Introductory Volvo
by David Finlay (21 Aug 08)

A little word association test for you. What do you think of when you hear the word "Volvo"? No doubt some of you will have rather unfortunate answers to that question, but I suspect most people will start to imagine a large car, probably quite expensive, and likely to be of interest to . . . how shall I put this . . . more mature customers.

If that's what Volvo means to you, the C30 1.6 R-Design Sport may come as a bit of a shock. Of all the cars the company builds, it's the one with the most obvious appeal to younger buyers, partly because it is also the cheapest at £14,995 and partly because it is one of the most adventurous in terms of styling.

Volvos in general do not look as staid as they used to, of course, but the little C30 is well above average when it comes to funkiness, even when it doesn't have a bodykit. The car being tested here does have a bodykit - that's what the R-Design part of its title is about - and the effect is very impressive. This does not look like an entry-level model, even though that's exactly what it is.

It does, however, have the entry-level engine, a 1.6-litre petrol unit producing a maximum of 99bhp. You might guess that this means it's not exactly a ball of fire, and you'd be right. To achieve the full 99bhp you have to rev the engine to 6000rpm, which you're not likely to do in normal road driving, and even if you do you're not conscious of the scenery blurring as it swishes past the side windows.

I should point out that the test car had less than 400 miles on the clock when I stepped into it for the first time, so the engine would still have been quite tight and not producing as much power as it would eventually do. All the same, figures of 115mph flat-out and 0-62mph in 11.2 seconds do not speak of scintillating straightline performance.

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