Road Tested by Hugh Maguire.
I don’t often start a road test review in this manner but my conscience requires that I say how I feel about this car having driven it before I go into the details.
I just did not gel with this car at all and that is a rare thing for me. Volvo has always been a brand I respected and indeed admired for their pursuit of excellence in safety and quality. But a few hours spent behind the wheel of the new EX30 has left me wondering did they design this car after a heavy night on the town?
It does not feel like a Volvo. Indeed it could be any EV frankly, so first they seem to have lost their identity. Secondly and this is where in my humble opinion they really lost their way, the ergonomics of the interior are a disaster.
Volvo have for some bizarre reason chosen to put all functions of this new EV through a centrally placed portrait screen. Quite literally everything (except two window switches) go though this screen. For example to adjust the door mirrors its though the screen. To turn on a rear foglight its three prods of this damn screen. Then they added an infra red eye scanner which every time you look at the screen to see your speed or try to operate the climate it barks at you to focus on your driving………and this from a company that used to pride itself on safety.
The whole process became so annoying I actually put tape over the eye scanner to stop the annoying instructions. Additionally the text in the screen is so small you need to have 20/20 vision to have a hope of reading it. So not a great start.
Let’s crack on then with my road test. The model I am reviewing is the dual motor performance model there is also a single motor two wheel drive version. Prices for the new EX30 start at €45,655.
So Has It any street cred?
It looks well enough. I am not a fan of the big blanked off area where a grille would normally be at the front. Yes I know it does not need a grille but a fake one would be better as it just makes the front end look featureless. Its better from the side and in particular the rear where it boasts some nice design features such as the tail lights that run up the C pillar and the neat spoiler at the top of the rear hatch.
What’s it like inside?
Initial impressions are that its a little bit underwhelming for a car costing this much. The seats are finished in a somewhat uninspiring material which feels like vinyl (its actually recycled plastic). As I mentioned there is just one central 12 inch touchscreen through which every function of the car is operated. No display in front of the driver and no head up display. Unattractive to look at and even worse to live with! The steering wheel controls are not very good either proving difficult to operate as they are in effect one haptic touch pad. I hear Volvo are working on rectifying this for the 2025 model year. It of course boasts a host of Volvo safety kit and to be fair it feels well put together too.
From space point of view its pretty good with decent leg and headroom both front and rear. There is plenty of storage space, multiple USBC ports and wireless phone charging. I particularly like the standard huge tinted glass roof as it makes the cabin feel a bit more airy.
What about performance?
In this version the 69kWh battery powers two motors one for the rear and one for the front wheels. This 428 bhp EX30 is mighty quick off the line belting to 100km from a standstill in just 3.6 seconds. Impressive though that is what about range? Volvo claim about 450 km but I could not get near that. In real world normal use I found the range to be a real 310km not bad but a way off over 400km!
A fast charge to 80% takes about 26 mins or 8 hours on an 11kW AC fast home charger.
How does it drive?
Pretty well actually. The ride and handling is very good despite its mass. Its very quiet too so a pleasant place to be for all on board.
Verdict.
Euro NCAP are going to penalise cars in their star rating who’s key functions are not operated by buttons. Its now been proven touch screens are as dangerous and distracting as using your phone while driving. Why then have Volvo known for their safety ethos chosen this route?
So the EX30 looks well, its practical, its well put together, but I could not live with the design functionality and many who saw the car during my week agreed!
The EX30 twin motor costs from €54,405.