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Just wondering if anyone had or remembers this car. My friend had an 06 T5 model. I thought it was a fun and nice car, red with black leather and a sunroof. It did seem cramped though, especially in the back seat.
I thought it was interesting that the 2008-2011 Ford Focus sedan looked a lot like the S40. Even the interior kind of had a similar design sort of. Although I think the S40 was really just a fancy Focus in a way, so that's why they looked similar.
I wouldn't buy one because parts availability and cost would be crazy. But I did think it was a fun car back then. My friend ended up trading theirs for a new 2013 Kia Optima LX because it had a lot of issues and was getting costly to fix. To be fair it did have a lot of miles by then.
They might as well been a 2 seater coupe. I’m 5 feet 5 inches tall. When I adjusted the driver’s seat there was no room for me to sit in the back seat. It was fun to drive but didn’t feel like a boy racer. Felt upscale in performance and ride quality. The C30 would have been my choice as there’s nothing else like it on the road. Perhaps if the consumer market changes back to small cars then Volvo may bring back an S40/C30 inspired vehicle. Sadly I believe when that happens it’ll be an all electric vehicle instead of a turbo gas engine.
I just bought its platform mate, a 2008 C30. This statement is patently untrue.
The car is sort of cool since I've test drove one since I wanted to buy it. Wasn't worth the asking price. I love the look of it but it just didn't blow me away kind of performance. I loved the S40 T5 R-design, it fits somewhere between a Jetta and BMW 3 series. C30 would be a good choice if the car had better handling or steering. It was awfully vague compared to a VW GTI TSI. I'm not being down on your car, it's still cool for being a hatch but it wasn't enough to make me pay $6k.
I see a 2008 s40 every day in my Driveway, my wifes car.
Are we talking about the same car, cuz my s40 is pretty plain with barely enough power to get up a small hill, seems reliable enough though.
The car is sort of cool since I've test drove one since I wanted to buy it. Wasn't worth the asking price. I love the look of it but it just didn't blow me away kind of performance. I loved the S40 T5 R-design, it fits somewhere between a Jetta and BMW 3 series. C30 would be a good choice if the car had better handling or steering. It was awfully vague compared to a VW GTI TSI. I'm not being down on your car, it's still cool for being a hatch but it wasn't enough to make me pay $6k.
It was never meant to be a hot hatch, even though it shares an engine with the EU-market 2nd-gen Focus ST (and RS). It's a much better cruiser than them, though. I'm curious that you didn't like the C30, but liked the S40, though. Same car, except the S40 should be heavier.
Full disclosure, I test-drove new C30s twice and refused to spend $30K+ on them for the very same reason - wasn't "hot" enough for me at the time when that mattered. Now it matters less and I appreciate its softer nature. That said, I still think a GTI would be a better car for me if for no other reason that it has a great DSG and having an automatic fun car is good for my familial peace of mind (since my wife is unlikely to ever learn to drive stick, which the C30 has), but last time I tried to buy one, I couldn't get the numbers to work - and I don't see this changing with the eighth gen.
Last edited by highlanderfil; 08-11-2020 at 11:07 AM..
It was never meant to be a hot hatch, even though it shares an engine with the EU-market 2nd-gen Focus ST (and RS). It's a much better cruiser than them, though. I'm curious that you didn't like the C30, but liked the S40, though. Same car, except the S40 should be heavier.
Full disclosure, I test-drove new C30s twice and refused to spend $30K+ on them for the very same reason - wasn't "hot" enough for me at the time when that mattered. Now it matters less and I appreciate its softer nature. That said, I still think a GTI would be a better car for me if for no other reason that it has a great DSG and having an automatic fun car is good for my familial peace of mind (since my wife is unlikely to ever learn to drive stick, which the C30 has), but last time I tried to buy one, I couldn't get the numbers to work - and I don't see this changing with the eighth gen.
C30 is sort of an outlier car. If it had AWD, it would be a game changer. I know I saw people who had C30 with AWD conversion. Seems to make more sense as Mazdaspeed 3 also same chasis had more power and torque steer a lot. When I test drove C30, I didn't find it as exciting as a GTI with DSG. GTIs only make 200HP but felt much more torquey, handles better, and the steering was much sharper. The interior was also cooler. C30 felt bland even in the R-spec edition they just added some trim pieces but the cluster was so early 90s looking compared to GTI. Now, the only reason I would pick C30 is that it looks rare. The engine sound with a good exhaust seems to sound like a VR6 less throaty. Overall nice hatch but not good enough compared to GTI or Mazdaspeed 3. Ford ST is a blast to drive, they took all of my complaints about the GTI and Mazdaspeed 3 and addressed it.
If you can find a good used C30 on the used market, grab it. That 227 hp turbo engine can be flashed to provide around 300 hp, and then it's a pocket rocket.
Many don't understand the Volvo's. They're simply high fashion with their interior design and their dashboards. The larger sedan was actually a Ford Taurus underneath the sheet metal--essentially.
Unfortunately the S40's were just a little too small in the back seat to be much of a family car. But if you can get a turbo model, it's going to be quite a performer.
If you can find a good used C30 on the used market, grab it. That 227 hp turbo engine can be flashed to provide around 300 hp, and then it's a pocket rocket.
Many don't understand the Volvo's. They're simply high fashion with their interior design and their dashboards. The larger sedan was actually a Ford Taurus underneath the sheet metal--essentially.
Unfortunately the S40's were just a little too small in the back seat to be much of a family car. But if you can get a turbo model, it's going to be quite a performer.
I just test drove another C30, since someone is selling it cheap. I might flash it and put on new headers, exhaust, intake, and maybe a better turbo. I think the turbo is too tiny.
Is the T5 non-R design the same as the R design? In terms of performance such as suspension and tuning?
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