mmarshall

Thanks for reminding us of that, ba-b4. I had forgotten that not only Scion but Mini markets that way, too.

You might have just given me an idea for my next review.

GFerg

Thanks for the review (and ownership experience ba-b4) I really like these little cars a lot and they are rare. Great features at a good price. I dont have experience with this car, but with the S40 which is pretty identical. I agree with pretty much everything both of yall stated especially on the seats and audio. I have yet to find a manufacturer make seats that even come close to the comfort level of Volvo seats. And that Dynaudio system is way underrated. No one even knows about it (probably because its in a Volvo), but it is arguably the best stock system out there.

LexFather

Mike fantastic work and thanks ba-b4 for your thoughts!

I haven't driven it yet but this is possibly my fav hatch. I just think it looks SUPERB and nothing like it on the road, in a GOOD way (not the BMW/Acura way). The interior is fine and in checking it out, the car has more space with the seats up than the Infiniti EX.

This is a car A LOT of people are sleeping on b/c of the badge and **** poor marketing. Though I have to say MPG is not that impressive for a small vehicle.

Great review, totally unexpected on a superb vehicle.

ba-b4

Yeah I was kinda dissapointed myself. You look at the car and it's so small looking you immediately think it should get pretty good fuel economy. Then you look at the engine specs and it makes sense. It's got 5 cylinders not 4, no direct injection, low compression for the turbo, a conservative tune, usually factory turbo cars run a little richer for safety.. and a not so light weight of 3250lbs. That's why the mpg is 21 - 23mixed mpg

mmarshall

Sure...anytime.


The C30 has a good stereo, for sure, but, for the best, you have to listen to the Lexus LS460's Mark Levinson stereo. Nothing I have heard to date can match it...it is just insane.

On the seat issue, for this specific type of seat, designed for support during spirited driving, the C30's does indeed rank among the most comfortable. But for sedate, non-aggressive driving, it's hard to beat the pillow-comfort of Buick seats....one reason why Buicks are so popular among senior citizens with weak, bad backs.

mmarshall

The Geartronic's transmission's lazy shift characteristics don't help either power or mileage much either.

mmarshall

Thanks.

Hey, I had to look at SOMETHING while I was waiting for the requested new 2009 Acura TL.

I looked the C30 over at the D.C. Auto Show in January and liked some things about it on the static display. I expected the handling to be a little more responsive than it was, but its road manners, overall, were head and shoulders above the typical appliance-like, novicane-numb Volvo sedans. And (you know this as a car enthusiast yourself), once you've sampled BMW's steering and chassis, nothing else can really compete with it.

ba-b4

I don't doubt that the LS's Mark Levinson is the best out there but the price difference on these cars are huge. The car you tested, version 1 base model doesn't have the Dynaudio system. It has the "high performance" system which is 160watts and 8 generic speakers. The Dynaudio system has a 650watt Alpine amp mated to 10 Dynaudio speakers. That kind of setup is just crazy on a 26k car. Compared to the IS's Mark Levinson however, I would rate the Dynaudio as superior to it.

This car is a nice cruiser that will be great for the occasional mountain road run. Not a highly focused handling machine for sure. Compared to other 'hot hatches' out there this one's pretty tame but I prefer it that way. At least the version 2 C30 handles much better than my IS when it was stock. Not sure how the version 1 handles though. If I want to get more crazy... the suspension components are interchangable with the Mazdaspeed 3. There' s only so much you can do with fwd anyway.

mmarshall

Next review: 2009 Toyota Matrix AWD.

Should be done and posted tonight or tomorrow morning.