What Not

The other Swedish brand had captured my attention for the past seven years, so looking at Volvos almost seemed … well … wrong. But recent events have begun to change my opinion of Saab’s competitor. Last Tuesday, I visited Leiken Volvo and saw their showroom models inside and outside. One of the first cars that caught my eye was the Volvo C30. There’s just something about the shape of the car and the frameless glass hatch that says, “Take me for a drive!”

As James R. Healey said, “Sometimes a car is so spot-on, you don’t care if it’s the right size or has the best features or comes from your favorite brand. Meet Volvo’s C30 T5, a royal, rollicking romp of a small, two-door car. … Volvo is making cool cars again.” 1 On the other hand, Edmunds.com was a bit less excited. “Compared to sport hatchbacks like the Volkswagen GTI and Mini Cooper S, the 2008 Volvo C30 leaves much to be desired in the fun-to-drive category. So while the C30′s not quite a hot hatch, it is certainly as much of a hip hatch with its unique styling, interesting interior trappings and customizable features.” 2

That’s probably all I should say before driving the car myself. But, if you can’t wait for my upcoming post, you can read the following reviews:

1. James R. Healey’s “Volvo C30: Pull up a seat and get comfy” in USA Today.
2. 2008 Volvo C30 Review” by Edmunds.com
3. C30 Accolades, a PDF brochure produced by Volvo

From what I recall, Tom Walkinshaw was the man responsible for the R series Jaguars. These were beefed up version of the XJ6 and XJ-S. In the following video, you can see what Walkinshaw was able to do with a hopped up XJ-S. Watch for the “up on two wheels” corner. I was holding the sides of my seat just watching it. Yikes!