This was another wet and rainy weekend and we had a clear look at it within our 2025 Volvo EX30 Ultra Single, whip of the week.
With its large glass roof that alloed natural light to spill in. And a sleek, less is more approach which had the cabin further opening up. All very becoming of a fully electric vehicle.
The are no extra buttons, and limited if any. Between the ones for the windows and the door on the centre arm rest, shared between front seat diver and passenger. Plus the four media related ones on the wheel. Everything else was available on the central touch screen, that reminded me of an iPad. This served as a concentrated command centre. There wasn’t even a dash behind the wheel. A look at the odometer required a sideways glance and the need to scan through all the information on the hem screen. From a real time map, time, temperature, climate control, seat and wheel heating, access to media control, plus messaging centre and music playing if you sync up your phone. All fairly intuitive and easy to discern without a manual. However, a lot of information to filter if you are trying to focus on the road.
The screen was flanked with two minimalistic air conditioning vents, designed in Volvo’s signature vertical approach. Their metal accent matched the detail on the steering wheel and transitioned on to the unique hooked door handles. The latter I have never seen, but found both functional and stylish.
The entire front bar of the dash, right before the window, is a speaker. Harmon Kardon quality projecting the music towards you for a stadium experience. Coupled with the Volvo EX30’s all glass ceiling roof, we found the setting comfortable to rest in, as we waited for the sedan to change at the local public meter. A faster affair where we got 45% battery life from a 40 minute wait.
Speaking of comforting, you could customize what you got from the seat with the fine tuning electronic seat adjustment. A single square shaped knob that allowed you to adjust the chair any which way. Forward and back, back and seat tilt, plus lumbar support for the driver.
I wish we got just as much comfort from the slim arm rest for one person, that we tried to share as two. My partner wanted to get rid of it altogether, wanting more individual seat space or a third seat between the front two. This was especially with no transmission and no need to take up the space between the two seats. Instead, there was a large bin between the feet of the two. It included fold down partitions for a texture grip, and two compartmentalize slots to store and charge your phone wirelessly and upright.
Above it, as part of the arm rest there was a compartment that could tuck in and slide out. One cup holder at a time, or two together. Just as discrete was the glove compartment that you could drop down and open with a push of a button.
The car drove just as intuitive. You didn’t need to turn it on or off, or even push a button to start the engine. You climb in with your plain square fob in hand or pocket, and only need to make yourself comfortable. The car knows when you are approaching so unlocks and senses when you are walking away to lock. And you simply steer and execrate forward togo, shaving seconds off your trip.
We especially appreciated the climate system that detects poor air quality in your cabin and will ask if you want to use their climate system to help filter the less than desirable air. Once you confirm that you do, with a push of a button, and you can immediately feel and smell the improvement in air quality.
The 2025 EX30 was a low maintenance and easy ride that kept us cozy and dry as we enjoyed our casual weekend. We spent majority of our time in doors playing video games, only braving the weather to go out to eat.
Saturday started out weak as I woke up with what I now believe is vertigo. A severe dizziness where it felt like my brain is sloshing and swimming about in my head, making me nauseous. Two days into it now and the illness still comes and goes, but decreasing in intensity every day after I wake up.
This had us delaying the start of our day and rescheduling our lunch to early dinner. We first stopped by our local Burnaby Whole Foods to pick up our Sip & Savour swag bag. A collaboration between Healthy Family Living and Whole Foods, featuring new and local products worth trying.
Ticket holders purchase this and the ability to attend the online event for $54.99, where the value of all the items within the bag are retailed at over $200. And this does not include the coupons for free products and discounts, plus the ability to win over $5,000 worth of prizes from the participating brands. With the grand prize always being a getaway to a local resort. This season that was the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, and the excursion included a plane ride and therefore the ability to avoid all ferry related stress. All ticket holders needed to do was login to the event’s live online party and comment to show participation and acknowledge their entry. This done as they went over everything available in the bag.
We sadly didn’t win anything, but the ability to try everything in the bag, and discover brands we might not otherwise get to was well worth it.
For a late lunch we went to Robba da Matti’s West End location. I was one of the three judges for this year’s Vancouver Foodster Best Pasta Challenge competition. They were a later entry and as a result I was cutting it close with this visit. Stopping by just a day before the closure of the competition. We enjoyed their mushroom and burrata pasta, additionally topped with Parmesan and grated pepper. Refer to my previous post for the full review of this plate and everything else we had during this visit.
On our way home from downtown we stopped by Marugame Udon to pick up dinner to go. Known as Japan’s favourite handmade udon kitchen, made available for the first time in Canada, earlier this year. Although, only recently are they now able to make their food available for take out and accessible for delivery. All while still maintaining and ensuring that the quality stands up to their international brand standards. Having had it on the same day, I can confirm that it does. More about our first experience in its own post to come.
And speaking of international restaurants planting themselves on Canadian soil, we also stopped by Fish With You the following Sunday.
This is a Chinese restaurant with thousands of locations in China, and a handful of additional locations in North America. They specializes in Chinese fish and sauerkraut dishes and we were here to try them as combos. More of this too in its own post to come.
Otherwise it was an uneventfully weekend, as intended. I planned an easier, slower paced weekend anticipating the need to rest after my very first week of school and acclimating to an academic lifestyle.