04/08/09

• Price!7,745
• We like...Fuel economy, low emissions
• We don't...Crazy luggage cover

Eco version of this stylish coupe is 'green' enough to give 72mpg and get you super cheap road tax. It's a winner This Volvo C30’s all about the numbers: 72.4mpg and 104g/km of exhaust emissions. For a VW Golf-sized four-seater that packs sensible engine power and an OK turn of speed, that’s amazing. To get fuel economy and emissions to match, you’d otherwise have to turn either to a petrol/electric hybrid, such as Toyota’s Prius, or to a supermini, like the Mini Cooper diesel.

Volvo has put in place low-emissions, high-economy variants across its range of cars, all called DRIVe: and this is the baby of the line-up.

It’s a conventional car, packing a 1.6 diesel motor that that turns in a fair-enough108bhp. But it gets to its figures through a series of tweaks and tricks. The chief among these is the car’s start-stop system. This is as you’ll find in BMWs, Minis and of late, some Toyotas. Whenever you halt in traffic, you pop the gears to neutral, let up the clutch and the engine quiets. Push in the clutch and the engine fires. It’s quick enough not to hold you up, even for a moment.

What makes it different, though, is that the car has a second battery, to help power the lights, air conditioning and wipers while the engine is still. The upshot is that the stop-start kicks in more often – pretty much every time once the engine is warmed – and will work time and again. That’s a real help if you’re stuck in a lengthy jam.

Aside from this, its clean running is down to ‘taller’ upper gears, tweaks to the engine tuning, low-friction oil in the gearbox, lowered suspension and body and wheel mods to let the car slip through the air more easily. There’s also a clever set-up where the car channels braking and other energy to recharge its battery.

So how ds it drive? Normally, actually. Stop-start, aside, there’s nothing else to mark it apart from the ordinary, and the motor pulls well and smoothly, giving the best of its urge from lows revs in the way you’d want a diesel to. This C30’ll nip along quickly and, thanks to its reasonably direct and accurate steering, and supple but tied down ride, it’s pleasant to drive.

There’s not quite the finesse you’d find in its keenest rivals, BMW’s 1-series and the Audi A3, but any difference is minor, and worth swallowing for the fuel economy. And its body kit and faired-in alloy wheels give it a visual edge that we like.

Elsewhere, it’s as other C30s, roomy up front but cramped in the back. The boot is reached through a small, glass hatch. It’s high-lipped and, while it gives room enough for a couple of (small-ish) suitcases, the luggage cover is a pig to remove. Once done, though, you can drop the rear seats one by one for extra load space.

And, in case you’re wondering, yes, we think that 72mpg is achievable. We managed 57mpg in a morning’s driving, without trying to drive economically – and that’s pretty good. All this in a car that’s well priced for what it offers. Buy one? Definitely.

To view and buy new and second-hand Volvo C30s on motors.co.uk, click here
To read the motors.co.uk review of the Volvo C20 2.0 Design-R, click here
 

• Engines1.6 diesel
• Power108bhp
• 0-60 mph10.7secs
• Economy72.4
• CO2g/km104
• Insurance groups8E
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats4

Motors.co.uk value verdict: