[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
 | [Main Other Cars Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: C30? Posted by Saana88 [Email]  (#207)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Saana88) on Tue, 8 Apr 2014 19:55:21
In Reply to: Volvo C30 ?, STICKMAN, Thu, 6 Feb 2014 14:05:43 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The car I almost bought, but then I decided if I wanted a hatch that weighed 3200 pounds I may as well go for a GTI, which was a nice car and all but kind of pedestrian, so I headed over to Mini. Since I was looking at Minis the Clubman caught my eye because the rear seat is useable, it only weighs 2800 pounds (+50 for the turbocharged S) and it got 4 EPA-rated* MPG better than the C30, it drove better as far as shift linkage and cornering and pickup, and the brakes are bigger (Cooper S vs. R design vs. GTI circa 2010). Enter Nigel, a 2010 Clubman S which will never hold a candle to the dearly departed '88 900 it attempts to replace. I coast a lot and stay out of the boost most of the time, so it hauls the groceries, my bicycles fit inside, has three pedals on the floor and averages just shy of 37 MPG. Exercise restraint on the options list and you won't clear 28k. EPA mileage estimates for manual shift cars are awful. EPA hates manuals because they can't control driver behavior. The C30 would have taken thousands of dollars in upgrades or changes right out of the showroom to bushings, sway bars and the shift linkage to make it drive right, while the Cooper S is more or less ready to autocross (or drive around town with feedback) on delivery. The C30's shifter was mushy, and hearing that comment from a devotee of the classic 900 is saying something. Using Ford brake pads that last 18k was a turn-off, as was their cheapening of a lot of replaceable parts (wheel bearings, strut tower bushings, et cetera) beginning around 2004 or so.
I met Irv Gordon once, talked to him for a bit. The P1800 is a nice car. The C30 is not a P1800. The 2010 Clubman is not a classic Mini either, but for a controlmodulemobile, it's a well-designed, well-built-by-humans vehicle, and one corner or roundabout later you'll be hooked. I have adapted to the interior of the Cooper the same as I adapted to the interior of the 900. Finally, I compared the raw data from crash tests, things like head injury criteria and deceleration rates, and the Mini tended to perform as well or even better than the C30. Ouch. Other Mini drivers (except drivers of the bloated Countryman) wave to you, kind of like classic 900 drivers, back when there were others around.
, Tue, 8 Apr 2014 19:55:21 <-- Viewing This Message
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
