Extended visual description of Nordic desires.
Yeah, I know, we’ve all seen photographs like this before. But on closer inspection, details and moods emerge that one would not have expected. The photo oscillates between factual and artistic, between journalistic test shot and final commercial advertisement. The moving vehicle dissolves into white against the snow, framed classically from an oblique angle, captured in promising dynamics and monochrome, inserted into a homogeneous landscape. The message emerges from the car: compact, appealing, powerful, modern. Snow rises up in a powdery cloud, leading us to speculate whether we are dealing with the front-wheel drive model or the coveted twin-motor version. The latter would have four driven wheels and 421 hp instead of the already impressive 268 hp of the front-wheel drive variant.
It soon becomes clear that this is one of the most popular electric compacts of our time: the small SUV from Volvo, the EX30. It is surprisingly affordable, surprisingly powerful, fully equipped and always safe.
This feeling intensifies as soon as you take your place in the interior, which presents itself cool and modern, with clear lines, muted colors, and featuring the signature speckled trim on dashboard and doors owing to the materials used. The steering wheel is flattened at the top and bottom, seemingly retreating from its usual function, while the conventional instruments have completely disappeared. These features and a myriad more can now be found on the 12.3-inch central display, a tablet for every occasion.
And yet the car feels warm and cozy inside, thanks to a reassuring center console, gleaming piano finish and generously sized storage compartments, not to mention the artful design of the lowered bench seat to create a remarkable amount of headroom in the rear. The soundbar extending across the dash offers a luxurious living room atmosphere, especially if you’ve treated yourself to the high-end Harman Kardon sound system. In case you’re still not sure about the muted colors: you can also choose Moss Yellow, along with four other color schemes, all inspired by the landscapes of the Swedish west coast.
Also new is that you can choose between four recycling trends: textile fibers from recycled denim, plastics sourced from old window frames, blended wool containing upcycled polyester, and the Nordico option for the upholstery, made entirely from PET bottles and bio-attributed materials from Scandinavian forests.
Finally, a personal note from the editors: Anyone who has ever closed one of these doors – may Harman Kardon forgive what I’m about to say – will become addicted to the indescribably delicate yet precise sound with which the latch clicks shut. It is one of the most beautiful sounds ever to have caressed the ear of an automotive tester. And so what started as a visual description has ended with an acoustic image!
*I drive my Volvo, you drive my Volvo, we all want to drive Volvo!
Text: David Staretz for ramp
ramp #66: Drive My Car
A three-hour Japanese drama where nothing much appears to happen other than endless car rides and which is somehow about the multilingual production of a stage play may not immediately seem like something that could arouse your curiosity. Though it should. For us, these 179 minutes served as inspiration for the title to our latest issue of ramp. Find out more
