swedish car manufacturer volvo Known for its luxurious yet performance-oriented cars. At the same time, Volvo also makes the safest cars on the planet today. Today, we live in an age of crossovers and big cars like his SUV, but hot hatches certainly have a cult following of their own. From 2006 to 2013, Volvo offered this niche car enthusiast his fantastic C30.
One generation of the Volvo C30 ran for seven years, with more than 22,000 hatches sold in the United States.
In 2013, when the Volvo C30 reached its final year, Volvo’s racing division, Polestar, built a very special version of the C30. This was his C30 R-Design Polestar, his hatch through and through, designed to stand out from rivals such as Volkswagen’s Golf R and Ford Focus ST. Polestar’s C-30 R-Design stands as a special car in the history of the company. Here are 10 things we love about this hot hatch.
Ten The Polestar C30 R-Design was a very rare car
The regular Volvo C30 sold about 22,000 units during its seven-year lifetime in the United States. However, the final year 2013 R-Design Polestar was actually limited to just 250 units, making this specially tuned hot hatch a very rare car for its time.
Both Volvo and Polestar have brought their own unique details to this special limited edition model that sets it apart from the Swedish manufacturer’s other lineup.
9 The Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar actually had more power than the spec sheet said
For the regular C30 R-Design, Volvo put a 2.5 liter turbocharged 5-cylinder power mill under the hood of the hatchback. This engine produced 227 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, sending all the power to the front wheels.
For the Polestar version, the racing department tweaked the same engine to produce 250 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque instead. Initially, people weren’t too happy with such a small power upgrade. However, many believe that Polestar is actually undercutting the actual power numbers of the “hotter” hatches. This was evident the moment I got behind the wheel.
8 There is no denying the amazing capabilities of the Polestar C30 R-Design.
When the Volvo C30 R-Design passes by, no one can help but notice. The unique and very sexy exterior styling of the C30 R-Design is sure to grab attention wherever you go for a truly ‘hot’ hatch in every sense of the word.
Polestar’s limited version didn’t have many changes, other than the unique matte black wheels the model received and the unique (and gorgeous) Rebel Blue paint job.Of course, the C30 R-Design Exclusive. The edition was also decorated with the Polestar badge.
7 C30 R-Design boasts zippy acceleration
The Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar’s 250 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque under the hood actually gave the hatchback some pretty impressive acceleration times.
While the regular C30 R-Design, with 227 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, went from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, Polestar cut that time by 0.3 seconds, going from 0 to 60 in just 5.9 seconds. mph mark reached. In fact, for a 2013 car, those numbers are still pretty impressive today.
6 The Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar cabin is still a great place
As for the interior of the C30 R-Design Polestar Edition, it was fairly similar to the standard C30 R-Design. However, even Volvo’s standard cabin remains a pretty remarkable space ten years later.
The minimalist and tasteful interior features clean, straight lines, a floating center console, a sloping, seamless dashboard and a beautiful steering wheel that makes you want to hold it. The C30 R-Design’s cabin is adorned with high-quality materials, making it the perfect place for all passengers.
Five Volvo has packed the C30 with plenty of standard creature comforts for its passengers
Volvo has guaranteed some great features inside the C30. In a sportier version of the same car, R-Design Polestar dresses the seats in his off-black Flex-tech, complementing the off-white cream leather upholstery.
An 18-inch Atreus wheel was mounted on the side of the car, and a SiriusXM satellite radio came standard on the C30 R-Design Polestar. Drivers can also choose quality-of-life features such as an electric driver’s seat, Moon his roof and his Dynaudio sound system that truly enhances the audio experience.
Four The Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar is now very affordable
Volvo only produced 250 Polestar-built C30 R-Designs in 2013, so the model is relatively rare on the used market today. However, a quick search online shows that it’s not so impossible to stumble upon an R-Design Polestar in 2023.
In fact, any Polestar C30 you can find on the internet is pretty affordable, with all units selling for under $20,000. If you like hot hatches that combine luxury and safety, you should consider taking home the 2013 C30 R-Design Polestar.
3 The C30 R-Design Polestar also has its own sporty elements in the driver’s cockpit
The C30 R-Design’s standard interior was pretty impressive, but Volvo has equipped Polestar’s R-Design C30 with some of its own upgrades. Polestar’s hatch gave the interior of the cabin, especially the driver’s cockpit, an aesthetic and sporty character.
First, the steering wheel is wrapped in a unique aluminum inlay with the R-Design badging. In addition, like all high-performance Volvo R models, the C30 R-Design was also equipped with a blue-faced instrument cluster.
2 The Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar is also a reliable and safe car
Safety is a top priority for Volvo cars, and so was the C30 R-Design. The standard C30 was a great car in terms of safety, and the R-Design Polestar followed suit.
In 2013, the Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar received the highest safety rating of ‘Good’ in all tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Road Safety. As a result, the IIHS awarded the car its Top Safety Pick of the year award.
1 Polestar C30 R-Design fuel efficiency impresses gearheads
Even by today’s standards, the C30 R-Design’s fuel efficiency numbers are pretty impressive. This compact hatchback returned 21 mpg in city and 30 mpg on the highway for a pretty impressive overall efficiency of 24 mpg.
With a capacity of 15.9 gallons in the tank, the Volvo C30 R-Design Polestar can go over 330 miles on a single tank in the city and nearly 500 miles on the highway.
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