The rain and the streets of the Bolognese hills, still marked by the flood of May 2023, do not intimidate the little Volvo car.
The EX30, a compact and fully electric crossover, handles the curves and gullies of the Sillaro and Idice valleys with confidence.
And when water, mud and some debris invade the road, it overcomes obstacles with practicality, good driving dynamics and handling, the shock absorbers do not break down, the steering and brakes convey reliability.
The late winter weather made the test drive of this mini SUV non-trivial, the response was satisfactory.
4,233 mm long, 2,032 mm wide and 1,549 mm high, the EX30 features a minimalist interior, essential lines, and materials with reduced environmental impact (25% recycled aluminium, 17% recycled plastics and steel).
It was designed, Volvo explains, to have the lowest carbon footprint compared to any other car made so far by the Chinese-Swedish company.
The version for the test is the intermediate one, the Single MotorExtended Range, rear electric motor with an estimated range of up to 480 kilometers (the entry-level 'singlemotor' model has 344 km before recharging) and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 5 ,3 seconds.
The more aggressive Twin MotorPerformance, with all-wheel drive, pushes itself to do 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, but already the middle one, when the pedal is pressed, definitely glues those on board to the seat.
The first thing you notice when you get in and get behind the wheel is the central tablet screen, apparently a reference to the style of Teslas.
There's everything in the panel, from the navigator to settings of all kinds, there's no point looking in the middle or on the steering wheel, cleared of any display or warning: even just to see the speed you need to look towards the tablet.
A question of habit, certainly, but it is a bit particular as a choice because the driver is inclined to turn slightly to the right to view the information.
Apart from this, the infotainment platform manageable from the tablet and the range of technology offered are interesting features.
For example, there is the possibility to choose between five different themes for the internal lighting, inspired by different Scandinavian landscapes.
And the electronic driving aid, the customizable pilot assist, is effective and not excessively intrusive: it allows you to select the reference speed and the Volvo manages acceleration and braking to reach the set speed, adapting to the surrounding traffic.
It is also able to support steering;
If enabled, it helps you position yourself on the road by guiding the movement of the steering wheel.
To be tested with confidence is the Park Pilot Assist, capable of identifying available parking spaces around the car.
Once selected, the function effectively takes control of the situation: it operates the accelerator, brake and steering.
While the driver supervises parking operations, the screen shows the distance to objects such as cars, walls and parking bollards.
Launched in June 2023, the EX30 in Italy has reached 2,050 pre-sale units in 2023 and sales between January and February 2024 are already 600. The annual volume forecast is 4,450 deliveries.
The car fits into Volvo's record period at a global level, with 708,716 units in 2023 (+15% on 2022) and a significant increase in sales of electrified cars: 113,419 fullelectric (+70% on 2022) and 152,561 plug-in hybrids (+ 10% on 2022, equal to 21.5%).
"There couldn't have been a better time to launch this car - said Michele Crisci, president of Volvo Car Italia - which has already achieved extraordinary pre-sale results and has finally arrived in dealerships. It is a very important car that will be able to enter into the incentives launched by the Italian government in mid-March ".
The entry price is 35,900 euros and goes up to 50,900 euros for the top of the range Twin Motor Performance version.
Furthermore, in Bologna, the site of the road test, starting from the spring, 300 new EX30s will be on the road and will be at the service of citizens who will use the Corrente car sharing of the Tper group.
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