Volvo C30 Facelift – Bildlcka P Forum!

by Thor Johnsen

Published: September 6th, 2009

Swedespeed.com has posted pictures of the facelifted Volvo C30. Volvo’s concentrated most of their re-design firepower on the Swede’s front end; the lights and air intakes differ most notably from the previous iteration. According to automotorsport.se, remaining Volvo dealers and customers are hoping that the Ford subdivision (still) will install the newly developed 1.6-litre turbocharged direct injected petrol into the C.

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ZekeToronto on Sep 06, 2009

Ingvar wrote: If they changed the front end because it was getting long in the tooth, they certainly didn’t do it no favor… Agreed. While the front is the least attractive part of the C30, grafting the nose of an XC60 onto is not the answer. Even though this is just a rendering from a fan site, it does follow the exact formula established by the C70 freshening (so I wouldn't be too surprised if Volvo does it). Dimwit wrote: This is the one thing about the future? sale: the Ford parts bin is hellaciously deep. Can the new buyer compete? If you want a good Volvo, I think the answer is to buy it now. Wow ... I couldn't disagree more. Volvo started going downhill precisely when bits and bobs from the Ford parts bin began cropping up in their new models. mpresley wrote: ... or for a little more cash, the Audi A3. I recently cross-shopped the C30 before buying an A3. Here in Canada, when comparably equipped, the 3-door C30 was almost exactly the same MSRP as the 5-door A3 (you need to add a ton of options to the Volvo just to match the A3's standard equipment). But still, the Audi felt like a more substantial car and the Audi dealers were more willing to "deal" (perhaps a result of the C30 being in short supply). As a former Volvo dealer, I still have a residual affinity for the brand, but this model is just not competitive in today's market. Like FreedMike said, it offers Civic Si performance for near-BMW money.

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FreedMike on Sep 06, 2009
ZekeToronto : September 6th, 2009 at 3:35 pm Wow … I couldn’t disagree more. Volvo started going downhill precisely when bits and bobs from the Ford parts bin began cropping up in their new models. Not to disagree, but I'm disagreeing... :) The only product they really got from Ford was the S40/V40/C30 platform (Focus), and that was a MASSIVE upgrade over the skanky original Mitsibushi-sourced V40. If anything, I think it was Ford who raided the Volvo parts bin, not the other way around. I think Volvo's mistake was threefold: 1) Sticking with designs too long. If memory serves, the old S80 was actually a good seller (and a darned good car) until Volvo let it get too long in the teeth with basically no change. Same for the S60. They're doing the same with the XC90 - a great design for 2003, but way too old to be competitive today. Back in the days when Volvo was an independent company, I could understand this, but with Ford's deep pockets, what excuse did they have? 2) Loss of performance focus. The new S80 is so bland to drive (and to look at) that when I asked the salesman which S80 I'd want if I was performance oriented, he pointed me to the turbo six, not the V-8. There's something way off if your performance model is duller than the midline model. 3) Pricing. Not to kick the S80 around, but when you option the thing up, you're looking at a $60,000 sticker, and now you're into BMW 5-series / Mercedes E-Class / Audi A6 territory. Good luck cross selling the S80 against THOSE cars. Ditto for the new XC60 - it's a very cool car, but option that baby up and you're looking at 50 large. It's a shame - I own an ancient Volvo, so I have some investment in the brand. It's tough to see them decline like this.

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Fishnix on Sep 06, 2009
FreedMike: In a FWD car, you don’t really need the AWD system unless it’s got over 200 hp - mainly, it’s to stave off torque steer. That’s why all the high-performance Audis - which are all based on FWD platforms - have it. Last time I checked, the C30 had over 200 hp :P

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Davejay on Sep 07, 2009

I would have bought one last year if it had better gas mileage and didn't require premium, and cost about $2000 less. If they smack a 1.6 turbo in there and lower the price accordingly, I'll suck up the premium requirement and buy one. In my opinion, those front-end changes are exactly what it needed.

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