Super TestCar reviews - Volvo - C30 - S 3-dr hatchVolvo modelsOverviewVolvo goes under $35,000 with the entry-level C30 S three-door hatch14 Feb 2008 VOLVO’S model range is getting stronger than ever, particularly as the entry-level C30 S has hit the streets. For under $35,000, it offers a strikingly styled four-seater coupe-like hatch with plenty of power, high levels of safety equipment availability and a well-sorted chassis. And if you shift your perceptions and expectations sideways a little, you may also start to see a very real alternative to the almost-extinct Toyota Celica class of ‘sporty’ coupe. Model release date: 1 February 2008 to 1 May 2010 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelArguably one of the worst cars of the 1990s, the 440 range was based on Volvo’s first front-wheel drive car, the sporty 480 ES coupe that we never saw in Australia. But that was from 1986, and by the time the Dutch-built (by DAF) small hatchback arrived in 1993, it felt cumbersome, slow and too expensive – particularly against the ever-improving Japanese competition. Available with a naturally-aspirated 80kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine in four-speed automatic or five-speed manual guises, the long-forgotten 440GL lasted only two years before it vanished, leaving the sportier 440GLT to carry on another long, tiresome year. Ironically, the 440GL’s $34,490 price in 1994 shows how much greater value today’s infinitely better C30 S – at $500 less – really is. |
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