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About That Car: 2013 Volvo C30 T5 M R-Design
By Frank S.
Washington
DETROIT – The Volvo
C30 T5 M R-Design repre-
sents a not so characteristic
flare by the conservative
Swedish automaker.
The two-door hatchback
was small, sporty and dis-
tinctive. But not being able
to completely break from its
legendary
pragmatism,
Volvo’s C30 could carry
four adults comfortably,
even though the car looked
petitive position Volvo is
relying more on Polestar,
the Swedish racing shop
that has been tuning Volvos
since 1996 to add new and
zestier products to its line-
up.
R-Design Volvos have
been tuned by Polestar. In
the case of the C30, that
means the 2.5-liter five
cylinder 227 horsepower
engine has been bumped up
to 250 horsepower. What
Volvo calls “Rebel Blue
Paint” is a love it or hate it
Not being able to completely
break from its legendary
pragmatism, Volvo’s C30 could
carry four adults comfortably
like it would have trouble
getting anything bigger than
a couple of bags of gro-
ceries in the back seat.
A sort of back to front
explanation of the name-
plate begins with R-Design.
Volvo needs new products.
What keeps the automaker
relevant in today’s market is
that its current lineup is very
good.
Still, to buy some time
and to keep itself in a com-
hue but it gets as much
attention as a red Ferrari.
And the black alloy wheels
gave the car a race track raw
look.
It is more than appear-
ance. The C30 weighed
about 3,200 lbs. and it had a
six-speed manual transmis-
sion. The car was quick;
with the six-speed manual
gearbox torque in the form
of power was on demand
from any speed and during
long shifts up the gear ratio,
the front-wheel-drive hatch-
back could easily get up to
100 mph with oomph to
spare.
But the R-Design was
more than just the engine
enhancement by Polestar.
The car had 18-inch alloy
wheels, rather than the nor-
mal tread which is one inch
smaller. The sport chassis
was of course firm but the
strut and multilink suspen-
sion system was sophisticat-
edly tuned in that the ride
was not harsh.
The R-Design body kit
included front and rear
spoilers, an R-Design grille
with matte silver surround
and polished dual exhaust
tips.
Inside, the C30 was just as
distinctive as its blue paint
job on the outside. The seats
were French-stitched two-
toned black and white
leather with R-Design
emblazoned on them. The
pedals were inlaid with alu-
minum and the flat-bot-
tomed steering wheel had
the R-Design logo in the
center.
Like all Volvos, the C30
featured
the
Swedish
automaker’s floating center
stack; an innovation it never
gets enough credit for. The
only thing questionable
about the C30 was the navi-
gation screen, or more pre-
cisely
the
navigation
system.
The screen folded flat on
top of the dash. That was
understandable, there was
really no place else to incor-
porate a navigation screen
in the C30 because of a lack
of space. But there was a
remote to operate it.
Just the concept of trying
to operate the navigation
system, whatever it would
do while the car was in
We honor the many
accomplishments of
African Americans.
motion, with a remote con-
trol was daunting. It would
be like texting while driv-
ing. For Volvo, the notion
was certainly a departure for
a brand that has assiduously
cultivated its reputation for
safety.
To make the navigation
system inoperable while the
car was moving might be a
fix to consider. Operating
elements of the C30’s navi-
gation while the vehicle was
in motion is not the smart
thing to do. Still, everything
else about Volvo’s departure
from the traditional with
this two-door hatchback
was a good thing.
The navigation system
was part of the $5,000
“Platinum” option package
that included satellite radio,
a premium sound system,
moonroof, power passenger
seat and adaptive Xenon
headlights.
A base model 2013 C30
T5 R-Design is priced at
$27,850. Add on the extras
and the test car had a sticker
of $35,545.
Frank S. Washington is
editor
of
AboutThatCar.com.
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ROCKWOOD STATION APARTMENTS
Rockwood Station Apartments 1 & 2 bedroom
Project Based Voucher wait list to open
July 29, 2013
Rockwood Station is pleased to announce that the 1 &
2 bedroom wait list for project based vouchered ("PBV")
housing units will open on July 29, 2013. While anyone
can apply, you must be under 30% area median income
("AMI") to be approved for a PBV unit.
Rockwood Station has two preferences for the PBV
waitlist: one for terminally ill applicants, and one for
applicants under 30% AMI.
These preferences will be ranked in the following order:
Terminally ill applicants with less than 12 months life
expectancy (verification required), and applicants with
income under 30% AMI. All other applicants will be
added onto the waitlist according to the date and time
their application was received.
Applicants must apply using the Rockwood Station
application form available at the Rockwood Station
leasing office by mail, fax, or in person. Appl ications will
on ly be accepted at the Rockwood Station leasing
office, located at 19100 E. Burnside Street Portland,
Oregon 97233. Call Rockwood Station at 503-666-
6555 for complete details on how to apply for these
selected waiting lists.
8-7-13
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