BASED on the chassis of the S40 saloon, Volvo’s C30 takes the company’s contemporary design direction and smashes it out of the park.

If you’re still not quite comfortable with the concept of a sexy looking Volvo, this one will leave you wondering exactly when the sands of motoring fashion shifted under your feet.

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THE C30 range starts at a very accommodating £14,750 for the entry-level S model with most customers handing over either £16,250 for the SE or £17,750 for the SE Sport.

Performance figures impress with 11.2 seconds for the sprint to 60mph and with a top speed of 115mph. More relevant is a fuel economy figure of 40.4mpg (combined) and an emissions showing of 167g/km, both excellent.

The most illustrative thing about the ride/handling bias is that it feels how you would expect a Volvo 'Sports Coupe’ to feel. Very sensible and inestimably safe.

That said, the C30’s cabin feels just as good, if not better, in terms of quality as the Alfa and BMW and on a par with Audi.

If it can’t quite pip the A3 in terms of soft-feel, silicon damped, slush-moulded extravagance, it definitely scores a points victory when it comes to daring design, the floating centre console quickly becoming a Volvo staple.

Some things are reassuringly Swedish. Safety hasn’t been skimped and as well as the usual airbags and seat belt tensioners, the C30 serves up WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System), SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) and even the option of BLIS (Blind Spot Information System).

This acts much like an extra set of eyes and utilizes digital camera technology mounted in the door mirrors to monitor the areas 3m to each side and up to 9.5m behind the driver.

If a vehicle enters this area, a symbol appears on the windscreen pillar near the rear view mirror to indicate that something’s there when you take a quick look towards the mirror. Active at speeds above 10km/h, this system isn’t the only safety benefit buyers of the C30 enjoy.

Special water repellent glass is fitted to the mirrors and side windows. Water beads up on the glass and the airstream quickly clears it, leaving unimpeded visibility.

Built at Volvo’s Ghent facility in Belgium, the C30 Sports Coupe has room for four adults, the rear seats folding flat to form a useful loading space. Although it shares the same wheelbase as the S40, the tape measure shows the C30 to be fully 22cm shorter.

It scarcely seems possible that so much has been pared from the overhangs of the saloon car but such is the wheel-at-each-corner stance of the C30 that it measures just 4,248mm from stem to stern.

Lipscomb Volvo is offering the C30 1.6 SE for just £199 per month over three years and that includes three months’ free insurance too.

FACTFILE:

Volvo C30 1.6 Range

PRICES: £14,750-£17,750 – on the road

INSURANCE GROUPS: 12-13 [est]

CO2 EMISSIONS: 167g/km

PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 115mph / 0-60mph 11.2s

FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 30.4mpg/ (extra urban) 49.6mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and curtain airbags, WHIPS seats, side impact protection system

DEALER DETAILS: Ashford: Bridge House, Chart Road; 0845 338 9903

Canterbury: Central House, Ashford Road, Chartham; 0845 338 9902

Maidstone: Performance House, Forstal Road, Aylesford; 0845 338 9901