VEGICLE REVIEW
DOING MORE WITH LESS WITH THE
VOLVO EX30
A very well conceived and capable addition to any modern family
“ So what’ s it like to live with?”
Conversations at social gatherings inevitably turn to cars, with people comparing their vehicles and their respective merits. Although EV and hybrid cars are becoming more popular, they are still in the minority and subject to misconceptions. During one such conversation, I was fortunate to have a Volvo EX30 on long-term review. My response to driving an EX30 was met with a brief silence, followed by genuine intrigue and only slight derision.
Most have hearsay and media information to go on and need to fill in the blanks as best they can but it is only the owners of EV’ s that can genuinely give an accurate report of what it’ s actually like having the automotive equivalent of a humanoid robot nanny joining the family.
The handsome Volvo EX30 arrived at my household with only a brief run-through of what needs to be done in order to operate it and I was left with the“ Is that it?” thought bouncing around my head.
I’ ve come to realize that the Volvo EX30 has more in common with my cellphone than my muscle car; it’ s a capable companion that simplifies my life. The Scandinavian design philosophy behind the car embodies the idea that good engineering is technology that makes your life easier.
Simple. The instrument cluster has disappeared entirely, with all of the car’ s functions now in the form of a central touchscreen. Some would say a spartan interior is constructed almost entirely from recycled materials and the multi-speaker sound system is now a full-width soundbar replacing most of the dash. It’ s as if the Swedes took design minimalism to the nth-degree with the EX30 and asked themselves,“ What’ s the bare minimum that this car needs to get the job done?”
An EV’ s ability to generate massive, instant torque means if required this little SUV can be chucked down the road like it’ s been hurled by a baseball pitcher but there’ s no need to treat it like a boy-racer, although it is reassuring to know that all of the modern driver-assistance aids are present and configurable in the EX30.
In the time that we had the car it very quickly became another member of the family, an addition that didn’ t require any fuss, or molly-coddling. One less hassle in the bustling family life. Perfect? Not quite, the soundbar has great adaptable sound staging but is tinny with no real sub-bass performance. Spirited driving uncovers a very nervous front-end and a daft audio soundtrack that accompanies every reversing maneuver are a few minor foibles that I uncovered but as the everyday workhorse for the modern family it was quite brilliant and a very good job by Volvo.
aBr WORDS IN ACTION 24 MARCH 2025