Skip advert
Advertisement

Volvo C30 is go!

217bhp range-topper targets GTI and 1-series

Volvo C30

With an eye on the BMW 1-series and VW Golf GTI, Volvo will launch the C30 at the Paris motor show in September, complete with a range-topping 217bhp T5 derivative. A premium hatchback and strictly a four-seater, the C30 is the car with which Volvo hopes to both increase its volume sales and improve its image.

Advertisement - Article continues below

More of a sportwagen in the style of the old Volvo ES1800 of the early '70s than a regular hatchback, the C30 in five-cylinder turbocharged T5 guise should have the straight-line performance to tackle its prestige rivals; whether it has the overall dynamic prowess to challenge them is another matter, particularly as its front end set-up is derived from that of the under-achieving S40.

Base engine of the line-up is a 99bhp 1.6-litre four, followed by a 108bhp 1.6-litre diesel; sitting beneath the T5 in the range is the D5 with a five-pot turbodiesel producing 180bhp.

Although Volvo talks of practicality in its press information, it obviously believes that the top end of the hatch market values that quality less highly than style, which is why the interior is so bold and has four individual seats rather than a split-folding rear bench.

It’s rumoured that prices will start at around £15,000.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI
Cheap sports cars
Best cars

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI

With the sun shining and fuel prices palatable, now is the time to indulge your used sports car desires
1 Jul 2025
New 2026 Ferrari Amalfi revealed – physical buttons return in the 631bhp Roma replacement
Ferrari Amalfi front
News

New 2026 Ferrari Amalfi revealed – physical buttons return in the 631bhp Roma replacement

The Ferrari Amalfi picks up where the Roma left off, as a more capable, debugged super GT that’s finally brought back buttons
1 Jul 2025
Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?
Lotus factory
Opinion

Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?

Lotus’s latest troubles are grabbing headlines, but the writing’s been on the wall for some time.
28 Jun 2025