Volvo’s EX30 is eco-Friendly
Just like every other carmaker, Volvo wants more electric vehicles within its ranks. It started a year ago with the XC40 Recharge and now it’s continuing with the EX30, a brand new model with a brand new nomenclature.
Obviously E means electric, while X means SUV and 30 is where it sits in the line-up.
The EX30 thus becomes Volvo’s smallest SUV, slotting in below the XC40.
It’s a stylish thing too, with the newest iteration of ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights up front getting a staccato, evenly broken look, an enclosed grille, pronounced wheel arches, and a rear end that looks remarkably Polestar-like with Cshaped taillights bookending black trim spanning the boot.
The EX30 gives a smooth ride and brisk off the line, as you’d expect being electric, with a softly sprung, well-sorted ride and easy steering.
The EX30 is extremely attractive in its design, and has massive eco creds, with a carbon footprint of 30 tonnes over 200,000km of driving thanks to heaps of recycled materials in the construction.
The interior is a bit more controversial - this is the first clear example of Tesla’s influence.
The EX30 gets a 12.3-inch portrait display that controls everything, including media and air-conditioning, replacing the driver’s dash.
That means you look down and left to see speed and cruise control status, just like Model 3 and Model Y.
It’s arguably better than the Tesla twins in that it’s portrait-oriented adding a head-up display would vastly improve the experience.
The screen itself is nicer than Tesla’s unit, using a Google-developed operating system with much more colour than Tesla and an easier user interface (UI) to navigate. You also get Google Assistant for voice control, which works pretty well.
Interior
Volvo’s local arm said the software on this particular car was due an update to fix minor bugs and all customer cars would ship with the update applied. The rest of the minimalistic interior is quite a step above than the Model Y. Life needs less swiping and scrolling, so the EX30 is equipped with a customisable driver interface for more fuss-free control.
It features plenty of recycled materials and retains a vaguely ‘90s vibe with the paint-splatter-effect cabin plastics. A 12.3" tablet is combined driver and centre display.
It puts at-a-glance driver information and your favourite controls on one screen. The seats are comfortable, there’s plenty of storage including a nifty slide-out pair of cupholders beneath the centre armrest, and the Bowers and Wilkins soundbar nestled right up near the windscreen sounds great too.Volvo’s iteration is a bit too quick to chime if you’re looking away, even with extra tolerances built in to allow for looking at the screen to check speed.
This is the Extended model, which uses a 69kWh battery paired with a single, rear-mounted motor.
The WLTP cycle rates range at 480km with an average electricity use of around 19kWh/100km.