After switching its strategy from diesel to electric power, does the Volvo EX30 indicate a bright future for the Swedish brand?

The End of an Era

You may have missed this snippet of news a couple of months ago, but there was a momentous occasion at two of Volvo’s production plants.

First up was at the Volvo plant in the Belgian city of Ghent where a Volvo V60 rolled off the production line.

The next event was at the Torslanda plant about 15 miles from Sweden’s second largest city, Gothenburg. This time it was a Volvo XC90 which probably drove straight to the Volvo museum.

So why the big fanfare? Simple. Lift the bonnet and you will see something that no other Volvo, from now on, will ever have…. a diesel engine.

Diesel Engines: A Look Back

Pity. The unstoppable push towards car manufacturers being forced to ditch petrol and diesel has had a rather handy side-effect which is often overlooked. Diesel and petrol engines are now cleaner and more efficient than ever before and, in something like the big XC90, the diesel powered models are (were) arguably some of the best. Quick, frugal and with a lovely sound. If you needed to tow a decent load, they were the obvious choice.

A Shift in Strategy

This is a massive change of direction for Volvo, bearing in mind that only 5 years ago the vast majority of Volvo cars sold in Europe were oil burners. 

Anyway, Volvo’s future - like every other manufacturer - is battery powered, although they do still offer a decent choice of petrol hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. Don’t forget, 2035 is the deadline for when car manufacturers can flog you a car which is powered solely by petrol or diesel. Time will tell if that deadline is actually met.

Which brings me to the car you see here, the Volvo EX30.

The Volvo EX30

In total contrast to something like the diesel XC90, this is the smallest car that Volvo currently produces and, yes, it’s 100% battery powered. But this one is no ordinary EX30.

Performance and Pricing

At the entry level you can opt for a single motor model which starts at a fairly reasonable (for electric cars anyway) £35,150. Its rear wheel drive electric motor can deliver a useful 0-60mph time of 5.7 seconds. The estimated range is 209 miles, although you can expect around 170 miles in the real world if you go easily. There’s an option for an extended range model which adds around 90 miles to the estimated range for an extra £4700, but I’d recommend that you try and dig deep and go for the Twin Motor Performance model.

Okay, this ups the price to £42,350 but it turns the EX30 into a 423bhp thrill machine. Range is slightly affected with an estimate of 279 miles, but you end up with a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds. Oh, and talking of time, you can do a 10-80% charge in around 25 minutes if you use a rapid charger. These are impressive figures.

Driving Experience

Out on the road, once you’ve got used to the stunning acceleration which blows boy racers in their ST Fiestas with bore exhausts into the shrubs, you realise that this is a thoroughly well-sorted 5-door hatchback which can cope with trundling around town, cruising along the motorway or producing some serious thrills on the twisty stuff. The suspension is incredibly well tuned by the engineers. It can cope with lumps and bumps as well as fast corners. If you enjoy an injection of fun in your driving, this is a great place to start.

The interior (I had Ultra trim and, with Twin Motor Performance power, the price rises to £45,850) is seriously smart. It looks good and has a quality feel to it.

The Downsides

But there are times when being clever can be too good to be true.

There are no dials in front of you. Zilch. Everything is on a 12.3-inch central touchscreen, including the speedo. The key fob (there’s no key, rather a small rectangular block of black plastic) has no buttons. Most of you reading this will have a fob with buttons. The car will sense you approaching the car and unlock the doors, or you press a button and the central locking will fire. That’s not the case with the EX30. You either touch the key fob on the door pillar and the doors will open or you pull the door handle to activate the central locking.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. There is nothing worse in life than having your other half standing in the rain getting her hair wet while you desperately try to let her into the car.

Another advantage of trying the EX30 in the rain is that I discovered the wipers are annoying. When the passenger wiper sweeps across the windscreen, it stops directly in front of the driver’s line of sight. You hardly notice a wiper that swishes left and right, but when it stops in front of you and then leaves a ribbon of water, it’s hugely distracting.

We’re used to going onto a touchscreen for things like sat nav and selecting a radio station but should we really have to start scrolling through various options to adjust the wing mirrors? And the fog lights. And the wipers. Oh, and I’m doing this while driving on the motorway trying to prod the screen. 

There are some control pads on the steering wheel, but these are also a bit hit and miss.

Final Thoughts

Perhaps familiarity with the EX30 will help you resolve these foibles, but when it comes to making an instant impression, it taints what is essentially a really good car.

Ultra trim gives you everything you could possibly want including a panoramic sunroof, 360 degree camera, powered front seats, powered lumbar support for the driver, DAB radio and a really good Harman Kardon sound system.

By the time we hit 2025, Volvo is aiming to see electric cars account for half of its sales. 2030 should see them ditching the internal combustion engine altogether. The EX30 is competitively priced and is plainly aimed at a younger market. It’s good to drive, easy on the eye, comfortable, has a serious turn of speed if you go for the twin motor version, has decent range and charges quickly. Equipment levels are also good. What’s not to love?

It’s just a shame that Volvo has gone too far in the minimalist approach to the interior. Perhaps that can be overlooked when looking at the bigger picture.

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Volve