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Car of the Week: 2013 Volvo C30 T5 M R-Design
By Frank S. Washington,
AboutThatCar.com
DETROIT – The Volvo C30 T5 M R-
Design represents a not so characteristic
flare by the conservative Swedish automak-
er.
The two-door hatchback was small,
sporty and distinctive. But not being able to
completely break from its legendary prag-
matism, Volvo’s C30 could carry four adults
comfortably, even though the car looked
like it would have trouble getting anything
bigger than a couple of bags of groceries in
the back seat.
Polestar. In the case of the C30, that means
the 2.5-liter five cylinder 227 horsepower
engine has been bumped up to 250 horse-
power. What Volvo calls “Rebel Blue Paint”
is a love it or hate it 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 appearance. The C30
weighed about 3,200 lbs. and it had a six-
speed manual transmission. 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 normal
tread which is one inch smaller.
The sport chassis was of course
firm but the strut and multilink
suspension system was sophisti-
catedly 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-bottomed steering
wheel had the R-Design logo in the center.
The sport chassis was of
course firm but the strut and
multilink suspension system
was sophisticatedly tuned in
that the ride was not harsh
A sort of back to front explanation of the
nameplate 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 competitive 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 lineup.
R-Design Volvos have been tuned by
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Page 10 The Portland Skanner August 21, 2013
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 navigation 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 incorporate 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 motion, with a remote
control was daunting. It would be like tex-
ting while driving. For Volvo, the notion
was certainly a departure for a brand that
has assiduously cultivated its reputation for
safety around the world.
To make the navigation system inoperable
while the car was moving might be a fix to
consider. Operating elements of the C30’s
navigation while the vehicle was in motion
is not the smart thing to do. Still, everything
else about Volvo’s departure from the tradi-
tional 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.