Cramped ??  You must breed them long and tall where you come from !

Correct it is not a large car, definitely not aimed at families with
children or a large dog.  I had a couple of 6 footers in the rear, and their
feedback was along the lines of  'good leg room for a car of this size',
they were impressed.  Granted this was on a relatively short trip.

It is a 4 seater (only 4 seats and belts) but it appears the rear seats are
pushed back a little to create the rear leg room. This probably accounts for
the very small boot (trunk).  This can be an issue if you carry a lot of
stuff around.  Folding down the rear seat gives you some additional room
(quickly) and I haven't had any issues with this so far apart from trying to
fit a 6 burner BBQ in the back - a bit optimistic !

Storage space for books, maps is Ok, but not great.  Glove Box is very
small.  The map pocket under the front seat is a good idea though.  I use
the central arm-rest storage box for my CD's. Once this is gone there isn't
much left apart from the doors and behind the floating console. But you can
manage. We go out most weekends into the hills and take the kettle, camping
stove, a couple of folding chairs, picnic basket etc and it all fits in
nicely without having to fold the seats forward.

This car isn't going to suit a lot of people and there are other Volvos that
will meet their particular needs better. We need to remember the rationale
behind the design of the C30 in that they (Volvo) are trying to attract a
new demographic to the marque - one that may not have considered Volvo in
the past.   Whether we like them or not the 3-door sports hatch format seems
to be very popular (aka VW GTI, BMW 1 Series, Audi A3, Alpha 147, Opel Astra
etc) so what better way for Volvo to take advantage of this popularity and
introduce the C30.  This strategy appears to be working down here in
Australia as each shipment is presold before it hits the shore.

According to Volvo my wife and I fit the target demo quite well, late 40's,
kids left home and a bit of disposable income to play with.  We bought it
because it's the format we like (3-door) looks great, is well appointed,
drives well and is (for the moment) a little more exclusive on the
Australian roads.

Cheers
Mal
Oz
(no, I don't work for Volvo..just a satisfied customer)