MINI2

Volvo. What image does that name put into your mind? We’re willing to bet it isn’t small, sporty, out of the ordinary. That is unless perhaps you’re familiar with the Volvo C30. The Volvo aimed at young minded 20-30 somethings and “empty nesters”, those who’s children have flown the coops and want to recapture a little of their youth. Although the appearance may lead you to beg to differ, Volvo are aiming their funky “love it or hate it” new Volvo squarely at the very market the MINI also appeals to. So we though that, following our review of the more obvious Fiat 500, our next MINI Challenger would be the Volvo.

The C30 is a challenging offering from Volvo, who up until now seem to have occupied a small, but comfortable (and profitable) place in the market. Volvo make estates, comfortable saloons and executive 4×4s, not ‘fun’ cars, and certainly not sporty hatchbacks. But while we’ve been keeping an eye over the small car segment, the Volvo, for good or bad, seems to be one of those cars that’s hard to ignore. Maybe because, like the MINI, it offers something different. It’s not a small family hatch that comes with a three door variant. It’s not an ultra-practical affording car that can do everything including lugging you and your brood off to the shops while trying to remain engaging enough to enjoy a jaunt along the country lanes. The C30 is a four seater only, two proper sculpted rear seats take care of that, and it’s not full of clever storage bins, smart rolling seats or adjustable seat backs, cubby holes all over the place. Volvo have really decided to go for it with this car and produce a car that people will want to drive and be driven in. So have they succeeded?

Lets start with the looks. The C30 puts a lot of faith in its design. The online marketing campaign plays heavily on the lines of the car, using a “love it or hate it” tag line heavily throughout. At first glance from the front the C30 looks very much like the rest of the Volvo range, although if you look more closely you can see there is extra curve and slightly more interesting lines than it’s bigger siblings. As you follow the shoulder line back, the passenger compartment curves inwards, while the shoulders stay proud and broad. The effect from many angles is quite dramatic, and many people we spoke to really liked the look of the car.

But all that hard work almost seems pointless when it is attached to a rear end as provocative as the C30’s. We didn’t think it would be so controversial, but when gauging the opinions of friends and family it really did divide opinion. And perhaps annoyingly for Volvo, the majority just didn’t really like it. The general consensus seemed to be that it looked “odd”, even those who did like it couldn’t deny it was quirky and unusual.

The C30 is within the price range of the MINI, in the UK at least, with prices starting at under £15,000 for a well equipped 1.6 litre petrol engine S variant. Our Sport model, which includes body coloured body kit, 18″ alloy wheels among its added features over standard, was loaded up to the tune of over £26,000, and while all but the most enthusiastic MINI speccer would struggle to reach those heights, it’s not unthinkable or unseen for MINIs to achieve that price.

The big difference here though is the standard equipment list. The Volvo trounces the MINI on this front, as, lets face it, do many other cars. Dual zone climate control, alloy wheels, dynamic stability control are among the rather impressive standard spec list right from the base model upwards, if you go for the second on the run SE model or upwards you’d find it hard to find additional options to add to the spec list.

Our test car managed quite well though. A Dynaudio Premium Sounds Audio System was an expensive disappointment at £1,400, the very good Bi-Xenon pack is pricey but well worth opting for at £850, the sunroof seems like a little glass for a lot of money at £700, especially when compared to the MINI’s much larger double sunroof. The most expensive option is the “Communications Pack”, which includes remote control satellite navigation with traffic information, “Volvo On Call” and a Dual Band Integrated GSM Telephone. This is good, but the Sat Nav sits in the glovebox, which is by design deep by low. This means losing a lot of storage space to fit the system, but it has to be said Volvo’s satellite navigation system is one of the best we’ve used, even if the female voice is a little stern as she commands you where to turn.

With a great deal of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel it’s pretty easy to get yourself comfortable. The Sport edition includes a leather sports steering wheel and gear stick. The steering wheel is nice, the controls for navigation and stereo easy and intuitive to use, however the shifter is lack lustre, but that doesn’t detract from the six speed manual gearbox, which is easy to work with at a crawl or at pace. The only real oddity, for all the minimalist and space age design in the cabin, is the position of the handbrake leaver, which sits away from the driver next to the passenger seat. The stares you get from your passenger as you hit their elbow for the umpteenth time make you curse the designer for that strange packaging decision.

The rear interior is, like the rear of the exterior, a little more challenging. The stylish rear end appears to have been designed with little regard for luggage. It’s not that the storage space isn’t large enough, compared to the MINI, or even the new MINI Clubman, it’s cavernous, but the rear interior looks best with no luggage cover in place, centre arm rest down. With the large rear glass panel this configuration makes the car feel even more expansive, and road noise is surprisingly well dampened even when the rear is opened up in this manner. You also offer those cars behind you on the road the chance to see straight down the middle of the vehicle all the way to the floating centre stack, which has become the staple of Volvo interior design in recent times (and it is very cool).

As standard the C30 comes with a soft load cover, not entirely unlike the flimsy piece of material we recently grumbled about in our MINI Clubman review. However in the C30 the cover can be held tight in place by elasticated string and hooks, and it actually works very well. It’s pretty much what you would expect to find in any Volvo estate, in fact the rear of the car is very much like an estate in many ways. So at least in that way Volvo are sticking to what they know. The rear load space could be much better though, the boot has a high lip, a relatively small opening through the glass hatch, and is very shallow. On the plus side, the seats fold flat and the space is wide. If you don’t opt for an optional space saving spare, there’s more storage under a “false floor” in the boot to hide items for prying eyes if you chose to keep the soft cover (or optional hard cover) out of the boot.

The interior of the C30 is all about the occupants, primarily those in the front seats, but the rear is also very much geared towards occupant comfort and, of course, safety. Sure there could be more room for storage, but what is provided is adequate, the seats are very comfortable, head room is good front and rear, and adjustment of the front seats is also extremely flexible to suit most shapes and sizes.

The real issue though, especially if you’re considering the C30 as a genuine MINI Challenger, is how well the car drives, how you feel behind the wheel.

For us this is where the C30 was probably most successful. The ride isn’t harsh or crashing in any way, even with the optional 18″ alloys fitted.  Compared to the MINI the drive feels very assured and not at all twitchy. But of course it should be, this is a much bigger car. But the C30 does have sporty aspirations, so the handling is very important.

The 2 litre diesel unit, combined with the smooth shifting six speed gearbox offers a great compromise between comfort when needed and smooth, well spaced shifts when you want to have a little fun. This isn’t the quickest of cars, with a 0-60 mph just under nine seconds, but it feels very strong and is ready to pull from most situations. Unfortunately with our driving, mostly short journeys on country lanes, the economy wasn’t brilliant, the C30 averaged around 37 mpg during our week together. That’s not at all bad, and matches to Volvo’s claimed return on the “urban” cycle.

We drove the C30 on all our usual test and fun routes, as well as around town and on the open road, and it proved extremely flexible. The high quality cabin is such that you feel relaxed and comfortable on longer journeys, the audio was of high enough quality you could drown out traffic stress by hearing your favourite tunes loud and clear (but not on a par with a similar system we’ve tested in the much bigger XC90, hence our initial disappointment), and sporty and clean enough to make you feel comfortable in the twisties. The seats could do with more side support from larger bolsters, especially for passengers who I soon learnt slid around a little more than I’ve become accustomed to in the MINI sports seats.

It’s hard to draw many strong conclusions on the C30, because aside from it’s exterior design there’s nothing much open for debate here. The “keyless” drive, which actually involves a small plastic key that stays in place at all times, is just a bit odd when the rest of the World are going ga-ga over start buttons, and storage when you opt for sat nav is pretty pitiful, but aside from that the Volvo does everything well. And I suppose that’s the main criticism, if you must make one. It doesn’t really do anything brilliantly. It’s not the cleverest packaging in a car, it’s not the most powerful or economical car of its ilk, it’s not the greatest drivers car for the money, and many would argue it isn’t the prettiest either. But overall we actually feel that, perhaps like the MINI, the C30 is more than the sum of its parts. We’d argue perhaps it’s a little over priced, but quality is top notch and there is very little to find fault with.

So despite coming from the company best known for “Boxy but good” safe and sensible cars, and size-wise being a step up from the MINI and even the Clubman, perhaps Volvo have produced a serious MINI Challenger with their C30. It seems to be developing a bit of a cult following on sites such as C30 World, and if Volvo could get more younger drivers through their doors to actually drive the C30, they could be onto a winner here.

The new Fiat 500 was launched in July 2007 in Italy to great fanfare and much praise. In almost every review or article on the new Fiat published there was an obvious comparison being drawn, the 500 was viewed as the first serious competition to the MINI in the niche market of premium small cars, with unique and retro styling.

The similarities are there for all to see, both small cars, both reinterpretations of a 1950s icon that change the motoring landscape, particularly in their home markets. Frank Stephenson, designer of the original new MINI oversaw the creation of the new Fiat 500. Both cars are being promoted as thoroughly modern and fashionable. Cars you can truly make your own through an array of factory and dealer fit options. The Fiat 500 sparked a lot of interest on MINI2 and in the MINI community in general. So we thought we’d share our driving impressions of the new baby Fiat.

Recently we arranged an extended test and photo session with an Italian spec Fiat 500 1.4 litre (100 hp) Sport model. Thanks to Motorvogue in Northampton, we took the Fiat out for a spin on some great roads in Northamptonshire, and it gave us a chance to get a real flavour of what the new Fiat 500 is all about. To be perfectly frank, we found the new Bambino a bit of a mixed bag.

The motoring press at large seem to have gone all ga-ga over the new Fiat. Maybe it’s the delightful design of the car that’s caught their imagination, maybe it’s the lavish launch party Fiat arranged in Turin, or maybe it’s the excitement of the MINI having a real challenger to its crown that’s made them all excitable. Mike Rutherford has already said he wouldn’t argue with the new 500 being “Car of the Year”. But while we found many things to like and smile about with the new 500, it wasn’t all rosy in the garden.

One place where Fiat have been very clever, and possibly “got one over” on MINI is their interior design. The new 500 certainly doesn’t have the same air of quality, and hard grey plastic is present in abundance. However, the fit and finish is very good, not a rattle to be heard over the rough British back roads, and almost every where you look and touch things have been done well. The rather uninspiring colours chosen on our test vehicle don’t really do the car justice (inside or out), but the dash, the quirky but very effective speedo console (which contains rev counter, speedo and computer information all in one neat package in front of the driver) and all the main dials have a certain style and appeal to them which provides a halo effect and makes the entire car feel friendly and comfortable from the front seats.

Storage is also good. There is no glove box, although there wasn’t on early MINI models either, but there are cubby holes aplenty, in every nook and cranny there’s a place to store your bits and bobs, and the boot, aided by a lack of complex rear suspension taking up valuable room, puts the MINIs to shame. Although the raked rear end means that by the time you reach the incredibly tiny and rather flimsy parcel shelf there is no depth left to speak of.

The seats are small and thin on the sports model compared to those found in any MINI, but they do offer good levels of support. The driving position though is as different to that in the MINI as night is to day. You sit quite high, and seat adjustment is limited, when you lower the seat base the level at the knees didn’t seem to shift, meaning your bottom sinks but your legs remain a little high. We also didn’t find much room in the footwell for a pair of size eleven feet. They’re by no means uncomfortable, but you have very little of the sporty, low down feel of the MINI seats, even with the sports trim you sit on, rather than in the seats of the new 500.

On the road, the 1.4 litre engine and the chassis of the Fiat 500 performed well. This version, with 100hp is top of the range until the Abarth models are unveiled at the Tokyo motorshow later in 2007, but the fairest comparison is probably the MINI One, rather than the Cooper S, or even the MINI Cooper. Dynamically the little 500 copes well enough with twists and turns, the suspension is quite firm and there’s not too much body roll. But we couldn’t shift the feeling this baby would be eaten alive by a MINI on a slalom course.

The 1.4 litre engine is quite peaky, with a fairly narrow power band. Fiat claim a 0-62 in just over ten and a half seconds, and it certainly isn’t going to be burning up any tarmac, but for spurting around town it’s great, and the six speed gear shift is well positioned and shifts are smooth and slick. The car is very manouverable and looks better in the metal than any photos we’ve seen suggest. Its diminutive size and clever styling give it the look of a roller skate as it darts around bends. The power on offer is closely matched to that of the second generation MINI One, also equipped with a 1.4 16v power plant.

So how seriously should MINI take the competition of the new Fiat 500?

We’ve no confirmed UK pricing, but in Europe it’s smartly priced and in France and Italy in particular it’s selling like hot cakes. Considering the 500 we drove was a top of the line 1.4 16v Sport edition, we can’t see it making too much of a dent on MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S sales from people wanting a small, sporty car that’s as good around town as it is on the bends, but as a city car, and competition for the MINI One we think it could be a serious MINI challenger, and if the Abarth can address some of the performance and dynamic issues then the Cooper, even the Cooper S, could be in for a fight from this feisty little Italian upstart.

The media love the Fiat 500, and it will almost certainly be the next “car to be seen in”, in fact in a recent review Auto Express say it’s worth buying almost on that basis alone, despite being critical of the drive vis-à-vis the new MINI.

The new Fiat 500 is on sale now in Italy and France, and will hit UK showrooms from February 2008. US launch is nothing more than a distant possibility at this stage. For more information on the new Fiat 500, check out our baby sister publication, NF500