What does Volvo mean to you? The answer will probably vary depending on your age. For many, a Volvo is the safest vehicle on the market. It’s also a brand that, long before its competitors, raised the banner of ecology. The EX30, the new entry-level model from the Sino-Swedish firm, is based on these foundations that make Volvos cars unlike any other.
This is a Volvo like you’ve never seen before. In Canada at least. Its exterior dimensions, comparable to those of a Mini, make city driving easier and its electric propulsion helps make the EX30 a brilliant city dweller. A grand tourer? No, but a vehicle still capable of swallowing kilometers of expressways without difficulty. Obviously having the Anglo-Germanic chip in its sights, the EX30 however favors comfort over liveliness. Ostensibly.
With two electric motors, this Volvo compares perfectly with a Porsche 911. On a straight line! On a winding route, it’s another story. Therefore, the presence of a single engine should be enough for our happiness, but some consumers will not all share this idea. In its most “simplistic” configuration, the EX30 drives only its rear wheels… To benefit from all-wheel drive, you need two engines and an outlay of a few thousand dollars more.
Regardless of the amount spent on its purchase, the EX30 anchors a battery composed of NMC cells (lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt) to its chassis. At the time of writing, the American and Canadian authorities remain silent on the consumption and autonomy of this Volvo. In Europe, where these tests are also conducted with a little more liberality, there is talk of an autonomy of more than 400 km (see technical sheet). This should, we presume, be enough to position this SUV at the forefront of its category. On the other hand, we regret that it is impossible to configure the energy recovery or to drive this Volvo using a single pedal.
Like all electric vehicles, the EX30 is not particularly light. Never mind, it hides its excess weight quite well with soft, light steering, but which has no effect on the turning circle. Given its size, we would have liked this Volvo to be more agile in tight spaces. In large radius turns, the EX30 shows tenacity, but is careful not to make us feel it. The high travel of the suspensions does not contribute to making the steering sensations more precise.
Safety (both active and passive) has always been Volvo’s pride. The EX30 makes us wonder about this. Indeed, like Tesla, the Sino-Swedish brand uses the infotainment screen as a vast catch-all. The EX30 pushes the envelope on connectivity and minimalism, the new terrain on which the race for technology is being played out. In the absence of an instrument cluster, the eyes must regularly (no head-up display) turn towards the center of the dashboard to control the air conditioning, the heated seats and even the opening of the gearbox. gloves. If one day this screen malfunctions or turns off forever…
This “progress” combined with the energy transition is expensive and has imposed trade-offs. We quickly notice that, if the manufacturing quality and the rigor of the adjustments have not been sacrificed, the quality of the materials, on the other hand, has been considered as an adjustment variable. Volvo puffs its chest out about the quantity of recycled materials on board, but some plastics appear fragile or of poor quality. Not really in the tradition of a manufacturer which, until then, made a point of offering sophisticated interiors. On the other hand, there is nothing to complain about the quality of the front seats, another pride of this manufacturer. Rear seat occupants will have difficulty sharing this opinion. The seat is as stiff as an ice floe and the clearance is limited. Like the trunk, by the way. But it’s a Volvo. In the eyes of some consumers, this excuses a lot of inconvenience.
