This is an excellent engine. It’s a touch grumbly at the 800rpm idle, but far from unacceptable, and it has a broad power band with lots of torque from low revs – 236lb ft at just 2000rpm.
Stretch it properly and the 2.0D feels genuinely rapid. On the track it set a 0-60mph time of 9.3sec and posted some excellent in-gear times (7.0sec for 30-50mph in 4th, 6.9sec for 50-70 in 5th), demonstrating the flexibility offered by its 236lb ft, and afforded by the 1411kg kerbweight. The six-speed gearbox is slick, smooth, and with just the right spacing between gears.
Brake pedal feel is less heavily servoed than we’re used to, so the pedal requires more pressure than on most cars, but the brakes themselves are very progressive.
Less impressive is the chassis. It might be Ford Focus-based, but the C30 feels considerably less agile. The steering is far less responsive than a Focus’s, particularly just off straight-ahead, so although it is a stable motorway cruiser, the C30 feels less keen to turn in than most of its rivals. Still, it’s linear and accurate once you’ve applied some lock, and the weighting is hard to criticise.
On a demanding road with changing cambers and bumps, the body is kicked around and it takes a while to settle. Even on smooth roads the C30 is a curiously unengaging drive. But it does grip reasonably and if you ignore all the signals and take it by the scruff of the neck, it resists understeer convincingly and displays a level of agility you wouldn’t credit it with. It can be punted down the road at a decent pace; it’s just a shame that doing so is not more enjoyable.
The C30 is at its best at a cruise. Around town the ride is relatively supple but with an underlying solidity. It’s the same on the motorway, where wind noise is limited and the tremendously leggy gearing (100mph is 2700rpm in top) means the engine is virtually inaudible. Touring economy is also a creditable 48.8mpg.
