The Volvo EX30 is now available to buy in New Zealand. It’s built on a new platform for Volvo, from Geely. The EX30 is promoted, with its focus on sustainability and recycling, but how does it drive? In this video, Adrian Maidment checks out the EV30’s “minimalist” interior, exterior, technology, practicality and performance over a range of driving conditions. Also – pros and some issues with the vehicle.
TRANSCRIPT
The New Zealand EV car market has been in a bit of a slump since the end of the clean car discount. It feels like it needs something new and shiny to bring a bit of life back into the industry. And this could be just what the industry needs. My old denim jeans. Specifically if they get recycled and used in the new Volvo EX30, which has a big focus on sustainability and recycling.
Adrian Maidment (00:31.95)
In this video, I’ll be looking at the interior, exterior, taking it for a drive on some different conditions and summing up my highs and any potential lows on the Volvo EX30. There’s three models available in New Zealand. The EX30 Plus with a manufacturer’s retail price of $74 ,990. Ultra, $78 ,990. Twin motor performance, all wheel drive, $84 ,990. From the front, it’s classic Volvo. You’ve got the Thor hammer lights.
which have been a bit more refined for this model. You’ve got your Volvo at the front with a camera there. Bonnet, which has a frunk underneath, just seven litres. The car comes in five different colour options. This one’s a real standout. It’s moss yellow. So there’s moss yellow, there’s a blue, cloud blue, vapour grey, a crystal white and a black colour. The EX30 demonstrator I’m driving is the EX30 single motor long range Ultra with an upgraded wheel package.
that is only available on the twin motor performance. So two -toned, convenient here for your recharging. EX30 here and on the other side of the only place you actually see the word EX30. So that’s height-wise, that’s me at my 6 ‘2″. 0 -100 is 3 .6 seconds for the twin motor version, 5.3 seconds for the extended range option with the single motor, and 5.7 seconds for the single motor option.
Usable battery size is 64 kilowatt hours for the twin motor and single motor extended range 49 for the single motor. EX30’s focus on recycling and sustainability is reflected in the range of four interiors breeze, mist, pine and indigo each with a specific selection of recycled and
renewable materials such as denim, flax and plastic waste from discarded PVC window frames and roller shutters. 12 .3 inch tablet is the combined driver and center display. Google has built in these various driver display views and shortcuts. There is however not a lot of other physical controls so if you’re a fan of interior buttons this may not be the car for you. The front area is quite spacious
Adrian Maidment (02:49.646)
and very cleverly laid out. You’ve got a bit of storage down the bottom, which opens up to have two USB points, dual wireless charging here. And then you’ve got the center console, which can open up. You can have two drinks holders, slide it in for one with some storage, slide it completely in for double storage, even go
halfway in for one cap storage or half storage. So that works really well. Nice use of space. Doesn’t move though. You’ve got for your windows, you just two buttons up and down.
Adrian Maidment (03:40.238)
and down you can press the button there rear wind and then you do the rear windows.
Press again back to the front. You can also lock this sort of a haptic system.
you do have to press it a little bit so it works quite well. I find this easier to use and say on the Coupre Bourne which was quite fiddly pressing the buttons. Everything feels solid, glove box in the center which I guess also saves on money for between left and right hand versions of the car. It’s clever styling, you can obviously they’re trying to you know keep the price down so it’s clever styling, that feels smooth, that’s probably not
completely premium, but feels alright. Funky little handle for the, that you can move for the air vents, adjusting those. And then up here you’ve got your mirror. Also here, there’s a mirror in there. There’s a mirror in there,
safety triangle, lights, and the huge big sunroof. Great visibility out the front, and you’ve got this large Harman Kardon speaker in the front to replace. There’s nothing in the sides. No speakers in there, although there is some storage space. It’s a good thump. Steering wheel, you’ve got that sensor to make sure you’re watching the road, even though you’ve got a screen there.
Adrian Maidment (05:15.118)
So safety features for driving on this side, some volume controls, and then also the microphone to bring out your Google. Hey Google, what’s the time? It’s 10 .43 AM. Rimless side mirrors, rimless on these mirrors, gives it a touch of class, and a nice feel on the material. Also, you’ve got your standard lights, plus five different lighting themes.
Northern Light, Archipelago, Forest Bath, Midsummer and Nordic Twilight.
Adrian Maidment (06:01.262)
You should find out it’s a small car if you get into the back seats. I’ve got the seat set for me at roughly six foot two. It’s a bit tight on the legs. However, my back feels well supported. So I’m not uncomfortable. It’s just a bit tight on the legs. I wouldn’t want to do a long trip, but I’ve got good headroom still. So I do feel comfortable. I mean, five people is a bit of a squeeze. It’s really two in the back,
unless you’ve got a very small person in the middle there. Sometimes the back gets left out in the quality stakes of a design, but this all flows through nicely. Got a little light there, little hook there, controlling your windows from another point here with two USBs so you can do your windows. Down one button for each side and then up.
Adrian Maidment (06:58.926)
And a bit of storage there and then the storage down the bottom and this tray comes out. It’s got a moose on it. It’s actually got two mooses because there’s one on each side. So clean out some rubbish, I guess
Adrian Maidment (07:15.758)
shoot and you get it storage right through there.
And you can open that up and there’s actually a little pocket in that, well, in the pocket. So it’s up to 344 kilometres of range, WLTP for the single motor version, up to 480 kilometres for the extended range and up to 460 kilometres for the twin motor option.
Adrian Maidment (07:50.798)
The boot you can open here. Oh, there’s a button on the screen. 318 litres in the boot, which includes a little bit of space down here. I actually just put the parcel there. You can take this parcel off here and it actually stores away down the bottom here.
which some vehicles don’t get that to work. And then to bring the seats down, there’s a button there.
Adrian Maidment (08:22.382)
Oh, yep. Actually, it’s got a little holder for the seat belt as well, so that doesn’t get in the way. I need to bring that. Bring those down. There you go. Not quite flat, but not too bad, but that’s helpful.
Adrian Maidment (08:40.942)
Will it fit?
My golf clubs.
Adrian Maidment (08:48.91)
I found this car a very easy comfortable drive. It’s very responsive. The visibility is very good out the front. I like the mirrorless side mirrors. Mirrorless mirror here. One pedal drive works quite well. In the Volvo XC40, which I’ve previously reviewed, it was a bit dramatic,
whereas this is a lot smoother in its transition as it slows down. The brakes, quite smooth as well. I’ve used those a couple of times, but there you go, brakes. Nice, effective. I found the handling good. So you see only you’ve got a variety of roading conditions, often pretty rubbishy. Plenty of potholes, windy roads. Cars work well over a variety of roading conditions. Side mirrors, reasonably good visibility.
One other thing, I found the steering wheel, I like the steering wheel to be slightly a bit thicker. Personal preference, just a little, it feels a little bit, a little bit thin. It’s plenty of pep. So this is the long range version. The acceleration is classic EV, but you know, really you get that acceleration when you need it. So it’s not so much naught to 100, it’s more…
that entering traffic where you really want the acceleration. So it’s great for that. Handling’s been really good. I’m not feeling the weight of the car. EVs, of course, are heavy. But this just sort of feels like a normal drive. I’m not really noticing much. Lane assistance is on, not too bad. So the whole tablet thing, which is reminiscent of the Tesla, is…
I don’t have a common experience with that. It’s a little bit different. I don’t find… I wasn’t sure about looking at the speed to my left a little bit. That hasn’t really been a problem. I quite like the openness of here. I still would like a little instrument cluster probably in front of me so I could get the basic driving data. That would be good. But I quite like, should have just like the openness
Adrian Maidment (11:12.59)
of it all. One little gripe I have though is that on the left hand side of the steering wheel, you can adjust your safety features, but then they come up, it’s quite a small area on the left of the tablet there where you notice the changes, where the impact’s made. So you can’t really see that very well when you’re driving. That is actually quite a considerable
movement of the head. So that’s where your safety visual data is there, but there is a considerable, I think, head movement.
Adrian Maidment (11:57.326)
You know, so I’m turning
Adrian Maidment (12:01.998)
got a bit of a turn and you’ve got that little sensor in front of you to keep your eyes on the road. So it’s a little bit strange how you’ve got that looking forward, but then you have got a bit of a movement
Adrian Maidment (12:21.07)
exaggerating a little bit but I mean it’s from there to there. I find that a bit weird that they have that small and so far across there. I’d like it bigger in the middle. On the button side of things I’d probably like some the ventilation controls to be manual that would just be personal preference because you still got to dig in there and move around a little bit. Slowing up my thoughts on the EX30.
Overall I’m pretty impressed with it. I think it’s priced well, it’s good value for money, it’s a little bit quirky and it’s really well designed on the interior. It’s a good use of space, peppy, it handles well on a variety of road conditions, so definitely well worth a test drive. And a big thanks to Volvo and Tauranga for loaning me this vehicle to drive. My only issues with the car was getting used to the screen, everything coming through the screen.
I mean, you’ve got to have good eyesight. Those icons are a little bit small, I found, but it works really well. The functionality is actually very good on the screen. The integration with Google works really well. Speed, indicator, having nothing in front. Found that a little bit annoying, but I kind of got used to it and I actually didn’t mind the openness of the windscreen. And if you’ve got time, a like and a subscribe would be great to help the EV QUEST channel. That will help allow me to drive more vehicles such as this.