MALAYSIAN MOTOR TRADER NEWS - FIRST LOOKS

After the 480, Volvo seemed to stop thinking about small cars, perhaps too pre-occupied with its move to front-wheel drive in the early 1990s and also trying to get onto more firm footing as a business (which only came when it entered the Ford Group in the late 1990s).

Now the small Volvo returns in the form of the new C30, bringing with it traditional Volvo values plus adding sportiness to provide zest to the brand image in the hope of gaining ‘conquest sales’ from younger customers.

In introducing this new model, Volvo treats it as the spiritual successor of the P1800ES, a glass-backed variant of the P1800 coupe, and indeed, the association has been cemented by the unique large rear glass door that was also a design highlight of the P1800ES. Though looking like no other Volvo, the C30 sits on the same platform as the S40 which is the ‘C1’ platform of the Ford Group which is also shared with Mazda and Ford models. So you could regard it as a variant of the S40/V50 3-door hatchback perhaps – although it has a large dose of individuality in its design. Apparently, Simon Lamarre, the Canadian who led the design team for the C30, did also have a 5-door proposal but it was not accepted and besides, there’s already the V50 for those who want extra doors. And to give it the right proportions for a small hatchback, the C30 is shorter by 22 cm compared to the S40.

With the C30, Volvo is aiming at rivals such as the BMW 1-Series, Mini, VW Golf GTI and Audi A3… in other words, it’s a premium sporty hatchback and that’s why it has a pricetag of RM215,500 (without insurance). A lot of money for a small car but Robert Norrman, President of Volvo Car Malaysia, is quick to point out that a significant portion of the money paid goes to the Malaysian Treasury and not Volvo. Coming into Malaysia as a completely built-up (CBU) import from Belgium, the C30 is subject to high import duties (30%) plus 90% excise duties.

There are quite a number of engines for the C30 but one of the problems was that automatic transmission was a must for this market and only the 5-cylinder petrol engines are available with automatic transmission. There are two such engines for the C30 – a 2.5-litre turbocharged T5 unit and a 2.4-litre without turbo. While the T5 engine would certainly have been preferred by most people who would buy a C30, its displacement would have bumped it one notch higher in the excise duty bracket to 105% and it would have become way too expensive for Volvo to sell the planned 50 units a year here. So the only choice was the 2.4-litre (actually 2435 cc) unit which is also found in the S40.

This engine – the B5244S – is from the modular engine family that has spawned many variants. The output from the all-aluminium 5-cylinder powerplant is 170 bhp at 6000 rpm with 230 Nm of torque at 4400 rpm. Power delivery goes to the front wheels via a 5-speed Geartronic transmission which offers the driver the choice of manual or automatic shifting (but no paddles on the steering wheel).

As mentioned earlier, the C1 platform is used for the C30 and this is a fairly competent platform which began life in Germany as a joint engineering program between Ford, Mazda and Volvo. Each team contributed expertise that the brand was noted for and of course, Volvo led in the area of safety engineering. Generous front and rear tracks and a relatively long wheelbase of 2640 mm are said to contribute to giving it inspiring and stable driving characteristics. The chassis has MacPherson strut front suspension and a multilink rear axle (mounted on a subframe).

Safety is, of course, something that every Volvo must offer better than anyone else – even if the model is a small one. In fact, the smaller size of the C30 presented the engineers with greater challenges but thanks to VIVA - Volvo's Intelligent Vehicle Architecture first introduced in the XC90 – it has been possible to provide superior crashworthiness. This is possible due to several interacting units, including a very stiff chassis, front and rear structures with unique energy-absorbing properties and, as always, a focus on crash protection for the occupants.

A smaller vehicle such as the C30 has less room for large energy-absorbing structures. Precise deformation modeling is the key to helping bring large-car safety to the C30. The frontal body structure of the C30 is divided into several zones, each with a different task in the deformation process. The outer zones are responsible for most of the deformation. The closer the collision forces get to the passenger compartment the less the materials used deform. The intention is that the passenger compartment should remain intact in most collisions.

In order to give each zone the relevant properties, different grades of steel are used in different areas. Four different steel grades are used. In addition to conventional bodywork steel (mild steel), three different grades of high-strength steel are employed: High Strength Steel, Extra High Strength Steel and Ultra-High Strength Steel.

With respect to reconciling the shorter engine bay with the need for sufficient crumple space in a collision, the engineers developed a frontal structure which is channels forces down along the floorpan, to the sides around the A-pillar, and across the firewall to lessen force loads placed on the occupants. This zonal system enables the collision forces to be absorbed in a highly controlled manner.

Owing to efficient packaging, the transverse-mounted engine features reduced width to create greater space between the engine and passenger compartment. In a frontal collision, the engine can be pushed up to 150 mm rearward before the crankshaft comes into contact with the crossmember near the bulkhead.

Besides airbags front and side and inflatable window curtains that activate during a side impact, there are also whiplash-preventing front seats and Volvo’s Dynamic Stability and Traction Control System as standard.

Moving inside, the C1 platform is very evident in the front area where there is the eye-catching ‘floating’ console that curves down from the centre part of the dashboard to meet the tunnel between the front seats. This design feature, plus the black control pad which was inspired by a TV remote control, made its debut in the S40, if you remember. Aluminium trim gives a youthful and modern ambience to the interior.

There’s seating for four adults in nicely countered seats, the ones at the rear being separate bucket seats with a generous amount of elbow room. As with most hatchbacks, the side doors are extra-long so as to create a wide opening that enables easy movement in and out of the back seats.

The rear seat backrests can be folded down to provide a large, almost completely flat load area. For convenience, the backrests can also be lowered from outside (with the hatch open). The luggage compartment can be equipped with two different luggage blinds - a soft type (standard in certain markets) that can be used with the backrests up or down, and a rigid type that is mounted behind the upright backrests.

Well aware that Malaysian buyers have to pay a lot of money to their government to own a C30, Volvo Car Malaysia has done its best to provide as many goodies as possible. These include leather upholstery, tripcomputer, cruise control, rain sensor, reverse sensors, rear roof spoiler, bi-xenon headlights, large 17-inch wheels (with 205/50 tyres) and an audio system with 6-CD facility. The ventilation system also has an Interior Air Quality System which makes sure the cabin air is as clean as possible.

As the smallest and most expressive model in the Volvo family, the C30 has the mission of drawing new customers to the brand as its primary role though it could well appeal to those older Volvo owners who want to feel young!