The hot hatchback segment is getting stale. Sure, the current crop of Honda Civic Type-R, Hyundai Veloster N, and VW GTI is excellent, but beyond styling, the segment is stagnating around direct-injected turbocharged four-cylinders with similar power output and delivery, and similar droning engine note.
We don’t get the latest fast Fords from Europe, nor do we get hot Opels or Skodas or any of the French hot hatches like the Renault Mégane R.S or the Peugeot 208 GTi. Our selection has always been limited, but right now it’s hard to find a hot hatch that truly stands out, one that offers its own distinct driving experience, design, and noise. Something that has presence, but also a touch more class than the giant scoops and wings you’ll find on the Type-R and Veloster N.
If you’re prepared to shop used though, Volvo, of all sources, might have an answer to that. The C30 T5 R-Design, particularly in 2010+ post-facelift form, is the best hot hatchback you probably haven’t considered, let alone heard of. There are a few reasons for that, which we will delve into below.
What Is It?
The short answer? It's the closest North America ever got to the MK2 Ford Focus RS. The C30 isn't just a rebadge job; Volvo's adaptation of the Ford "C1" platform is more thorough, but it shares a lot of its underpinnings with the Focus, as well as the Mazdaspeed3 and a handful of other cars including the Volvo S40 and V50. You can easily find and interchange suspension, braking, and mechanical parts with these other models, so if the Volvo OEM part is too expensive for you, there will be other options to keep one of these going on a shoestring.
The most important part it shares with the MK2 Focus RS is its phenomenal five-cylinder engine. Volvo had been using five-pots for a long time, but it was under Ford's ownership that its performance potential was really explored. In the C30 T5, it produces 227 horsepower and 236 lb/ft of torque. Those were very respectable numbers for the hot hatch market in 2007 and still hold up well today. As anyone who knows about turbocharged European engines will tell you, aftermarket tunes can increase those numbers considerably without you even needing to turn a wrench, and even Volvo themselves offered a factory "Polestar" tune (these were the days before Polestar made plug-in hybrid exotic GT cars) that bumped output to 250 horsepower and torque close to 300 lb/ft. The engine was available with your choice of 5-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission.
Elsewhere, the C30 is a safe, reliable, and handsome three-door hatchback with one of the best-looking tailgates in recent history. The design of the car took inspiration from Volvo's 2001 SCC, or "Safety Concept Car," which itself pulled lines and shapes from Volvo's iconic 1800 ES shooting brake including the all-glass tailgate that was carried through to the C30. It's a spacious car that can fit four people with relative ease, it has a very usable trunk and when driven carefully, despite the extra cylinder, it can get decent fuel economy. But you won't be able to keep your foot out of the throttle for too long because of the intoxicating noise of a five-cylinder engine driven in anger.
RELATED: The Strange Origin Of The 5-Cylinder Engine
What’s It Like To Drive?
Having driven one it's easy to speak from experience to tell you that the C30 R is simply intoxicating. It gets into your veins and doesn't want to let go of the hold it has on you. For a traditionally safe and boring brand, this Volvo exudes character. It's as though the product team in Sweden drank a bottle of lingonberry juice that had been sitting in the sun for a little too long and accidentally came up with a car that was genuinely exciting and enjoyable to drive. For something based on a "Safety Concept Car," it encourages a fair bit of hooliganism.
It feels tight and solid, like a Volkswagen in prime condition but with even better interior materials. The waterfall center console doesn't feel as unusual to use as it was to look at, and you'll find all the basic HVAC and radio controls to be easy enough to figure out. The shifter is tight and direct, and both the throttle and clutch pedals have good weight and feel.
But the noise, my goodness the noise. It isn't quite as raspy as an Audi five-cylinder (an engine whose origin can be traced back to another Volvo unit from decades ago), nor is it as full-bodied as a proper V10, but it still produces a distinctive five-pot warble at low revs that builds into a wail near redline. The factory K04 turbo makes itself quite known too; you can hear it spooling and dumping pressure clear as day from inside the cabin, all of which adds up to an audible experience that very few cars can deliver.
The C30 R handles well too! With only a very slight push from the front end in tighter corners, as to be expected from a FWD car with a heavy engine. It didn't feel as light or nimble as something like a Fiesta ST or EP3 Civic Si, but that weight and road-holding confidence are part of the C30's appeal. It's comfortable, and when you're off the throttle it's quiet and refined. You could devour miles effortlessly in this car, which can't be said for harder-core hot hatchbacks. It's like a Saab 900 Turbo for a new generation.
This car has strong aftermarket support, which is helped by its sharing parts with so many other cars. You can build a C30 to exactly your liking, whether you want to keep it as a clean, stock daily driver or go to town with lowering springs, exhausts, tunes, and custom paint jobs that'll get the guys at CarThrottle to make fun of you on the Internet.
What Will It Cost?
Thankfully, not a whole lot. These cars are really cheap now. Whetehr in Canada or the US, you'd have to try hard to find one over $10,000. People don't seem to want them, which means that you can get into this brilliant platform for a very reasonable price.
The R-Design package can be particularly hard to find given that Volvo only made a few hundred of those, but any C30 with the "T5" five-cylinder engine will drive largely the same – you'll just miss out on some fancy blue gauges and some other appearance mods. An R-Design car shouldn't command much of a premium over an ordinary T5 unless the owner is a hard "no lowballers, I know what I have" type.
From then on you can expect a relatively painless ownership experience. These engines are known for lasting well past 180,000 miles (300,000 kms) if you keep up regular maintenance (never, ever miss a timing belt service interval), and as mentioned above, parts can be found for fairly cheap given how many models it shares components with.
The Volvo C30 T5 is a severely underrated hot hatchback that is aging gracefully, and despite it offering one of the most unique packages on North American shores, it flew way under the radar in its first life and second-hand ones can now be had for a steal. Where else can you find a smart-looking three-door hatch with a turbocharged five-cylinder and a manual gearbox, let alone with the comfort and refinement of the C30 platform? It’s a standout, unique car with unique appeal that more hot hatch shoppers should consider – it’s the best deal in the hot hatch space right now, and despite it having had a starring role in Twilight, it deserves a second chance.