The Car of the Year that was

By Aida Sevilla Mendoza
Inquirer

AS a member (and past president) of the Car Awards Group Inc. (Cagi), I didn’t give high marks to the Volvo C30 that won the Car of the Year (Coty) Award for 2007. But that’s only because I was absent when the C30 was brought to the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Cavite on the last car testing day of Coty 2007 in October.

Thus the great expectations when I was given the chance to drive the Volvo C30 for four days early last month after it had already garnered the most coveted Cagi trophy. Were these great expectations met?

Yes, as far as the C30’s styling is concerned. While the C30’s face resembles the Volvo S40 with which it shares the Ford Focus’ platform, its sloping rear end/big glass hatch sets it apart from the rest of the crowd. The C30 is simply stunning. It looks like nothing else on the road, at least from the back. Its clean lines, short overhangs and aggressive, fast-forward stance give it an eye-catching profile.

The C30’s exterior design was inspired in part by the 1971-73 Volvo P1800 ES sport wagon and in part by the Volvo Safety Concept Car. Part Volvo sedan (the S40 facade) and part edgy hatchback, the C30 associates the Volvo brand with fun and disassociates it from its boxy, common-sense image of old. The C30 is definitely not for people with kids since it only has four bucket seats (including driver) and sparse (8.2 cubic feet) cargo room with the rear seats up.

In Europe, where it was launched ahead of the North American and Asia-Pacific markets, the C30 is seen as Volvo’s challenge to the Volkswagen GTi, Mazdaspeed 3 and Mini Cooper S, if not the 2008 Subaru WRX and Audi A3. Over here, the C30 may grab market share from the higher-priced BMW 1 Series. In terms of exterior styling, the Volvo C30 wins hands down against these rivals, but in terms of performance it’s another story — at least where the 2.4 liter, 5 inline DOHC base model is concerned.

The C30 2.4L ( P1,688,888) has the same engine as the S40 mated to a 5-speed Geartronic producing 170 bhp/6,000 rpm and 230 Newton meters of torque/4,400 rpm — enough acceleration to justify the fun-to-drive image, but somewhat lacking punch as it struggles to overcome the car’s mass. The basic 2.4L wonít win any races against the competition but the turbocharged T5 packing 230 bhp and 320 Nm of torque could. However, the C30 T5 costs half a million pesos more.

Handling

While the steering of the C30 2.4L feels heavy, velocity builds almost unnoticed because of the quiet engine and interior. Handling is better than expected for a car that weighs 3,200 pounds. The C30ís sporty charisma urges you to drive faster and slingshot around turns. The suspension (McPherson struts up front, independent suspension at the rear with coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and stabilizer bar fore and aft) is stiff enough to allow the C30 to be tossed into corners.

Feedback to the driver is good, if somewhat insulated. The C30 comes with front wheel drive only to keep costs down and to lower the overall curb weight. Driver’s visibility is excellent, except when you turn your head, the rearview mirrorís view to the right side is blocked by the front and rear headrests. Perhaps this is why BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) is included as standard equipment even though it is an option in other markets.

The interior of the C30 is spartan, a Swedish design characteristic that many see as clean and modern. The cockpit resembles the S40ís with a floating center console, leather-wrapped steering wheel, crisply executed and logically placed controls. The 2.4L has an 8-speaker in-dash CD audio system. Although the bucket seats are supportive, headroom at the rear is cramped due to the sloping roofline and legroom is limited. Cargo room is increased to 30.9 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded, but doing so requires climbing into the backseat or rear hatch to reach the release. The opening of the big glass hatch is comparatively small and narrow.

Safety

The C30 2.4L also meets expectations in terms of safety features: front, side-impact and side-curtain airbags, disc brakes on all four 16-inch alloy wheels, ABS with EBD, BLIS, Stability and Traction Control, park assist, anti-whiplash headrests, anti-submarining seats, Intelligent Driver Information System, collapsible steering column, electronic key remote control etc. are standard.

Bottom line, the C30 2.4L combines Volvo’s leading safety heritage with enough style and performance at an entry-luxury price. It is for the young and successful who can afford a more upscale hatchback. Ditto for the empty nesters who buy Volvos for their safety and want to refresh memories of their youth with the fun-to-drive C30.

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TODAY’S BUMPER STICKER: If God intended man to smoke, He would have set him on fire.

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