I recently test drove a 1.8 2008 MT and it was actually a joy to drive. For really on paper having such a small engine, it felt kinda quick. The big joy though was the MT, really nice gearknob and gearshift feel/action. Like the funky look.
Nice. 😍 Such a shame this was never replaced when it went out of production. I considered a C30 as a possible replacement to my forbidden fuelled Nissan Almera. Decided that a city car was a more fiscally sensible option.
A very pretty car and absolutely a continuation of the 1800 ES and the 480. Beautiful interior, beautiful interior and room in the back. Also I believe a more intelligent and original choice than a BMW 1 Series or an A3. Some very tasty engines to boot.
Yes sir, a very good range of engines in one of these, something for everyone, really. The later ones do have a bit of a better load cover, but this one is pretty good.
Thank you for this video! I have read a recent Practical Classics article on this car and by sharing Mazda and Ford components, it seems to combine practicality and luxury well. We have these in New Zealand.
They are still relatively common over here, although they are starting to rust a bit on the early examples in the same way a Mark II Focus does, of course.
Excellent little review Sir, have always admired these C30's from Launch. You would be right that indeed is a Ford Coolant Tank, remember pulling one from a scrapyard for a V50. Quite common as i know the Mark 2 Focus ST has a screenwater bottle from the Volvo!
Yes sir, it probably does have a Volvo screenwash reservoir for the five cylinder Focuses. Even this 1.8 seemed fast enough, to be honest. Thank you very much indeed for watching, Mr Watters!
Yes sir, it probably does have a Volvo screenwash reservoir for the five cylinder Focuses. Even this 1.8 seemed fast enough, to be honest. Thank you very much indeed for watching, Mr Watters!
Another marvellous no budget review, Sir. I do wonder how you balance your (rightly) vociferous distaste for the oil burner method of internal combustion with a love of Volvo, given that those with a predilection for DPF repair bills seem to deify the D5 unit. Thoroughly enjoyable video as always, I watch every NBR that comes out. Thank you!
Sir, we have been making No Budget Reviews episodes for almost four years now, and there is a playlist of 186 of them as of this morning if you have trouble sleeping at night. Lots of other types of review on the channel as well, of course.
Hello Joseph, I do like the look of these C30 , its funny how when cars are new I don't notice them but when they fall into my price range I do . Simpsons Classics has just got himself a V70 P2, D5 .
I think the facelifts had the soft load covers. It was a pretty nice thing, it was made of rubber. Also, the leather would've been standard. Two-tone for R-Design trims, black for SE trims. I had one of these as my first car (1.6 HDi in the top SE Lux trim), I still look back at it fondly. It was a bit numb to drive, but I went to the scrapyard and grabbed a strut brace from a R-Design and put it in, which made the chassis more communicative. I learnt how to do oil, brakes, suspension, etc. on that car, and according to the MOT checker it's probably still pottering about somewhere.
The R-Design does have sharper handling, and the steering isn't as good as in in Mark II Focus for some reason (it is the same in my S40), but it is good enough. The C30 is not as resistant to rust as the other Volvos on this platform (S40 Mark II/C70 Mark II/V50), but there are plenty still around, and this one has just been reduced to £1995, which I think is a pretty good price, actually. Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Well, ford wanted Volvo to be one of their premium brands, so I assume removing feel from the steering was deliberate to make the car "feel more premium". It's something the mass market apparently thinks makes a car feel more premium.
@@HirooKoslov , the previous older daily car I had was a 2003 Rover 45 V6. The steering and handling in that is superb. The S40 and C30 are good, but not up to that standard. I would say that, given it was a Connoisseur model, it was definitely a luxurious car, yet the steering feel had certainly not been engineered out. 850s actually have very good steering too.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yeah, the late rovers are known to have good steering, being an old fashioned hydraulic rack. I get pangs of envy every time I see someone with a nice MG or Rover. I would have one, probably a ZT 1.8T, but I only realistically have space for one car, and I really love my 308 GTi. And yeah, The ford-era volvo electro-hydraulic rack isn't very good. It's precise, but it lacks engagement.
The suspension setup of a 400 HH-R, 45 or ZS is based directly on the early 1990s EG Civic, with double wishbones at the front and then a multi-link system at the back, and so they are an excellent basis for good handling, especially with that old fashioned hydraulic steering system. The Volvo steering is fine, but if you compare it with any of those MGs and Rovers, there is nothing like the level of feedback. The Focus is much better, of course!
Another excellent review sir I was looking at there stock and they have a nice S80 auto for 1500 low miles and full history and very clean tempted to have a look until I looked at the mot history and there's quite a few advisories which would be expensive and passenger window doesn't shut fully I may well take a trip up there as my brother lives not far away and he had a S40 and that was very nice until he sold it you might know a bit about the S80 any advice or look for something better
We can't discuss said S80 on the channel, I am afraid, sir... He has lots of other Volvos (and other cars) that are able to be discussed, though, including an S40 T5.
Does the stereo play 'Decode' by Paramore and 'Super Massive Black Hole' by Muse well? 🧛♂️✨♥️🧛♀️🎶🎶🎵 Did you film this wearing a peacoat and stovepipe jeans?
No left foot rest on the manual and a tiny footwell means a terrible driving position and back ache on long journeys - a disastrous mistake from Volvo. The Auto gets one and so is OK
