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| A contender for rear of the year, perhaps? Especially in short skirts |
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Over the past decade or two, Volvo has reinvented itself so successfully that the term 'typical Volvo driver' is now seldom used as an insult, and most of us no longer associate the brand with worthy, boxy estate cars. Volvo now peddles the concept of safe sex, building good-looking, occasionally quite exciting cars that appeal to style-conscious drivers everywhere. When the C30 was launched in 2006, it targeted Honda Civic/Audi A3/Golf GTI buyers but lacked the visual oomph to reel them in. With the latest addition to the C30 range - the R-Design Sport - Volvo has delivered its smallest car to a whole new audience, and the style council is sitting up and taking notice.
Cleverly, Volvo has introduced the R-Design Sport as the entry model in the C30 line-up. With prices starting at £14,995 OTR for the 1.6 petrol version, complete with a generous standard specification, the R-Design Sport should prove as easy on the pocket as it is on the eye. And it is a great-looking car, with the kind of rear end that, if it were human, would certainly invite wolf-whistles. Volvo has dressed the standard C30 up in a sports body kit, special rear spoiler, R-Design grille logo and funky 17in alloy wheels, and the new clothes suit its muscular lines very well.
The transformation continues inside, with seats featuring cream leather embossed with that R-Design logo, near-black T-Tec fabric, aluminium inlay on the square-lined, carbonfibre-effect centre console and the gearknob, blue instrument dials, leather sports steering wheel and aluminium sports pedals. There is the expected Volvo quality feel and general air of solidity throughout, enhanced by the use of luxury materials, and there are 11 body colours to choose from.
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