09/4/2024 The smallest electric Volvo is gaining a lot of attention due to its gorgeous exterior styling and the fact that it is the entry point into the Chinese owned Volvo range. The EX30 is an eager and engaging car to drive. It feels nimble, light and controllable. The cabin features lots of recycled materials and a minimalist approach to layout – thats the nice way of saying nearly all the analog secondary controls, buttons and switches are binned in favour of an all powerful centre touch screen display. While the car’s designers have clearly aimed the EX30 at tech savy Tesla buyers we have to ask is the adoption of the single screen, and yes there is no display in front of the driver, a good or bad thing?
The EX30 has a solid, well styled EV with an exterior that looks chunky yet friendly. From so many angles the electric car looks thoroughly modern and fashionable. Its compact size is a key selling point as manouvering it about urban streets is effortless. Three versions are offered, the first two feature a single electric motor powering the rear wheels, that produces a healthy 272hp. The most affordable entry model (from €38,596 net) has a 51kWh battery with a range of up to 344km (so best for mainly urban use), next is an extended range version with a 69kWh battery and max range of 476km (from €44,502 net) and a range topping 428hp twin motor all wheel drive with the same 69kWh battery and a max range of 450km from €48,883.
Our ‘Ultra’ grade extended range test model weighed in at €51,095 (net). The cabin, up front is well catered for with good connectivity and clever storage areas and cubbies. The five seat cabin is compact to say the least. In the rear with the seating is really only suited to compact people and even then best for short journeys. The boot features a split floor and is quite compact, but then again this is being sold as a compact car. There is a front trunk a.k.a. ‘frunk’ that at 19 litres is large enough to hold a tightly-wound Volvo AC charge cable. The EX30 while not claiming to be cavernous is not as accommodating as many rivals, and for a Volvo, you’d expect more. Volvo to most people is the epitomy of Swedishness but as many readers know the brand has been in Chinese ownership for many years and as such can only access the underpinnings and components its parents allow it.
The EX30 features the clever use of a TV-like sound bar mounted at the base of the windscreen that contains the audio system speakers. The driver’s seat delivers a nice and commanding position. Larger people (cough) will find door apertures a little snug, I banged my head a couple of times! The steering wheel is nicely squared off (older readers insert Austin Allegro joke here!) but behind the wheel you notice straight away the lack of a driver’s display. There is only small blacked-out driver monitoring camera. If there was a standard fit HUD (head up display) this wouldn’t be that disconcerting – but there isn’t! The car’s speedometer is found on the centre digital display, on its upper right corner. The top fifth(?) of the display has info on speed, wipers lights etc. but apart from the speed numbers are very small and not that glance-able. You can adjust the wipers via rotary control on a steering wheel stalk but the stalk has no indications on it adn you again have to look at a small display on th escreen to see the wiper setting (intermittent/normal/fast/off). The portrait mounted display is navicable but fiddly and lets not forget because of our right hand drive cars drivers need to either be good guitarists or left-handed to really use the screen with ease. The reality of this offset speedometer is awkward and requires you to take your eyes away from the road and straight ahead to read it. The irony of the driver attention alert ‘bing’ going off as I looked at the screen was not lost on me.
To the right of my steering wheel I have my gear selector which is very easy to use (hooray!). A press of a button mounted on the end of the stalk engages ‘Park’. To the left I have my headlight full beam and dip beam display and wiper control and on th eend of the stalk two half buttons for the wiper/washer and rear windscreen wiper/washer – but they are the only analog switchable controls. The window buttons are centre console mounted and the sub-surface type. You get a left and right toggle and a button to select front or rear window activation. The centre display doen’t swipe between different screens and you need to press touch buttons at the base of the display to get different screen sub menu screens e.g. Home, Vehicle etc. Simple tasks like accessing the headlights, adjusting the side mirrors or the height the boot opens, ending a charging session or adjusting the temperature controls all are done through the screen. Even your hazard lights display is a touch on the touchscreen. EX30 is of course a connected car. iPhone users are not as happy as Android users as the volvo is tied in with Google and the Google Assistant voice system.
There are quite a few controls in the EX30 that need to be accessed regularly that just aren’t intuitive for an average car user. You shouldn’t have to dig online to find how certain functions are accessed or adjusted (like turning off the car when remaining inside). Even in terms of it electric charging all I could get displayed when plugged-in was the percentage charge and not the rate of charge. Knowing the power an EV is pulling-in is very useful for time management. EX30 does display the basics i.e. the estimated mileage range. It also lets you adjust the percentage amount of battery fill you want – again via the center display.
The Volvo EX30 is gaining many designer awards the cabin and lack of switch gear and real buttons is an issue. It’s like as if China has told Volvo ‘here are the bits and parts that you can use and you have to try and mimic what Tesla is doing’ and it just doesn’t work. I’ve been frustrated by the centre screen there’s lots of things I would like to interact with in a more convenient way and I can’t. I’m learning how the car works, but I feel I’m being forced to change what would come intuitively to me. There is no denying X300 is a gorgeous looking car with many things going for it. It’s style is the predominant one and we love the way it drives. It is an entertaining and nimble car. Behind the wheel there are too many compromises caused by the migration of controls to the centre screen. Yes owners will have a routine of tapping the screen on journies to set the car the way they want it and it will be less of an issue with more frequent use (as with all cars’ operating systems).
Euro NCAP (the body that tests the safety of new cars) will be insisting in the coming years that more real buttons and secondary controls feature in cars to reduce distraction. I feel the EX30 has just gone a step too far integrating everything through its touchscreen. While some people are happy to talk to a car’s A.I. Google Assistant, the systems aren’t perfect yet and can be very frustrating – hands up any car users who have had conversations with passengers interrupted by their car asking for a command? While it can be useful to say turn on the radio – it is as easy to turn a real knob. If I only had a euro for each ridiculous interaction I’ve had with various test cars – I’d be rich! The EX30 is built in China, and from 2025 will also be assembled in Ghent, Belgium. The bottom line with the Volvo EX30 is it is a great car but prepare to learn, and learn to love, how to efficiently interact with the centre screen – or you will end up being frustrated by it. Michael Sheridan
