C30 as a daily driver

[GusGecko]

I had a 2.0 c30 for 7 years clocking 127,000 and with 2 kids.

I loved it, and it was genuinely hard to give up...what made it easier was the XC60 that replaced it. C30 isn't obviously as practical by any stretch, but could cope.

If I was to do it again, I'd go for the later d3/4 (or if possible d5( engines as their all have the 5 pot sound and power, plus shift better than the 2.0 petrol. (Failing that, hello? T5?!)

Enjoy. Cracking car.

[Thassos]

I totally agree on the comments on the (mazda) 1.8 and 2L petrol engines, i have driven all of the petrol C30s along with the (ford) engined 1.6 and the D2 and D5, i found initially that the 1.6 ford felt much more peppy for its size whereas the larger (mazda) is a lot quieter and feels like it has less performance (bearing in mind the cc difference) but i think as others have said the power is higher up in the rev range the mazda engines are very quiet and you can barely hear them at tickover (in an se lux spec car anyway),. As you say the lack of undertray and nice big spaces around the engine make for very happy maintenance, suspect the same is not quite so true for the D5 which is great fun in a C30 but is very easy to loose traction with all the torque it has but then D5 C30s are not so common but would be a good choice esp in the earlier C30s from 2007. The D2 pulls well for a small engine but have seen evidence of things like turbo failures (could have been related to poor oil change regime but i get the feeling they are less durable than some of the other engines talked about here) but are probably a choice if youre driven by high mpg. Handling on the C30 is also very nimble and makes for a good compromise for long journeys, as they say enjoy them while they are here they ended production around 2013 i believe..

[dme123]

The D5 is hilarious in such a small and light car, particularly if remapped. You'd easily get 45MPG+ from sensible mixed driving in a manual and 50MPG+ with a bit of effort. Even my lardy C70 D5 manual has a lifetime average of 43MPG and it weighs 500KG more than a C30. Loads of torque for effortless overtaking of dawdlers and fuss free high speed progress.

Maintenance on the D5 should be minimal. Belt change at 105k is a £250 job from an independent, Volvo service interval is 12 months or 16k miles or so, and nothing really breaks on them. They even make a great noise when you're pressing on.

The D5 is an older engine, 5 cylinders and 2.4 litres of displacement with 180bhp as standard. THe D3 and D4 are in later cars and are a 5 cylinder 2.0 litre development of the D5. They are more refined and rev more freely. 177bhp from the D4 and less from the D3. Both are great engines too and benefit from a newer and better 6 speed auto over the 5 speed in the D5, if you're going that way.

As others have said they are very comfortable indeed, great seats and decent ride quality too. The styling makes them look smaller than they are, they really aren't like a little tinny Fiesta or similar.

[olliemayo]

Thanks very much guys.

The road in question is the A37 in the mendips south of Bristol. It's a 30 mileish stretch of pretty unspectacular A road. You aren't going to break the speed limit on most of it because of traffic and it doesn't permit a lot of overtaking.

Whats the real world MPG of these petrol engines?

I've got to drive to Bristol park and ride for 5 years every day there and back, so 15,000 miles a year. I use shipham motors for servicing and repairs at the minute and they are fantastic and I'm not afraid to have maintenance done properly and pay the money either.

I like the idea of no EGR or DPF but I do need a reliable and safe car. Might be required to collect the kids from time to time but it's no huge issue. I'm thinking a smaller car (currently driving around in a MY12 V70) will be cheaper to run and fuel.

The wife has a XC60 D5 AWD which is her car and we won't be changing that for a few years. Due to the nature of her work and where we live I wouldn't even consider any other brand- we get floods and snow and mud on the roads and I wouldn't consider any other car to put the wife and kids in. I've driven a hell of a lot of most prestigious or higher performance cars but the XC60 never ceases to amaze me how stable and sure footed it is and it's plenty pokey enough with Polestar involved.

The idea of a C30 is just to get me to university for 5 years safely.

[ThomasPool]

I have the 2.0 petrol but situated at the front of my S40, exactly the same engine as the C30.

Running around town if changing gear sensibly I can manage around 30-35mpg.

Although as many have commented the real power of the engine is situated past 5k rpm, so yes if you want some pull you have to rev it therefore probably achieving closer to 25mpg. Although on a good run to York down the A64 I can easily get 45mpg cruising at 65-70mph.

[TheFiend]

Originally Posted by olliemayo

Thanks very much guys.

The road in question is the A37 in the mendips south of Bristol. It's a 30 mileish stretch of pretty unspectacular A road. You aren't going to break the speed limit on most of it because of traffic and it doesn't permit a lot of overtaking.

Whats the real world MPG of these petrol engines?

I've got to drive to Bristol park and ride for 5 years every day there and back, so 15,000 miles a year.

My 40 mile round trip commute is on an A road, and like I posted previously, my real world MPG is between 38.5 and 40 MPG.... Volvo brochure listed it as 38.7MPG as the combined figure for the 1.8 petrol....

I only use the C30 for commuting to work and a couple of trips a year to the airport. For the airport runs it easily copes with 3 people and luggage with one rear seat folded forward.

[dme123]

Originally Posted by TheFiend

My 40 mile round trip commute is on an A road, and like I posted previously, my real world MPG is between 38.5 and 40 MPG.... Volvo brochure listed it as 38.7MPG as the combined figure for the 1.8 petrol....

I only use the C30 for commuting to work and a couple of trips a year to the airport. For the airport runs it easily copes with 3 people and luggage with one rear seat folded forward.

I have found that with every Volvo I've owned I've always been very close to achieving their claimed MPG!

[volvopilot]

Originally Posted by Clan

you can't call the 2.0 slow unless you are used to a focus Rs or something :-)
this is the Mazda MX5 engine 142 bhp , no good changing gear at 4000 rpm , you are missing out on the extra 3000 rpm where the power comes in !

yes you are right, but therefore it 'feels' a little bit slow, even though it is quite a bit quicker than the D2/D3! But it's just in a different power band. I have the 1.8L petrol and I am very happy with it and I rev it up if I need the speed.

still very good options but the 1.6D does feel very responsive on the throttle compared to the 2.0 and 1.8 petrol. but that is just the nature of a natural aspirated 4 cyl engine. I prefer that anytime because it simply revs so nice and evenly across the whole rpm range.

Believe it or not, but I got 49 mpg today with my 1.8L petrol on my 160km daily commute. Normally around 40-45 depending on traffic and motorway cruise speeds.

last weekend I towed a 25ft glider trailer (around 1200lbs) with the S40 1.8 and I still got 38mpg. happy days!

[olliemayo]

Another quick question chaps, do all C30s come with isofix points in the rear seats, and traction and stability control?

[kmb]

Originally Posted by olliemayo

Another quick question chaps, do all C30s come with isofix points in the rear seats, and traction and stability control?

Yes.

In my C30 T5 I'm getting 28-31mpg depending on driving, if you can get to work at a steady 60 mph you'll be much closer 35mpg. Over 1000 mile trip mostly at 80mph French motorway with some mixed country roads it was 30mpg on SUL.