Faults:

The parking brake gets stuck with temperatures below -5 degrees Celsius. The dealer fixed it once, but it got stuck again. They badly scratched the plastic around the handbrake while doing it. I saw it afterwards.

The air flow direction got stuck after selecting the defrost button. It needed a complete change of all the air conditioning system.

The A/C loses cooling power when cruising for more than 30 minutes at steady speeds on the highway. Couldn't prove it to the dealer.

Wind noise from the windows. Dealer tried to fix it, but without success.

All the repairs were done under warranty.

General Comments:

Despite all the problems I had with this car, I loved it.

I only sold it because it's a two doors and it's not practical to get the child seat in or out of it.

It's solidly built; I can feel it when driving it. It's also very quiet; maybe that's why the wind noise felt so loud.

The most thing I loved about this car was the way it looked. It was also very comfortable and it handled well. The 2.4i engine is quiet and powerful (168 bhp), though I would have liked to have the T5 instead.

Faults:

The fuel gauge dropped to 0 a few times during one of my drives. It hasn't occurred again, but it was really odd. I called the dealer and they haven't heard of anything like that before, so I'm supposed to just keep my eye on it.

I think I have a loose/spongy motor mount. I can feel it under hard acceleration. I have to confirm this at the dealer however.

General Comments:

This is an enjoyably powerful vehicle. I can hold my own against many other higher class vehicles, i.e. Audi, BMW, etc. It hits maximum torque at 1500 rpm and stays there until about 5000 rpm. My friend's R32 can still own me though.

The handling is excellent. I can take 90 degree curves on the interstate at 100 mph without worrying about loss of control, on a newer set of tires that is.

It's a bit heavy for the size, 3300 pounds. It feels solid when driving.

The inside is the best part about it! I love the floating console. The seats are folds more comfortable than my wife's 2006 BMW 325i. I have the DynAudio stereo system and it sounds great up until the last 2 clicks of the volume, which is when some of the speakers begin to fart. The material for the interior feels really nice on the hands. I have the sport steering wheel and shifter, and the grip is really comfortable. Volvo paid attention to the little details, even the wheels that open and close the AC vents are made of the same soft compound.

I really enjoy the keyless drive feature, I no longer find it a pain to lock up my car. I drove a Civic CX, and locking/unlocking really annoyed me. To lock the car when you're exiting, you have to simultaneously pry the door handle as you push the lock mechanism in, or use the key after you shut the door. On the Volvo, I hit a button on the outer door handle as I walk away. To unlock, I just open the frickin' door, wonderful!

I've driven my friends around, they have nothing, but praises for the back seat. It has 2 independent bucket seat and plenty of space. The only disadvantage there is that you can't sleep comfortably in the back seat, which is what my wife liked to do in my Civic when I was taking too long to leave.

The hatch is very spacious for most uses, but the design doesn't allow you to insert one large object that would easily fit inside, the opening is too narrow. When we picked up our 42" flat screen from Best Buy, we had to remove it from the box to set it inside the hatch (TV fits easily, big box doesn't).

I used to drive a 2000 Civic hatch with a JDM GSR motor swapped into it. The car was quick, but required me to rev past 7000 to get that power. Because it was a swap, it required custom work, which I did myself when my friend ran a garage. I thought I would never get rid of that car, but when I first laid eyes on this C30, temptation sank in.