EX30 Test Rides and Reviews

It reminds me of the first gen Kona EV on steroids - AWD with plenty of zip and advanced electronics.
I have not ruled this one off my wish list...yet. But If I do, it will probably be to order the 2nd gen cross country version, now that really looks like a fun unit

 

Found this review posted on the Volvo EV Forum(no test drive) comparing an ID4 to EX30, the results are predictable:

"My wife and I visited Rusnak Volvo in Thousand Oaks, CA yesterday to see an EX30 on display. We were able to go inside the car and talk with the Volvo reps there. These are my observations, YMMV.

The car we saw was Cloud Blue with a Breeze interior, parked inside the dealership, but half the car was bathed in sunlight. This color looks like a shade of white. We were convinced that the Volvo folks had made a mistake and this was a white car. But later on, when we looked at photos of the EX30 in Crystal White, we could see the difference. Don't count on Cloud Blue appearing to be a distinct color.

From the outside, the EX30 looks most definitely like a small SUV and not an extended compact car like the big Bolt or Mini Countryman. It gives a solid, planted impression. It is quite a nice looking car from every angle.

The car's charging port is back left, like a Tesla, only it's a bit further towards the front of a car than a Tesla's. I imagine that you can reach the port with a Supercharger's usual short charging cable, but you may need to back up to the charger as far as you can. At least you won't block two spaces while you're doing it, like you do with an ID.4 and its charge port location in the car's back right.

Inside ... no other way to say it ... the EX30 is small from front to back. I'm comparing this to my ID.4 ... and admittedly I'm a large person, vertically speaking. But fully backed up, the driver's seat is closer to the steering wheel than I've ever experienced before, and I've driven more than my share of Priuses. Sitting in the back seat behind a driver's seat fully backed up is not an experience I'd enjoy for more than 10 minutes or so. I'm not that tall, around 5'10", and my knees would not fit behind that driver's seat. I sat with my knees on each side of the seat and my feet wedged underneath the seat. Getting out of that seat was a little challenging. My wife is a lot thinner and more agile than I am (5'7"), and she felt pinched in the back seat as well, even though the seat in front of her was not pushed all the way back. You are not getting three normal sized adults in that back seat without complaints.

The trunk of this car seemed small to me as well. I think you can pretty much forget the idea of using this car to take 4 adults on a road trip. If we buy this car, we're going to have the back seats folded a lot more often than with the ID.4. Which is fine with me. We rarely drive with anyone in our back seat.

The interior of the car is the most minimalist I've ever seen, and I've driven a Tesla Model 3. There's just so little there, especially if you have the cupholders retracted. I don't think there were front door pockets. You're either going to like this or you won't, but I think some people won't like it, and most of the rest of us will find it requires getting used to. With all the fuss Volvo has made over the unique Scandinavian design of the interior, I experienced the Breeze interior as nothing special. The center screen seemed small to me--perhaps this is because the screen is set up with a portrait orientation, and I'm used to the ID.4's landscape orientation, but for me, landscape > portrait. But I like how the cupholders retract, and how the air vents frame each side of the screen (no more blowing frozen air into my knees on hot summer days, like with my ID.4!). I did like how open the interior feels with the cupholders retracted, but the open feeling is reduced somewhat by the compressed feeling of the car front to back.

The Volvo reps said that the car WILL display its current speed in a little red display on the steering wheel stalk. This same display contains cameras that watch the driver's eyes for signs of fatigue. We weren't able to see how this looks, or to try out the display UI. But for any info other than speed, you'll need to refer to the center screen. The rep also said that the car's glass roof (like a pair of Transitions eyeglasses) reacts to sunlight by automatically growing darker, and will block 99% of the sun's UV rays. They also plan to separately sell a clip-on sunshade. The reps said that the car will provide full one-pedal driving, and probably, options to adjust the amount of regen.

Sitting in the car and looking through the rear-view mirror, the rear window seemed small. But I imagine that in real life driving, the view will be fine.

What else did I notice? A nice neat appearance under the front hood. There's a frunk large enough to hold a charging cable and a set of roadside triangle warnings. You could possibly fit a sweater as well. I think it's nice. but Tesla Bjorn is not getting a banana box in there! The tires shown were 245 40s with 20" wheels on all four wheels.

Preliminary verdict: I like this car. I wish they'd added a few more inches front to back to the interior, and perhaps gave the rear seat the ability to slide back. But if you build a compact SUV with 166" front to back, you're going to make compromises. The car looks great on the outside, and I prefer its interior feel to a Tesla or a Prius, but I wouldn't call the interior feel "premium." At least, not while standing still! If VW gets its act together with the 2024 ID.4 and offers a 360 degree camera and battery preconditioning, I'll spend the extra money for the ID.4 and its better cabin space. If VW continues to stumble getting a premium ID.4 out to market ... well ... assuming the EX30 impresses with its test drive, I'd make the switch from VW to Volvo without hesitation."

Definitely points out a few things to be aware of