cars part review: 2013 Volvo C30 Fun to Drive Best Hatchback

first introduced, The Volvo C30 was one of the most stylish small cars on the market. 2013 Volvo C30 can’t quite match the performance thrills of other sporty hatchbacks, nor can it match the base price of other stylish hatchbacks. Nevertheless, it’s a solid alternative to both. new release of Volvo C30 gains a new Premier trim level for 2013, while every trim now comes standard with automatic wipers and headlight washers. The Premier Plus trim now includes keyless ignition/entry and adaptive xenon headlights.

The C30 has a design that clearly makes some packaging sacrifices for the sake of being sleek, low, and rakish, but overall the C30 looks unabashedly proud of it. Inside, the C30 has a design that’smore sophisticated and laid-back, compared to most ‘hot hatches’, with the now-familiar Volvo ‘floating’ center stack, a thin panel housing radio and climate controls, with a pass-through compartment just ahead, by the footwell. all Test drivers agree that the 2013 Volvo C30 is a classy hatchback, but they also agree that it lacks the sporty performance of its main rivals and that it isn’t very practical because its back seat and cargo space are small for a hatchback.

The C30 is unmistakable on the road thanks to the nifty all-glass hatch that harkens back to past Volvo hatchbacks. The two-passenger backseat is another interesting touch, featuring a pair of individual bucket seats that are nearly as sumptuous and supportive as those up front. Compared to those aforementioned stylish two-door hatchbacks, the Volvo C30 is far more welcoming to its passengers.

With a turbocharged five-cylinder engine, no test driver calls the 2013 Volvo C30 the most powerful or fun-to-drive model in the class, but most are pleased with its performance. Auto reviewers find that the C30 doesn’t struggle to get up to highway speed, and think its standard six-speed manual and optional five-speed automatic transmissions are smooth, but some reviewers say neither transmission makes the C30 sporty. With the automatic transmission, the C30 achieves 21/30 mpg city/highway, according to the EPA. Those ratings rank the 2013 Volvo C30 toward the bottom of its class. The 2013 C30 receives a lot of positive comments for accurate steering and outstanding road grip, but some test drivers say the C30’s ride is too bumpy for their liking.

According to auto critics, the 2013 Volvo C30’s cabin is well-made and modern. It comes with a good number of standard features for the class, including HD Radio, Bluetooth and a USB port, but several reviewers think its buttons are hard to read. Though well-equipped and well-made, test drivers are quick to note that the C30 is not a utilitarian hatchback. It only seats four people, and while the front seats are comfortable, critics say the two rear seats are tight for adults, though that is common in this class. The C30 offers very little cargo space for a hatchback, and reviewers are disappointed that the cabin lacks small-item storage.

2013 Volvo C30 Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2013 Volvo C30 is a compact two-door hatchback that seats four people. There are two models: T5 and the sportier T5 R-Design. Both are broken into base, Premier, Premier Plus and Platinum sub-trims.

Standard equipment on the base T5 includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights with washers, automatic wipers, cruise control, air-conditioning, a height-adjustable driver seat, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, cloth upholstery, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and an eight-speaker sound system with a CD player, HD radio, an auxiliary audio jack and an iPod/USB audio interface. The R-Design models differ with a sport-tuned suspension, 18-inch wheels, unique styling elements inside and out, foglamps and cloth/leather upholstery.

The Premier sub-trims add to the base models a sunroof, an eight-way power driver seat, driver memory functions and a cargo area cover. The R-Design version also gets an auto-dimming mirror.

The Premier Plus sub-trims add adaptive bi-xenon headlights, LED running lights, keyless ignition/entry and an eight-way power passenger seat.

The Platinum sub-trims add a navigation system, satellite radio and a 10-speaker surround-sound audio system.

All trims are eligible for a number of options, including a blind-spot warning system and satellite radio. The Climate package adds heated front seats, automatic climate control and an interior air quality filter.

Interior Design 2013 Volvo C30 and Special Features

The design of the 2013 Volvo C30 is by no means fresh, but it’s worn well. Thanks to a mild restyle a couple of years ago, it’s kept up to date with a mild frontal restyle bringing new headlamps, reshaped front fenders and hood, and a revised front fascia.

Part of the reason the C30 manages to look so good, year after year, is that it owes a lot to its design inspiration–the 1800ES two-door sport wagon of the early 1970s. With its entirely unique sheetmetal, and its role as the only two-door hatchback in the Volvo range, the C30 carries that torch.

You can also see some of that retro-futuristic design inspiration in the C30′s all-glass rear hatch, complete with a shoulder line over the rear wheels. The effect is a rakish silhouette that’s distinctive and appealing. Contrasting trim helps outline the wheel wells, and large wheels give the look of a fastback coupe more than the upright three-door hatchback it arguably is.

The interior design of the 2013 C30 remains a big part of its charm. With Volvo’s now-familiar “floating” center stack holding the sound system controls as well as those for the climate system, leaving room for a clever storage space just behind that panel and atop the shift tunnel, there’s space for all sorts of smaller items, mostly out of view. And the modern and sophisticated themes are kept up inside with clean, simple aluminum trim inlays with a honeycomb pattern.

Powertrains and Performance 2013 Volvo C30

Every 2013 Volvo C30 is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder that produces 227 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission are standard; a five-speed automatic is optional.

In Edmunds performance testing, a manual-equipped C30 went from zero to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, which is average for a sporty compact hatchback. The automatic was a bit slower at 6.9 seconds. EPA-estimated fuel economy with the automatic is 21 mpg city/30 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. The manual barely differs at 21/29/24.

2013 Volvo C30 Safety

Volvo has a longstanding reputation for top-notch occupant protection and top-notch safety equipment, and for the most part the C30 lives up to that.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, gives the C30 its highest rating of “Good” for frontal offset, side-impact, and rear crashes, as well as roof strength. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hasn’t rated the current C30.

The 2013 Volvo C30 includes electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, front and side airbags, and side-curtain airbags with rollover sensors. There’s also the Intelligent Driver Information System (IDIS), which monitors the car’s maneuvers and may choose to delay certain functions to prevent driver distraction–an incoming phone call, for instance. Optional equipment that’s unusual among compact hatchbacks includes both a lane-departure warning system and a rear-obstacle detection system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the C30 the highest possible rating of “Good” in the frontal-offset, side and roof strength crash tests.

2013 Volvo C30 Fuel Economy / MPG

The 2013 Volvo C30 is a small, three-door hatchback, and given its size and appearance you might expect it to be fairly green. But EPA ratings ring in at just 21 mpg city and 29 (manual) or 30 (automatic) mpg highway. Those figures are closer to what you’d get in a mid-size four-door sedan, and rank on the low end of the compact scale in a year when more than one compact sedan achieves 40 mpg on the highway. Blame, at least in part, it’s rather large five-cylinder engine.

In a real-world test drive several model years ago, we saw a real-world 23 mpg during a particularly cold winter road test. Against sportier hatchbacks like the Mazda3 or the Volkswagen GTI, those numbers look a bit better, although versus some of the intermediate options, like the more economical 40-mpg SkyActiv Mazda3 model introduced this past year, this smallest Volvo is looking surprisingly thirsty.

Driving Impressions of 2013 Volvo C30

The 2013 Volvo C30 is a fun car to drive, boasting ample grip through corners and accurate steering. The R-Design model generates the most smiles with its extra rubber and sport-tuned suspension. Regardless of model, though, the C30 is more comfort-oriented than its rivals, with every control and motion feeling just a bit more damped and relaxed. Sport hatches like the Mini Cooper S may be more entertaining to drive, but the C30′s smoother ride and quieter cabin will be appreciated on your daily commute.

The C30′s turbocharged engine is sweet regardless of where you’re driving. There’s a nice snarl to the noises it makes, and its low-end torque plants you nicely in the pleasantly sculpted seats. The manual transmission features long, spongy throws but is reasonably precise. The automatic transmission is a bit behind the times with its five gears and lack of paddle shifters.