The Volvo EX30 moves away from the 'traditional' car design but does so without causing too much future shock. The interior is very minimal, with most options relegated to the centre touchscreen. This results in a very distraction-free driving experience, unless you're attempting to familiarise yourself with the Google-based operating system while in traffic. If you do that, the EX30 will yell at you. That's a handy feature too.
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Design
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Performance
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Infotainment
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Features
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Value
Stuff has spent a fair amount of time in Volvo’s range of EVs but they’ve all, like every other EV, had one problem. The price tag. The Volvo EX30 hopes to buck that trend by offering a little less car for a lot less money. The EX30 starts at R776,000 here at home, before you add any extras like the extended range package or an additional electric motor.
The Volvo EX30’s pricing still stops short of a million bucks here at home, which is relatively affordable in EV terms. It’s pricier than the first Mini Cooper SE to land in South Africa but drops with almost double the useful range as standard. That’s an attractive proposition, putting Volvo’s smallest EV to date up against the GWM Ora. Is it worth the extra cash to go with a more familiar brand? That’s something we were keen to find out.
New look
There’s a definite evolution going on with Volvo’s cars. The exterior look of the Volvo EX30 will probably cause some division but there’s no arguing that it’s a twenty-first century vehicle. The headlights perform their very best Thor’s Hammer impression, something that’s especially noteworthy when approaching the car with the fob in hand at night. Volvo’s quick little power on is an impressive sight in the darkness.
Elsewhere, there are signs of the design changes made possible by the electric motors and low centre of gravity conferred by the 51kWh battery in our review model (the extended range model features a 69kWh battery). Traditional vehicle lines are largely preserved but there’s a compact impression throughout. Walk a circuit of the EX30 and you’ll understand exactly what we mean. There’s no need to leave space for a mechanic to work, so this compact looks denser than a petrol-driven car might.
There are also changes to the cabin that we’ll address when covering the Volvo EX30’s tech. That’s because these changes are inherently tied to the car’s tech features. If you thought the outside was divisive…
Quick off the mark
But first, let’s take Volvo’s little 200kW motor for a spin. For a compact EV, the EX30 is appreciably speedy. It’ll make 100km/h from a standing start in just 5.7 seconds and caps out at 180km/h. We didn’t measure these speeds ourselves, lacking a race track and a traffic officer to do the measuring for us, but we can vouch for the fact that it’s impressively speedy. Okay, fine, we also got it up to 160km/h (more than once) but hopefully nobody in uniform saw us do that.
The single motor is situated in the Volvo EX30’s rear, meaning you’ll feel some sway if you hammer the accelerator too hard coming out of a corner. Just because it’s compact doesn’t mean there isn’t a considerable torque rocketing you forward at a moment’s notice. The single motor version produces a maximum of 343Nm and you’ll feel it every time you take off from an intersection.
There’s nothing like a Sport mode that we would find so you’re stuck with the performance you chose when purchasing one. ‘Stuck’ is the wrong word, though. Even completely stock, you’ll find that the Volvo EX30 is a joy to drive. A family car — and that’s what this is — shouldn’t be this tempting to send into orbit. Maybe save the joyfully mad acceleration for after the kids have been dropped off at school.
Future shock
The Volvo EX30’s cabin takes some getting used to but at least we got the full Volvo experience. Stuff’s review vehicle seems to have been fitted with the single motor and standard battery, based on the available 300km(ish) range that’s possible during Johannesburg’s winter, but the features were all from the Ultra options package. That’s not something you can choose — it defaults to the single-motor, extended-range drivetrain option — but it’s worth investigating. The panoramic roof, 360° camera, and parking assist are all worthy additions, but even the stock options are attractive.
What’s missing is an instrument cluster behind the oval-shaped steering wheel. This is in keeping with the serious minimalism of the cabin’s design. If you’re a fan of tactile buttons, you’ll be disappointed here. Everything has been pared back and there’s very little to get in the way of just driving the car. Some controls, including the gear selection, have moved to the stalks on either side of the steering wheel, but most of them have migrated to the generous 12.7in tablet sitting in the centre of the dashboard. This was backed, in our review model, by a lengthy Harman Kardon soundbar that ran the length of the windscreen.
What is behind the steering wheel is a camera system, presumably depth-sending or infrared. This enables several features, like fatigue and attention warnings. Muck around in the car or yawn widely and a chime will sound reminding you to keep your eyes on the damned road. There’s some collision avoidance and lane-keep tech built in, but that can only do so much.
The Volvo EX30’s sensors are an impressive lot in general, keeping an eye on traffic in front for a lengthy distance. It’ll also account for cars on either side, while obstructions around the car are also tracked. If a vendor passes by or a biker splits a lane in your vicinity, you’ll know exactly how far they are from your vehicle by checking out the centre tablet.
Volvo EX30 verdict
All told, the Volvo EX30 is a technologically impressive EV that doesn’t try to beat you over the head with all of its tech. It works best when you just drive and trust the car’s systems to warn you if you’re misbehaving. Put your foot down and it’ll chime if you go over the speed limit. Drift in your lane and it’ll twitch the steering wheel to bring you back to Earth. But you’re supposed to do most of this on faith and that’s something folks who have been driving the ‘old’ way for decades might struggle to do. Others, though? They could well relish the lack of distractions on offer, provided they don’t also need buttons to fiddle with while they’re driving.
Should you buy an EX30? If you’re looking for a premium branded EV that comes in at less than a million, absolutely. Range, even in the base model, is acceptable while scaling up to the extended range model makes it a serious contender for distance travel. Just plan your stops to top up the battery via the provided cable, or stay overnight and perform a slower charge, and it should take you just about anywhere. How comfortably it does so is up to you and your package choice.
1 Comment
As someone who has tested the car several times, I would say that you could be right with your positive assessment of the EX30. However, in my opinion, the positive verdict would only have been correct if the car had also performed as expected. After all, there are simply too many flaws that are not only software-related, but are often the result of the overall concept. So I fear that Volvo will not be able to correct all the annoying little quirks in a timely manner like
a crappy traffic sign recognition, unstable DAB+ radio, unstable Internet connection, somehow dangerous lane assist and braking assist, unreliable key fob to open and close the doors, fiddly buttons on the steering wheel, no ACC while using the tow bar and of course the central tablet that simply has been overloaded with functions.