by NewCarTestDrive (World's Leading Provider of Automotive Reviews)

Fresh styling for premium hatch.
Reviewed by
  New Car Test Drive

Walkaround

The Volvo C30 design is striking, particularly from the side.   The roofline starts out high and slopes gradually down, pinching the rear windows.   Those windows are drawn in, leaving room for another Volvo characteristic, pronounced shoulders.  

The C30 is a two-door hatchback, also called a three-door.   Sporty design cues include short front and rear overhangs, an integrated body kit, and big wheels on wide tires.   The ground-effects-type body kit outlines the bottom of the T5 in black from front to rear and includes wheel flares at all four corners.   On R-Design models the entire kit is body-color, for a more subtle look that we like much better.  

The story isn't the C30's front or sides, though.   It's at the rear.   Volvo is putting more emphasis on the rear aspect of the C30, choosing to show that angle in promotional materials.   The most prominent feature is the dark-tinted rear glass, an attractive frameless trapezoidal shape that recalls the rear of the 1971-73 Volvo 1800 ES wagon.   The glass dips down low and is flanked by unique taillights that rise up to the roof and jut out at the bottom to match the shape of the car's shoulders.   The Volvo name is spelled out across the bottom of the glass in bold, bright letters.   The look is different from anything out there and is strong enough to give the car a distinct character.  

For 2011, T5 R-Design models come with 18-inch wheels Volvo calls Midir.   C30s come standard with 17-inch alloy wheels.  

The Volvo C30 is based on the same platform as the S40 and V50, and all share the same 103.9-inch wheelbase.   But the C30 is nearly 9 inches shorter than the S40, all sliced from behind the rear wheels.  

The Volvo C30 competes with the Audi A3, Mini Cooper S, and Volkswagen GTI.   The C30 has a longer wheelbase than all three.   The Mini is two feet shorter than all three of these cars.   From the rear, the C30 has the most character of these cars.   From the front, it would be easy to mistake the C30 for a Volvo S40 or V50.
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