Volvo C70 Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Volvo C70 Convertible range
Prices: £27,995-£36,130 – on the road
Emissions: 154-219g/km INSURANCE GROUPS: 16E-17E
Performance: [T5] Max Speed 150mph/ 0-60mph 7.5s
Fuel Consumption: [T5] (combined) 30.1mpg
Safety: Twin front, side and IC airbags, ABS, SIPS WILL IT FIT INTO YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4582/1847/1400mm

VOLVO JOINS THE FOLD

Our Rating: 7.1 / 10

Folding hard tops are a ‘must have’ technology at the moment. The improved C70 is Volvo’s take on the theme. Jonathan Crouch reports

Volvo’s C70 is a classy folding hard-top convertible with smart looks and a decent array of engines. The car is very well built and safe in typical Volvo fashion, a relaxing cruiser rather than a sharp driver’s car. Its positioning in the market is also interesting, sitting above the mainstream offerings but below the premium models in terms of price. It could be just what you’re looking for.

As with most aspects of life, there’s a right and a wrong way of doing things. Take the job of creating a modern folding metal roof coupe-convertible car. Most manufacturers to date have got it horribly wrong and it’s hard to think of many cars of this ilk that don’t possess huge, awkward-looking rears. That top, after all, has got to go somewhere.

Buyers would put up with that in the same way as they’d overlook feeble boot capacity in the days when folding metal roofs were a novelty but these days, things have changed. Which is why Volvo’s C70 is doing pretty well in this market sector. The rag-top first generation version was both practical and a looker and the restyled MK2 model we’re looking at here continues the trend, despite its more modern roof arrangement.

You won’t see this car on too many trackdays – but then, you won’t be surprised to hear that, even in performance-orientated T5 form, it’s really not that kind of car. Though competent on the twisty stuff, it’s a consummate cruiser first and foremost. The C70 doesn’t cope particularly well with poor road surfaces but on the flat it’s a comfortable and refined companion.

Curiously for a convertible, we reckon the diesels are the ones to go for. Volvo’s latest oil-burners are well worth a look, based as they are on a novel 2.0-litre five-cylinder configuration. In the C70, there’s the D3 engine with 148bhp and the D4 which brings 175bhp to the party. The C70 D3 returns a 10.2s 0-60mph time and has reserves of torque to the tune of 350Nm for wafting around on.

Torque is a nice thing to have when you’re cursing down the coast road in your big convertible car. It’s the thrust in the middle to lower section of the rev range that reduces the need for gearchanges and makes for effortless overtaking. The D4 diesel actually produces 400Nm at 1,750rpm. Compare that to the 320Nm generated by the petrol T5 and you get a feel for the strength of the diesel models from low engine speeds. Pushing on, the more powerful engines can overwhelm the front wheels if you’re overzealous with the throttle but take it easy and the car rewards with a comfy, quiet ride.

In styling this car, the Swedish design team started with a coupe profile and then set about making a convertible out of it. As a result, with the hood in place, you probably wouldn’t guess that the C70 is capable of flipping its lid. The rear deck isn’t overly long (the usual giveaway of folding metal roof cars) and the roofline is smooth and beautifully integrated with the rest of the bodywork. The most recent visual changes are mainly cosmetic – more stylish headlamps, reshaped front wings, in-vogue LED tail lamps, a redesigned instrument panel and plusher fabrics. Otherwise, the recipe is mainly unchanged.

Despite the recent introduction of rivals like Lexus’ IS250C, Volvo still reckon that this is the only premium-badged folding metal roof convertible that can properly seat four adults in comfort. Saab and Audi rivals have fabric tops which will have security implications for owners in urban areas and in any case, they aren’t quite as spacious for those in the rear. The boot capacity of the C70 is bigger too, at 404 litres with the roof up compared to 352 litres for the Saab and 315 litres for the Audi. With the roof down however, both rivals eclipse the Volvo (fabric takes less stowage space of course), so think carefully about how you’re going to use the car.

Of course, this car adheres to Volvo’s impeccably high safety standards and it includes an advanced body structure