Volvo launches C30 R-Design sports coupe
Volvo C30 R-Design sports coupe - available now
Author: Chris Barker
Published: 20 March 2008
The Volvo C30 R-Design is now being offered as the entry-level C30 venture into the sports coupe market, and the elementary £14,995 1.6-litre petrol R-Design Sport model can be ordered with immediate effect.
In case you didn't know, Volvo's R-Design badgery-finery has already graced the metalwork of the V50 and S40 models of late and denotes a refined and sporty, personally-tailored approach to Volvo ownership.
An exclusive sports body kit that stretches to a rear spoiler as well as the easily identifiable R-Design logotype popping up on the C30's grille and alloys mark the premium hatchback out from, say, Ford's Focus, Volkswagen's Golf and Audi's A3, all deemed to be the C30's main rivals.
The C30 R-Design's interior contains grey-ish T-Tec fabrics, complemented by cream leather embossed with the R-Design autograph makes sure of that.
A vivid blue property to the instrumentation dials, a leather-clad steering wheel and a flash of aluminium on the foot pedals and gear selector reinforce the R-Designs individuality.
Four petrol power plants, from the aforementioned and perksome 1.6 through to the nifty T5 are joined on the Volvo forecourt by three oil-burners – the service station shy 1.6 being superseded by a 2.0-litre diesel and the lethargy-overcoming D5 – and an alternative source of propulsion; Volvo's 1.8-litre FlexiFuel bio-ethanol unit finding its way into the C30 R-Design too.
There's also the comfort-led C30 SE, which comes for the same price as the base 1.6 R-Design Sport. That said, for £17,245 buyers can reintegrate a little sportiness into their C30 by showing preference for the R-Design SE Sport. More bells and less whistles enters the C30 fray in the high-brow guise of the SE LUX at £17,495.
Another sweetener that might make your decision that much less brow-furrowing is the fact that after a forecast three years of ownership (or 36,000 miles) the residuals remain strong, with both petrol and diesel versions of the C30 R-Design holding out for between 46 – 56% of their original receipt.
The new CLC Sports Coupe is the baby of the Mercedes range, available to buy in June with prices from £20K.
Subaru and Toyota brainstorm a joint new rear-wheel-driven 2.0-litre sports coupe for 2011, the former volunteering the necessary grunt, the later the aesthetics.
Mercedes releases CLC sports coupe images, revealing a hodge-podge of old and new-ish Merc bits and pieces.
Volkswagen´s Passat ´Comfort Coupe´ will be available to buy from summer 2008 at £19K for the entry-level model, making it an attractively cheap alternative to the likes of the Mercedes CLS and BMW 6-Series.
Dual wet clutch Powershift transmission allowa for slip clutch gear changes in Volvo C30, S40 and V50.
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