Volvo’s screen folly: the new compact crossover EX30 lacks a dashboard behind the steering wheel, says RAY MASSEY
It’s hard not to love Volvo’s new compact crossover EX30, its smallest SUV. And that’s basically what I did when I first drove it on potholed roads in Britain.
This is a smart electric car with a modern look, a range of up to 476 kilometers, good performance and acceleration, a smart uncluttered interior, flexible space – including fold-down seats and a small trunk or ‘frunk’ – and some clever details.
But it is also a flawed genius. Because despite all my enjoyment, there remain a number of annoying niggles that I hope the Swedish car company – owned by car giant Geely – will rectify in the Chinese-built SUV.
Volvo has done away with the physical knobs and buttons and put far too much emphasis on the single central upright iPad-style dashboard screen.
As a result, there is no driver information screen behind the steering wheel. So I had to divert my gaze from the road to the center of the car’s screen to check the speed limit or keep an eye on the navigation map.
Flawed genius: Volvo’s EX30 lacks a dashboard behind the steering wheel
Adjusting the side mirrors is also done via the screen. This is surprising for a car company that has built its reputation on safety.
Apart from this major gripe I enjoyed the EX30, priced from £33,795. I drove the rear-wheel drive 272bhp model, which cost £38,545 and accelerated from a standstill to 60mph in 5.3 seconds and had a range of 476 miles.
The more powerful version with two engines of 428 hp costs from € 42,045 and accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds.
Volkswagen Multivan has the slowest depreciation
New cars lose their value as soon as they leave the dealer’s forecourt. But the degree of depreciation varies greatly between models.
A new report from magazine WhatCar? looking at cars under £50,000, based on three years of ownership and 56,000 miles, the seven-seater Volkswagen Multivan claims to be the best performer with the slowest depreciation, retaining 62 per cent of its value as it drops from £48,340 to £29,975 – a decrease of £18,365.
First place: Volkswagen Multivan has the slowest depreciation, retaining 62 percent of its value as it drops from £48,340 to £29,975
It is followed by the Renault Scenic E-Tech, which retains 60.7 percent of its value, and the Honda Civic Type R (60.5 percent).
The biggest depreciators are the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, which retains 27.9 percent of its value, and the DS3 E-Tense (28.5 percent).