By Kurt Gensheimer

Blings:

• Engine has more grunt than a railroad chain gang
• Oozes with style (not applicable to our test model)
• Solid, quiet, reassuring ride
• Millions of build options - yes, millions

Dings:

• 24K car and no cruise control?
• Default super typhoon-force defog setting
• Narrow roofline drips rainwater into cabin when entering
• A bit portly for its size

Ruling: Proof that style and a nice backside can also earn “hot hatch” status.

Rain falls with more ferocity than a fire hose. Cross winds make eucalyptus trees on the shoulder of 101 bend sideways in submission. Big rigs slither to and fro in the slow lane like giant steel centipedes and kick up a deluge of water spray. Gigantic puddles emerge out of nowhere causing moments of sheer panic. Even with windshield wipers on full blast, visibility is so bad that cars slow to a crawl. To make matters worse, all of this is taking place in coastal California; a state where motorists completely forget how to drive the moment a raindrop hits the pavement.

I’m only one hour into a five hour trek from San Jose to Ventura and my knuckles are already whiter than the snow falling on the mountaintops around me. But at least there’s one reassuring aspect among the peril - the Volvo C30 that I’m driving. Its small profile is impervious to the gale-force cross winds, its stout 3,000 pound curb weight resists the urge to hydroplane in puddles and its all season radials and front wheel drive provide an abundance of traction. Even the smallest, lightest car that Volvo makes is still a solid, safe and reassuring machine in the most dangerous of driving conditions.

Despite the horrible visibility, even in downpours our C30 test car got plenty of looks from passers-by. Whether they were admiring the low slung tailgate glass in homage to the P1800ES, or they were gawking at the unmitigated audacity of the Swedish flag decals emblazoned on the doors, for better or worse, our C30 was a looker. And that’s Volvo’s entire goal with this new three-door hatchback. They’re trying to attract the attention of people - especially younger buyers who think of stuffy suburban soccer moms when they think of Volvo. The C30 is destined to be an image-changer for the Scandinavian brand, predicting that 75 percent of C30 buyers will be first time Volvo owners.

With a reported 5,000,000+ build combinations that would make Scion cringe, a turbocharged powerplant grunting with torque, a mix of new and old characteristic Volvo styling cues and a base price starting at $23,000, the C30 seems to have the right ingredients. But are they in the right proportions to compete with other so-called European “hot hatches” like the esteemed Volkswagen GTI, Audi A3 and Mini-Cooper?

Driving Impressions
Driving on the interstate in a full-blown Northern California tempest is a telling study of a car’s mettle, and the C30 excels like any other Volvo. Even in the worst conditions the car is stable, solid and reassuring. And when the weather is good, drivers are rewarded with a ride so quiet, supple and serene that the risk of dozing off might be one’s gravest concern.

The turbocharged 2.5 liter inline 5-cylinder engine is equally quiet. Some might not even know there’s a turbo on the other side of the firewall, as it’s practically inaudible. The motor puts out 227 hp and 236 lb. ft. of torque, pulling with authority on the freeway - even under 2,000 RPMs. It’s got so much grunt that it’s reminiscent of a European spec Volvo turbodiesel.

Fuel economy isn’t quite up to diesel standards, but 19 city and 28 highway is respectable. We averaged 26 with mostly highway driving. 0-60 times are competitive, in the mid-6 second range with the quarter-mile in 15 seconds. If it weren’t for the C30 having to move so much mass, it would be markedly quicker than all competitors. The C30 six-speed tranny is easy enough for even the most rank beginner to use. The clutch pedal is light and friendly, and pickup is predictable.

Despite its terrific highway performance and power numbers which outshine adversaries, once on the backroads, the C30 begins to show its weaknesses. The C30 is by no means unpleasant to drive on winding roads, but its heavy curb weight and soft suspension tend to make it less agile than the GTI or Mini-Cooper. Understeer and body roll are prevalent. It’s like comparing a dull X-Acto blade to a brand new one - sure it still cuts, but it ain’t as easy and effortless.

The C30 is definitely not your classic “hot hatch.” It lacks the aggressive suspension feel, the slick shifter, the heavily bolstered seats and of course, the growly, audible exhaust note. But maybe there’s more than one way to define what a “hot hatch” is. Although the C30 isn’t as athletic when the road doubles back on itself, it more than makes up for those shortcomings in other places.

Build
The first observation people make when seeing the C30 is its unique styling. The second observation is its build quality. This happens the moment you yank on the door handle. The door must be lined with lead. Its big, thick, heavy and makes a CHUNK that sounds like a vault hatch. Mercy to the unfortunate car that sits next to a C30 owner when he accidentally opens the door too fast and too far. And you think a moose ramming your door does a lot of damage?

Although the important aspects of build quality are present - advanced safety features, tight panel gaps and high-grade dash and interior plastics - we were disappointed with others. Take for instance the driver’s seat, which made an irksome clicking and creaking sound depending on how your weight was distributed. And the flimsy cupholder trim, which broke from its mooring anytime you put a larger bottle in it. Of course, these are minor quibbles, but quibbles nonetheless. And sometimes the minor quibbles are the most irritating quibbles. Now that I have fulfilled my quibble quota for the year, let’s move on.

Interior
Volvo interiors have always had that simplistic yet functional Scandinavian persona. And in our $24,000 Version 1.0 stripper model - the only option being roadside assistance - simplicity abounded to the point that our C30 wasn’t even equipped with cruise control. Quite a disheartening revelation upon embarking on a thousand-mile road trip. We’ve driven cars that sticker at $10,000 less than the C30 equipped standard with cruise. Although you’ll have your choice of interior combinations galore when building your C30, just don’t get so cross-eyed that you forget to check the $185 cruise control box. It doesn’t come standard.

The simplicity of the center stack is immediately eye-catching. And it might even take you a day or two before you realize that there’s a big gap between the stack and the rest of the dash. A classic touch of Volvo design. The base stereo system is an 8-speaker “High Performance Sound” affair with a single CD player and an AUX jack for MP3 players. We’re no audiophiles, but for a base system, we felt the stereo put out more than adequate sound with some thumpy low-end. A 10-speaker Dynaudio system is available in Version 2.0 models for bonafide sound snobs.

The heating controls are also uniquely Volvo, with the slanted, seated stick figure body. Our long drives in continuous downpours required frequent use of the front defog setting, and when the button was pressed, A/C automatically came on, as did a super typhoon of air from the vents, making you think a jet fighter was attempting to land on your roof. Every time the button was pressed, the same chaotic result occurred. We also had an issue with the location of the 12 volt outlet. It was directly behind the shifter, and for car chargers that have vertical plastic bodies, it got right in the way of the driver’s shifting arm.

The cloth seats are comfortable, but don’t offer the same aggressive bolstering as a GTI. But the C30 does offer something its competitors don’t - rear bucket seats that are not only comfortable, but have plenty of headroom for six-foot tall passengers. The rear bucket seats also fold flat, providing lots of extra cargo space. We were able to fit a full-size mountain bike in the back with the rear wheel still attached.

Styling
Volvo recently ran a “Love it or Hate it” marketing campaign in Europe where consumers got to vote regarding their feelings for the exterior of the C30. For most people, it’s definitely is black or white. There’s no gray area. But in our experience, aside from the Eurotrash, Swedespeed sticker pack, most people we encountered loved the styling. It has the aggressive appearance of an S40 from the front, and perhaps one of the most admired hindquarters of all hatchbacks made today. Some might even say that the hatch glass reminiscent of the P1800ES is what makes the C30. We’d have to agree with that assessment.

Buyers have their choice of 14 different paint colors and a dozen wheel combinations. At Volvo’s C30 website, you can build your car exactly how you want it - just make sure you’ve got a fast connection. Fancy-shmancy Flash technology and 5,000,000 different build options tend to eat up a lot of bandwidth.

The C30’s roofline is one of the less noticed yet most attractive aspects of this car. It’s tapered so that the front windshield is wider than the rear hatch. It’s a terrific look on the C30, especially when admiring it from the second floor of your urban Ikea-equipped studio apartment (we’re making demographic assumptions here). The only drawback of this design is on rainy days. The roofline sits somewhere over the front seat, and when you open the door, rain water spills down onto the seat, dampening your entry experience - literally and figuratively.

Value
Like the Interweb, the C30 comes in two flavors - Version 1.0 and Version 2.0. Version 1.0 starts at $23K. If you want stiffer suspension, thicker anti-roll bars, a body kit, 18-inch rims and a Dynaudio system, opt for Version 2.0 which starts at $26K. Although the starting prices are very competitive, customizing the C30 can get out of hand really quickly with prices peaking at $40K. Overkill customizing aside, the C30 offers outstanding value for the money and is priced competitively against the GTI and Mini Cooper.

Who Should Buy It?
This one is pretty obvious. Enthusiasts looking for a blistering tuner hatchback need not apply. The C30 is for someone who isn’t into engine tuning and suspension tweaking. Not that you couldn’t do those things with the C30; of course you can. But the C30 has a different approach and appeal. The most likely buyers will be younger folk who are looking for a practical, fun, sporty - and above all - stylish car that will be uniquely theirs and never mistaken for another hatchback.

Conclusion
Although the C30 didn’t set our hearts ablaze with tire-scorching adrenaline, it won our appreciation through being a well-mannered, attractive and gutsy machine that has the road presence of a car twice its price. Never before have we associated the Volvo brand with words like hip, rad and tight (in the cool sense, not the tension sense), but with the C30, our associations are beginning to change. In fact, the Swedish flag on the roof of our test car actually looked pretty cool. Obviously, it would have looked cooler if the shades of blue matched, but we get the gist of where Volvo is trying to go with the C30. Sure, some in the automotive press (including ourselves) are saying the C30 isn’t the athlete that the GTI is, but sometimes there’s more to a car than pure fitness. And as far as we’re concerned, the C30 has a much nicer ass than the GTI.

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>> Check out the C30’s Specs

>> www.volvocars.com - official website for Volvo cars and SUVs