2010 Volvo C30 Official Details and Photos

2010 Volvo C30

Swedish manufacturer Volvo released today details and photos of the new generation C30 "the most playful and spontaneous model" (some may call it ugly...). Still, the new C30 is here, with some interesting changes here and there.

"Since its introduction in 2006, the Volvo C30 has become highly appreciated for its unique appearance. This applies in particular to the rear. With the new front, it feels as though everything has fallen neatly into place and that the car's entire personality has been boosted to an entirely new level," Daniel Backman, Volvo product manager for the C30 said in a release.

The changes brought to the C30 are visible from the exterior. The car's entire front has been redesigned and given new body panels such as the front wings, making it perhaps more dramatic than it should be. The middle of the grille is dominated by the Volvo large iron mark, while the air intake has been resized to resemble the one on the XC60.

The back of the car, however, at the center of the like it-hate it dispute ever since the C30 came to be, has remain largely unchanged, apart perhaps for the more accentuated contours. Unlike the previous model years, the 2010 C30 boasts body color panels, instead of the plastic ones used until now.

Volvo will give the 2010 C30 a new body color choice, the Orange Flame Metallic and, for the first time, ever, white wheels. A styling kit is available, comprising of fog-lamp décor, a front skid-plate, side scuff plates with engraved C30 logo and a rear skid-plate with a stylish aluminum look.

Engine wise, the C30 is as comprehensive as they get. It is virtually impossible not to find something you like under the hood, whether we are talking about the lazy 1.6l 100 hp petrol engine or the fuel efficient 1.6l DRIVe start/stop 109 hp diesel. In all, Volvo offers 5 petrol and four diesel engine to go with the C30; petrol units are 2.5 T5 (230 hp), 2.4 (170 hp), 2.0 (245 hp), 2.0 Flexifuel (145 hp) and 1.6 (100 hp), while diesels comprise of 2.4 D5 (180 hp), 2.0lD (136 hp), 1.6D DRIVe (109 hp) and 1.6D DRIVe start/stop (109 hp, 3.9l/100 km)).

The engines can be paired to a choice of three transmissions: six-speed manual (for T5, D5 and 2.0lD), five-speed automatic transmission with Geartronic (for all diesel engines and five cylinder units) and six-speed Powershift automatic (for 2.0D and 2.0 petrol engines).

Like it or not, the Volvo C30 has so many personalization options that the Swedish say if all the British population (60 million people) were to buy one, no two C30s would be the same...
More images in the gallery below.