Volvo C30
The Volvo C30 is a three-door, front-engine, front-wheel-drive premium compact hatchback manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 2006 to 2013, in a single generation. Powered by inline-four and straight-five engines, the C30 is a variant of the Volvo S40/V50/C70 range, sharing the same Ford C1/Volvo P1 platform. Volvo marketed the C30 as a premium hatchback / sports coupe.
The C30's rear styling and frameless glass rear hatch recall Volvo's earlier P1800 ES and Volvo 480.
Pre-production concepts
Volvo SCC (2001)
The Volvo SCC is a concept vehicle incorporating the rear hatch design from the Volvo P1800ES and the glass hatch from Volvo 480ES. Its safety features included forward collision warning, blind spot monitor and alert, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, flashing brake lights during hard braking, and headlights that follow the curvature of the road as the car turns. Many of these features would become commonplace years later. The SCC also featured a head-up display and communication with the car via mobile phone.The SCC was first unveiled at the 2001 Detroit Auto Show, then in autumn 2001 at the Seville International Airport in southern Spain. Research to adapt its safety features for production began in 2002, and it led to development of the C30 which began in 2003.
2006 SEMA concepts (2006)
The Evolve C30 show car has a twin turbo engine, all wheel drive, suspension from Evolve's 2004 S40 concept from the 2004 SEMA show, and 4-piston brake calipers.The C30, by IPD, includes a supercharged 5-cylinder engine with belt-driven supercharger with of boost, a nitrous tank, gull wing doors, and Alcantara seats, Alpine and Apple audio system.
The HEICO HS3 THOR is designed for outdoor enthusiasts, built by Heico Sportiv. It includes a 2.5L turbo engine rated at and, Haldex AWD, Heico Volution V 8x18-in sport-alloy wheels with Toyo tires, and 4-caliper disk brakes with front rotors.
The vehicles were unveiled at the 2006 SEMA Show.
2006 Essen concepts (2006)
HEICO HS3 D5 includes a 5-cylinder diesel engine rated and, a body kit with front and rear bumper spoilers, side skirts, and fender flares;8.5x20-inch VOLUTION V. wheels in Titan colour, a height-adjustable suspension kit, 4-tip stainless steel exhaust, 4-piston sports brake kit, a pedal set, foot rest, hand-brake lever, and door pins, all in aluminum; seats and door panels in two-tone upholstery.
THOR_2 is a variant of HEICO HS3 THOR concept, based on C30 T5. It includes body-kit in "XC off-road look", 30mm raised suspension, VOLUTION X 8x18-inch wheels in Titan colour, custom made TOYO TIRES R888 semi-slicks with HEICO SPORTIV 'helmet" logo, increased engine power to and
The vehicles were unveiled at the 2006 Essen Motor Show. HEICO HS3 D5 went on sale in 2007.
Volvo ReCharge concept (2007)
The ReCharge concept is a plug-in hybrid electric version of the C30, developed by Volvo's California development center. It was unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. It features a 4-cylinder 1.6L flex-fuel engine and an electric motor on each wheel. It has an estimated battery range of. The batteries have 3 hours of full recharge time. The car has a top speed of. Volvo plans to sell a production plug-in hybrid C30 in Europe in 2012.Production version (2006)
A production version of C30 T5 with 160-watt sound system was officially unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show.Early model includes T5, 2.4i, 2.0, 1.8, 1.8 Flexifuel, 1.6, D5 , D5 , 2.0D, 1.6D.
The C30's interior is similar to the S40 and V50; sharing the majority of parts including the instrument panel, 'floating' centre stack and steering wheel.
Europe
In late 2006, the C30 was launched in Europe. Engines choices range from a 1.6L inline-4 to a 2.5L inline-5 turbo. 2009 added the choices of a 6-speed PowerShift dual-clutch automatic with the 2.0 L petrol and diesel engines, a 1.8L E85 flex-fuel engine, and 1.6L "DRIVe" diesel engines with improved efficiency and optional start/stop capability.Trim lines include SE and SE Lux in the UK, and Kinetic, Momentum, and Summum in most other European nations. The R-Design package adds interior and exterior accessories including aluminum inlays on the dashboard, R-Design emblems on the steering wheel, seats and floor mats, a rear spoiler and body kit.
North America
The C30 went on sale in Canada in March 2007 as a 2007 model, and in October 2007 in the United States as a 2008 model.In Canada, the 2.4i was offered until 2011, while the T5 remained available until the end of production. In the United States, the only engine available was the T5. For 2008, the US C30 debuted with two trim lines, Version 1.0 and Version 2.0. R-Design was added later in the model year, featuring unique badges and interior trim. From 2009 onwards, the US C30 was offered in T5 or R-Design trim. In 2011, the Polestar performance option became available for several Volvo models, including 2008 to 2013 C30 T5 models. The software modification to the engine control computer increased output from to without a reduction in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy ratings.
Equipment
Available audio systems included:- Performance – with a 4x20W amplifier and six loudspeakers
- High Performance – with a 4x40W amplifier and eight loudspeakers
- Premium Sound – with a digital class D amplifier with ICE Power technology from Alpine, an output of 5x130W, Dolby Pro Logic II Surround, and ten loudspeakers from Danish Dynaudio
The 2008 model year brings some minor changes, mostly adapting the interior to the facelifted S40/V50 and including as standard an Aux audio socket.
The 2009 model year moved the Volvo badge from the hatch handle to the glass area above it, enlarged the font and increased the space between the letters. It also brought other small changes such as including the hard load cover as standard.
Engines and transmissions
Globally, Volvo C30 was offered with 9 different engines.Safety
The C30 continues Volvo's marketing strategy to put safety as a primary concern. This is demonstrated through some recently developed safety features, including a method of overcoming the "blind spots" in the driver's view to the rear through a system known as BLIS.The C30 also features a four-wheel anti-lock braking system, electronic stability program, traction control system and front, side and curtain airbags, front and rear crumple zones, and a stiff occupant cell.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Volvo C30 their Top Safety Pick award. The C30 was granted its highest rating of "good" in front, side, rear and roof strength tests and has Electronic Stability Control as standard equipment to receive the award.
The Volvo C30 has a patented front and rear structure using four different grades of steel to absorb and redistribute impact energy around the body of the coupe. Volvo's Whiplash Protection System and Side Impact Protection System with side airbags and Inflatable Curtain are also standard. The seat belts have pretensioners to protect the occupants against unexpected accidents.
The car also uses Volvo's Intelligent Driver Information System which continuously monitors the car's preemptive systems such as steering wheel angle, pedal depressions, and overall factors that help the vehicle's computer to decide if the driver is busy or distracted merging or turning, and will then accordingly delay certain data or alerts that are unimportant.
The C30 has been criticized because in an effort to make it more responsive in curves it has become less reliable on ice or snow where the rear end can more easily lose its grip compared to other Volvo models.
2010 update
Volvo C30 was updated in early 2010. New exterior features include:- Redesigned front, including body panels such as the front wings
- New, larger iron mark found in the rest of the Volvo range
- Wavier and more dynamic rear
- New body colour, Orange Flame Metallic
- Visible exhaust tailpipe in the T5 and D5 models
- Two new wheel options – and for the first time, white wheels are available
- The option to choose five different colours on the lower trim – the C30 Contrast Colour Collection.
- All-new colour combination known as Espresso/Blond, consisting of a dark brown upper section and a blond, fresh shade on the lower door sides. The blond tone is somewhere between grey and beige and is an expression of Volvo's strong Scandinavian design tradition.
- Luggage compartment cover in the rear, which uses a new material and a new graphic pattern to further enhance the car's modern image.
- Oyster Burst Déco centre stack option
Optional sport chassis, available in all models except 1.6D DRIVe, includes lower steering ratio, giving 10% faster response to steering wheel input. Spring stiffness has been increased by no less than 30% in order to increase the car's poise in enthusiastic driving.
In spring 2009, Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe is available with an advanced start/stop function.
The updated vehicles were unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The updated C30 went on sale in early 2010, as a 2011 model in North America and Australia. Early models include T5, 2.4i, 2.0, 2.0F, 1.6, D5, 2.0D, 1.6D DRIVe, 1.6D DRIVe start/stop. Delivery began in early 2010.
Beginning in 2011 model year, D3 and D4 engine options were added to the product line. Other changes include new body colour, Cars with Volvo On Call have the option of activating the cabin heater remotely via SMS text messaging.