WHAT does one say about the Volvo C30?
It’s an understated work of art, a three-door with sporting lines derived from its 1800 ES of 1972, at the time the world’s rarest and sexiest station wagon.
These days the C30 is also a fairly rare car, selling at only about 40 a month, nationwide.
It’s surprising, because it’s the cheapest model in Volvo’s 10-vehicle range.
But that’s likely to change when buyers become more aware of a rather special C30, one that uses a thimble or two less fuel per 100km than even a hybrid.
It’s the C30 DRIVe, which is powered by a four-cylinder diesel and has a bagful of techno savvy to add super economy to the car’s other attributes.
And, unlike most brands that charge a premium for a diesel option, this one is cheaper than its five-cylinder petrol-powered siblings. It costs from $36,150.
What immediately sets the diesel apart from other C30s – there are three of them: 2.4S, 2.5 Turbo and 2.5 T5 R-Design – are its wheels.
They’re alloys, but flat, disc-like and spokeless, designed to minimise wind resistance, and they wear new-generation low-rolling resistance Michelin tyres. The spare is a Pirelli space-saver.
The disc wheels are a contrast to the spoked alloys of the other C30s, but they do look pretty good.
Take a peek under the car and you’ll see some more unusual things: wind deflectors for the front wheels and panels shaped to smooth the airflow.
There’s also rear spoiler and sculpted rear bumper, all in the name of aerodynamic efficiency.
At first glance the C30’s interior looks as if it could have been designed by Georg Jensen: clean, devoid of the bling that adorns most dashboards, but has all the necessary dials and gauges, mostly digital, to keep the driver fully informed. Very Scandinavian. It has also retained the so-called floating console common to other Volvos.
Standard fare includes cruise control, six airbags, electronic stability and traction control, a fine audio system with steering-wheel mounted controls and an aux jack, front and rear foglights, folding door mirrors, leather-rimmed steering wheel and gear knob and climate control.
The twitterati, however, will miss Bluetooth connectivity.
Accommodation is excellent: comfy seats, reach and rake-adjustable steering wheel, good visibility, well-placed controls.
The car has a lot of front headroom, rather less so in the back. Cargo space is adequate.
The C30 is built on the same floorpan as the Ford Focus and has similar cat-on-carpet handling and roadholding qualities.
The smallish turbo-diesel engine produces 80kW and 240Nm of torque, so it runs along just fine.
It drives the front wheels through a six-speed manual, and even the transmission fluid is of a special low-friction kind that helps save fuel.
The neat Swede can reach 100km/h in 11.5 seconds but its main claim is its stunning fuel economy.
It has an official average figure of 3.8litres/100km. Its 52 litre tank gives it a cruising range of around 1300km.
We couldn’t equal that figure in Perth’s stop-start traffic pattern, but we were pretty stoked with the 4.1litres/100km attained. That’s 68mpg in the old terms, a truly stunning return.
Driving the C30 DRIVe is interesting in that its engine shuts down when you stop and shift into neutral.
That’s because standing at the lights going nowhere for ages wastes fuel – so it switches off.
And cuts fuel use by up to 8 per cent. It re-starts the instant the clutch is engaged again.
The C30 has a fine pedigree, is one of the world’s best eco cars and it will give owners great pride in declaring they’re “bloody Volvo drivers".