Louth Motors: Really, a bargain Volvo?

Volvo has an image a lot of brands would give their eye teeth for. When they lost the associated boxy image years and years ago they offered designs that had a sophistication that appealed to the sophisticated. A Volvo said you were a thinker and were not influenced by peers in buying a traditional premium marque from Germany.

When you went Scandinavian you didn’t do so because of price, you did so out of discernment. Volvo still retains that cache today and their offerings have the same appeal with a wider reach and suite of buyers.

What was never really associated with Volvo was the word bargain. Don’t mix that up with value for money which was always more or less the same as their competitors, but they were never sold cheaply. And cars starting at €38,596 including all grants could never really be regarded as cheap but in the case of the EX30 it is after all an all-electric Volvo.

We’ve had electric cars before from Volvo and they were one of the first brands to commit to being all electric but this EX30 is different. Its price has it in the territory of more mainstream brands and the logic will be that if you can get a Volvo for the same money, sure why wouldn’t you?

Or I for that matter and my time with the EX30 made a very strong argument for buying one. The EX30 is a small SUV. It’s the smallest Volvo in the range and shares its components and chassis with the new Smart#1, which I shall be reviewing soon here, and another maker Zeekr because they are all owned by the Chinese conglomerate Geely, who also own Lotus and Polestar.

Zeekr has not made it to our shores yet, but I would not be surprised if they appear over the horizon soon. It is a shave smaller than the Peugeot e2008, the same size as the VW ID3 but bigger than the Jeep Avenger.

It has a very sleek, modern look with a solid grille that immediately identifies it as an electric car. I now see this idiosyncrasy as a characteristic electric car designers can exploit that’s not available to an ICE designer. The overall look is a bit XC40ish with the distinctive rear door window angle and now trademark Thor hammer headlights.

The back is rounded and looks remarkably like the Polestar 2 which may not be a surprise knowing the overall owner. Frameless door mirrors are a lovely touch, and this applies internally to the rear-view mirror as well. Despite being a small SUV, it looks quite big and tall and kind of meets the expectation from the amount of metal you get.

The inside smacks of a bit of cogging from Tesla. There is no driver’s display with everything, and I mean everything, controlled by the central display. Not a button or knob in sight other than those on the squarish steering wheel (very Fiat Panda) that’s heated. The electric seats are controlled by a simple square button that’s award winningly simple. I’m amazed that a company like Volvo, synonymous with driver safety, have gone all-in on this.

There isn’t even a speedometer for the driver in front as this has moved to the centre. This must be wrong and will be changed by legislation at some point in the future I passionately believe. The dash has a splashed paint effect on some rigid plastic that’s nice with the expected soft dash above that.

The armrests on the doors appear to float and the window controls are in the centre console and even then you only get two that can control the front and back. Is that a button too many I ask exasperatedly? The front passenger’s central storage slides out from under the armrest allowing the back passengers to get storage space underneath.

I think the term central front storage compartment is exactly that and should be for the front passengers. Backseat passengers get the same level of plushness but not the same amount of space and it is a bit of a squeeze in there for adult passengers.

For a car of its dimensions, it’s a bit of a dropped ball that more space wasn’t provided. The boot can take 318litres which again is a bit of a letdown. The glovebox has also been centralised and now opens from the central touch infotainment screen. What was wrong with a button?

I remember seeing/hearing somewhere that McDonalds stated goal is to reduce their offerings to as small a menu choice as possible. Car companies are going in the opposite direction and giving us increased menus most of which will never be accessed. Entry to the car is by placing the credit card “key” on the door.

To drive the car, you’ve got to present the card in the central storage/wireless charging area. We’ve gone from a key and a lock, to keyless, and now to card and slot. Where is the progress and I wonder about the longevity of a plastic card? Getting out is a pleasure though with beautifully crafted silver door handles, a highlight.

Driving the EX30 cements the electric drive experience. It’s brisk and responsive whilst being quiet. If you want to lessen the strain of driving then Volvo’s Pilot assist is available which will assist with speed management and steering. When Eamonn Ryan’s road speed reducing measures come into force soon it will be especially useful indeed to avoid points. But when you are in control, the car is effortless to drive.

The steering is light and in and around town this is most welcome. At motorway speeds, well 110km/hr actually for me, road and wind noise are kept at bay not spoiling the lack of sound form the electric motor that produces 200kW of power. The battery size is 51kWh or a range extender 69kWh one delivering a potential range of 337kms or 476kms, respectively.
Energy consumption is quoted at 17 kWh per 100kms and I managed 18.4 kWh/100kms, so not bad at all. It’ll take 30mins of charge time to go from 10%-80% using a minimum 175kW rapid charger.

I was really taken by the EX30 and it charmed me. The quality of the materials used, and the top-drawer design touches are straight from the Volvo playbook, even if they have gone just a bit too far with the totally touch philosophy. It is and feels premium. Back to that pricing. It always needs to be examined carefully to ensure you are comparing like for like.

Be it size & shape, SEAI grant included or not, battery size, range, charging times, warranty and standard features there really is no shortcut from old fashioned homework to see if you are getting value. And what price can you put on a premium label has to be factored in?

From a cursory examination of the above on the back of my trusty envelope, it would seem that the price Volvo is asking for the new EX30 is a lot less than you’d expect and wears the bargain moniker well and in no way would be near the level of money the premium German brands would ask you for. That’s how you deliver a Volvo bargain.