2009 Volvo C30 T5 R-Design Review: Too Refined to be a Hot Hatch?

Рет қаралды 11,489

Күн бұрын

The Volvo C30 R-Design sure doesn't come up in most modern hot hatch conversations. Why is this so? How the heck doesn't a 227 hp turbocharged inline-five powered hatch with a respectable chassis get brought up? Let's experience the C30 T5 R-Design together and find out if all its refinement gets in the way of it being a proper hot hatch. #volvoc30 #hothatch #carreview

Пікірлер: 48

@jonathanplante6561 10 ай бұрын

As an 09 r design in galactic white and purple 6spd owner I'm glad to Finally see these cars gaining traction online It's a car I'm truly proud to own

@autoobsessivegarage 9 ай бұрын

It certainly is a mighty fine machine.

@End3rXP 5 ай бұрын

I have the same spec but in Orinoco Blue, I will never sell this car until I die.

@dizmatt1 6 ай бұрын

I've not driven a C30 but it's on my list. I have driven the longer and similar S40 of the same era, the manual box is lovely. And the V70 with the same engine, tuned to around 300bhp. What a motor! The little T5 is something I'd love to drive.

@autoobsessivegarage 6 ай бұрын

The power will feel very familiar to you, but that C30 is a great little handler and its style really stands out in a crowd. The manual transmission is a must.

@markito9864 7 ай бұрын

We bought new (2) C30s one '12 R Design which we picked up in Gothenburg on the Overseas Delivery program and a '13 PLE, both are manuals. The '12 was custom ordered without a sunroof. We have driven these cars all over the place especially the PLE which we drove from Seattle to Fairbanks and to MT, OR, CA, ID, AZ, and NM. Very well balanced, comfortable, powerful, and planted. Just as it was designed to be.

@autoobsessivegarage 7 ай бұрын

Now that is committing! They are absolutely fantastic machines. The blend of respectable build quality, interesting design, and performance really stand out.

@Justinjames317 19 күн бұрын

I love love love my R-Design C30 w/the cosmic white/java color combo plus roof rails, I’ve had it for about 3 years & this thing is a tank! Maybe that’s just Volvo in general but I’m branded now. I get so many compliments about my car, most people have the same reaction “I’ve never seen a Volvo that looks like this 😮” the design team at the time hit a home run w/ the C30, very unfortunate it was discontinued but this car definitely only appealed to a very niche group of ppl.

@autoobsessivegarage 18 күн бұрын

It was quite a polarizing design at first. I never really got into the non R-Design models with the gray cladding…color matching those panels went a long way. The interesting design and not cookie cutter engine make it quite a unique vehicle.

@Reidy82 16 күн бұрын

I have owned my c30 T5 R-design for over a year now. Although it belonged to a mate of mine previously.. See the car on my channel. It has a quantum tune and was dyno'd @ 265hp / 440nm or 325lb-ft. Its a comfortable car with some decent fast road performance. Its not without its weaknesses that's for sure. Needs better brakes, LSD and a better feeling gear linkage setup. The steering is a little vague but its like anything you get use to it and muscle memory takes over when you become familiar with the car.. The seats a very comfortbale (typical volvo) but another reason not to call it a hot hatch is the lack of support from the seats when corner hard or into tight turns you will find yourself trying to hold yourself in. Its not the sharpest most precise hatch but then its a volvo, they always like to give their owners comfort and refinement. All that being said I still love the car. Engine mostly and then the styling is quite unique.

@autoobsessivegarage 13 күн бұрын

Very sound points. With those mods, that thing sounds like it rips.

@tuckerjones5899 3 ай бұрын

Just bought a 2008 6 speed black it’s amazing I’ve always said they’re an updated luxurious CRX

@autoobsessivegarage 3 ай бұрын

Better than that CRZ for sure.

@littleriver4193 7 ай бұрын

Just got an 09 c30 Automatic today! It gas always been in the back of my mind as a possibility but never planned on getting one. That is until my car died and one was in town for 6700. Too good to pass up!

@autoobsessivegarage 7 ай бұрын

That sounds like an excellent price! Enjoy that fine machine.

@littleriver4193 7 ай бұрын

@@autoobsessivegarage only 111k mi as well. I definitely will. Thanks!

@ramon7473 Жыл бұрын

Sick car !

@autoobsessivegarage Жыл бұрын

Agreed!

@Nimno74 11 ай бұрын

Did you have the traction control on or off during your testing?

@autoobsessivegarage 11 ай бұрын

Usually I turn it off during testing dependent on the car I’m testing and the quality of the tires. I left it on for this one and should have really tried it off.

@Nimno74 11 ай бұрын

@@autoobsessivegarageI'm trying to find one of these in a manual, for a reasonable price, and it's not going well. Automatics out the wazoo, but all the manuals are much more costly due to their rarity.

@MaxPetHusk 8 ай бұрын

Love my C30 👍 D4 177hp 6sp auto 1-100 8.2

@autoobsessivegarage 8 ай бұрын

Very solid numbers…and damn do they look great still.

@MaxPetHusk 8 ай бұрын

@@autoobsessivegarage yeah, and 5cyl engines sound nice 🙂 Rather low appetite 8 litres/100km in city

@bitsbobs8613 4 ай бұрын

Why only 227 bhp , I’ve got the v70r same size engine 300 bhp , but I am looking for c30 t5 now

@autoobsessivegarage 4 ай бұрын

It actually doesn’t seem underpowered at all. I believe the engines are slightly different as well as the turbochargers. There is a weight advantage though. You won’t be let down.

@pvtcody Жыл бұрын

Excellent review, i own the 2.0l petrol (facelift) version, a very well built car,great handling and reliable.Only criticisms the car stereo can't be upgraded due to Volvos use of fibre optic wiring,the headlight are terrible even with upgraded Philips RacingVision GT200 H7 bulbs and the steering wheel is far to large,feels like driving a van/truck/tank! 😒

@autoobsessivegarage Жыл бұрын

Very good points for sure. Agreed that it’s a very well built machine and a very enjoyable one at that.

@reesbarnes4746 Жыл бұрын

Cool car. Im looking at getting one for a project car and taking it too 400bhp levels. It can be done reliably from what I can see 😂

@autoobsessivegarage Жыл бұрын

Haha, nearly doubling a car's horsepower has always been super easy. Plus, everyone knows more horsepower equals greater reliability. All joking aside...that Polestar built C30...what a beast!

@reesbarnes4746 Жыл бұрын

@auto obsessive garage I know what your saying. The thing is you can take alot of the ford rs engine hardware and upgrade without to much drama. We will see 👀

@CaptainTonus Жыл бұрын

@@reesbarnes4746 the limiting factor are the connecting rods and cylinder walls in these engines, being an open-deck design and already bored out way too far from their original displacement design. 300whp is very doable, but beyond that I'd want to upgrade the engine internals

@lucasmigliaccio9680 Жыл бұрын

@@CaptainTonus Rods are actually good for about 360whp with fine tuning. There are some where I live running with these levels of power and stock internals for a good amount of time. Also seen some in other countries as well. But yes, the engine block holds it back, definitely needs a block mod or block guard.

@jonathanplante6561 10 ай бұрын

Good luck on that 400 hp mark....invest in a limited slip first and then a Hilton tune and downpipe.....it'll start everyday and actually live to see just south of 300 hp and massive torque....don't ruin a good thing by insulting the engendered perfection it already has

@kennethrodriguez328 6 ай бұрын

Are these good cars? Trying to get one without having any issues?

@autoobsessivegarage 6 ай бұрын

Any car can have potential issues, but these are overall very solid and reliable vehicles. They also offer an fantastic blend of style, performance, and functionality.

@kennethrodriguez328 6 ай бұрын

@autoobsessivegarage oh I know that I meant in general lol and it depends how you take care of it too

@CaptainTonus Жыл бұрын

I test-drove a 2012 or 2013 C30 R-design 6spd once and was really not impressed by it at all. I've been a Volvo owner since 2011 and had high hopes for it, but it just felt totally numb and muted to me. The clutch had zero feel, the shifter was very rubbery, and the suspension felt very isolated. I'm sure that was done on purpose to make the car feel more tank-like, which it definitely does. And a lot of that can probably be fixed with aftermarket bits too. I currently own a '98 C70 HPT Coupe 5spd, and I actually think the clutch and shifter feel better and more engaging than the much newer C30. The gearing of the 6spd trans is much better, though.

@autoobsessivegarage Жыл бұрын

I agree with many of your points for sure including the isolated suspension feel and vagueness surrounding the clutch and shifter...but overall, the chassis is respectable and the car does "tighten up" when pushed. I'm 100% sure the aftermarket can address all of this as I've seen some pretty gnarly builds.

@VinnesRC Жыл бұрын

Do you know what tires were on it? Alot of these in the states were on all seasons from factory, and all season tires will do this to most cars(handling related points you mentioned). Even going from generic summer tires to performace summer tires made a huge difference on my 2012 D4 which I just bought.

@CaptainTonus Жыл бұрын

@@VinnesRC I don't know what kind of tires were on it. It wouldn't have factored in to my experience, because I wasn't driving it on a back road or hitting corners with it

@VinnesRC Жыл бұрын

@@CaptainTonus Fair enough, but I will say that my r-design 1.6d that I had before felt more connected to the road and had better steering feel than this D4 which was lowered 30-35mm on eibach suspension, all down to the tires that were on the two.