Every so often Volvo has a rush of blood to the head and decides to build a sexy-looking coupé. In the 1960s and 1970s it was the P1800, a car that ferried Roger Moore as Simon Templar in The Saint, the television series. In the 1980s it was the somewhat less mem­orable 480ES and in 2006 Volvo did it again with the C30.

It followed a well-established Volvo formula: four individual seats, a glass tailgate and two doors. Yet under the skin, the C30 wasn’t really a Volvo at all. It shared its underpinnings and some of its engines with the Ford Focus. Knock off a couple of marks for originality, then, but add a couple for borrowing the best bits of a very good car. The Focus was the most dynamically accomplished car in its class, with excellent handling and road holding. Thanks to that, the C30 was as fun to drive as it was to look at.

Today the cheapest C30 is the 1.6-litre petrol model, and a three-year-old example will cost about £8,500. Producing 100bhp, the engine is economical, quiet and free-revving, and is ideal for drivers looking for low running costs. At the other extreme is the 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol model, which has the engine of the Ford Focus ST hot hatch. Producing 227bhp, this T5 version is a modern classic, with bundles of turbocharged muscle, an intoxicating exhaust sound and excellent reliability.

Its fuel consumption, though, is on the heavy side, so to my mind the best all-rounder is the 134bhp 2-litre turbodiesel, which powers the C30 from 0-60mph in 9.4 seconds yet returns nearly 50mpg.

Regardless of the model, a used C30 assures you admiring glances. It looks as fresh and innovative today as it did when launched just over three years ago. At 14ft in length the C30 is pretty compact but provides more interior space than you might imagine. It has two individual rear seats, and adults of average height should be comfortable seated behind the driver. The Volvo’s 433-litre boot puts many hatchbacks to shame, and it will comfortably swallow a couple of sets of golf clubs.

Equipment levels are also generous, with climate control, dynamic stability and traction control, alarm, fancy CD system, alloy wheels and multiple airbags adorning even the entry-level S model.

With ride comfort, road holding, brakes and steering that are up with the best in class, it really is difficult to fault the C30 from a driver’s point of view. Not for the first time in its history, Volvo’s rush of blood to the head has produced the right result.

Reliability and servicing

Volvo’s reliability record is generally acknowledged by owners to be above average, and with proven engines and gearboxes it is un­usual for the C30 coupé to need expensive major mechanical repairs.

Servicing on all models is required annually or every 12,500 miles, whichever is sooner. At every second service dealers check the condition of the brake fluid, and if it needs renewing this adds about £80 to the bill.

Most Volvo diesel models are fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF), which reduces the car’s exhaust emissions. A fuel additive is required to work with the filter to help the engine burn off any accumulated soot. This is done automatically.

The additive is topped up as part of the service schedule, but as it leaves a small residue that cannot be burnt off and slowly accumulates, the DPF unit usually needs to be renewed at the 75,000-mile service, making it quite costly.

Residuals

Volvo has been careful to keep the supply of the C30 broadly in line with demand, thus avoiding heavy dealer discounting and the inevitable tumble in residual values that this causes. Three-year-old cars command about 60% of their cost when new.

Since its launch, Volvo has continued to strengthen the C30’s appeal with the addition of more standard equipment, changes to the engine line-up and a realignment of model prices, such that a new C30 is cheaper to buy today than it was three years ago.

Barring complete global economic meltdown or an unexpected war with Sweden, the Volvo C30 will remain one of the safest cars in which you can invest your hard-earned money.

NEED TO KNOW

Economy
Start/stop system an option on 1.6 diesel from June 2009

Load cover
A soft cover prior to May 2008, but a hard cover thereafter

Rear seats
Will fold flat individually or together, increasing boot space from 433 litres to 947 litres

Safety
Five stars for adult occupancy and four for child occupancy in Euro NCAP tests, but only one star for pedestrian safety

Satellite Navigation
A popular option in top-spec cars, its interface was enhanced from mid-2008

Stereo
High-power Alpine stereo is a hit with owners

Tyres
Check for front-tyre wear on high-powered T5 and D5



 

The one to buy

A Volvo C30 2.0D SE Lux registered on a 2008 08 plate and with 20,000 miles on the clock. Expect to pay £14,650 at a franchised Volvo dealer or £13,500 privately

Alternative

Or for similar money:

2005 55 Mercedes-Benz CLK 220 CDI Elegance
2007 07 Alfa Romeo Brera 2.4 JTDM SV
2007 57 BMW 120d SE Coupé
2008 57 Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch 2.0T VXR
2009 09 Hyundai Coupé 2.0 TSIII

 
Figures based on CAP April 2010 edition

 © Bumper Media Limited May 2010