The 2011 Volvo C30

The 2011 Volvo C30 is the subcompact offering from the company and one of the better cars in the class. As part of the Ford family this car shares a lot of the components with the Ford Focus and Mazda 3 but it goes after a different segment of the market. It is in fact one of the few offerings in this class that is actually aimed at buyers who are over the age of thirty.

The first thing that you will notice about the C30 is that it is Volvo. The company have long designed cars that have a rather distinct appearance and the C30 definitely follows this lead. Now whether or not that is a good thing or not is going to depend in large part on your personal tastes. That being said when it comes to refinement, especially in the interior the C30 is clearly at the top of the class. In fact Volvo have gone a bit of their own way with this car and have designed one that is aimed at people with more elegant tastes than the other cars in its class.

These days most hatchbacks have been designed to be a little sporty, they have fairly stiff suspensions and engines that although small provide plenty of acceleration. They also tend to have a body style that it give them a bit of a sporty look. This is done mainly because the people who buy these cars tend to be younger and this is what they are looking for. The Volvo C30 has taken a different approach and it is designed more for comfort in the hopes of appealing to a different type of buyer.

The ironic thing about the C30 being designed with comfort in mind rather than sporty handling is that in terms of pure performance it is probably the best in the class. The 2.5 liter five cylinder engine produces 237 horsepower which is more than you are going to find on any of its competitors. The steering is very precise and accurate and the result is a car that really handles very well. That being said the decision to focus on comfort rather than sporty handling means that the car is not as much fun to drive as some of its competitors are.

The decision by Volvo to go after a different type of buyer than the ones that usually buy hatchbacks has worked well for them. They have found customers who like what they have to offer. Whether it is the type of car that you would choose for yourself or not it is nice to have an offering that is different from all of the other cars in the class. More importantly the Volvo C30 is actually one of the best cars in the subcompact class and it is an option that is definitely worth considering.