. This is partly due to the installation of a standard suspension, for which Volvo issued a service bulletin, simply advising technicians that because of the slight negative collapse of the car, that he will regularly eat from inside the tires. It is great for those who use directional tires, and not so good for those who use asymmetric tires.
The interior does not age.
Due to all the negative aspects, the advantages make this car quite competitive in its class. The interior is Spartan, although not cheap, and it has not stood the test of time in such a way that fuel-efficient and luxurious cars always seem to fail. Apart from vacuuming light-colored dirt out of the black carpet, Volvo designed the interior to be free of overly shiny surfaces and ‘magnets’ for wear. Buy nearly any car on the market today, drive it for a full day, and the interior will appear ‘lived in’ at the end of the day. Volvo has managed to evade this, and it’s hard to give them enough credit for doing so.
-Jack Wilson
