For the person sitting in front, a trip along the Côte d'Azur in a convertible is pure delight. With the top down, the tall windshield pillars provide excellent protection from the headwind, and its force can be easily adjusted by raising or lowering the side windows. Even at speeds over a hundred on the highway, the driver and front passenger remain in complete comfort. But those brave souls who manage to climb onto the rear bench, stepping over the seatbelt that keeps trying to hit them in the leg, will have to experience a real hurricane. The rear seats themselves are quite comfortable, especially if you remember that this is still a coupe-convertible, but spending more than ten minutes in them with the top open is hardly possible. Already at 60 km/h, rear passengers are literally blown away by the air stream. So, despite the full-fledged rear bench, the Volvo C70 is essentially a car for two people.
On the perfectly smooth serpentines of the Italian and French Riviera, it is impossible to find fault with the comfort and behavior of the C70. The suspension here seems made for such roads: it flawlessly absorbs small and medium irregularities, providing first-class comfort. But as soon as you move to the broken Moscow roads, the C70 noticeably loses ground: it reacts nervously to ruts and the slightest longitudinal slopes, causing the steering wheel to sometimes feel completely empty and uninformative. However, stability in corners is at a high level. Despite the short wheelbase, the convertible behaves very decently in the slalom and leaves a pleasant impression.
The most powerful unit in the C70 engine range — the 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder T5 — is truly impressive. With an appetite of 12.2 liters per hundred, its soft boost provides excellent traction already at low revs, and a pleasant muffled engine roar reaches the cabin.
2008 Volvo C70 Cabrio
© Photo: Volvo
But Volvo's main trump card is the steel folding roof made of three sections. The hardtop not only makes the C70 more elegant than its soft-top siblings, but also significantly simplifies life in countries with harsh climates, such as Russia or Sweden. Here, the designers thought of everything down to the smallest detail: from a powerful heater to a remote-controlled pre-heater, so that neither the driver, nor the passengers, nor the car itself freeze in severe frost.
Only one thing upsets: when the roof is stowed in the trunk, its volume shrinks to completely ridiculous sizes. But for pleasure, as you know, you have to pay. And there is plenty of driving pleasure in the C70 — both on the impeccable European highways and on the battered Russian roads. With the top down, even Moscow traffic jams are easier to bear, and the courtesy of other drivers suddenly grows almost to European levels. We specifically checked: with the open roof of our 'helmetless Viking' in Moscow, we were let through three times more willingly than with it closed. So respect for 'cars with an open soul' has already been cultivated here!
Turin Roof
2008 Volvo C70 Cabrio
© Photo: Volvo
The latest-generation C70, which debuted in Russia exactly a year ago, is Volvo's first convertible with a steel roof. The updated design was created in Gothenburg, where Dutch specialist Fedde Talsma works, and the three-section steel roof was developed by the famous Italian studio Pininfarina. As a result, the new C70 combines the advantages of two cars at once. One press of a button — and the elegant coupe turns into a convertible. The whole process takes 30 seconds. True, this is no longer a record: the BMW 3 Series Convertible folds its roof 8 seconds faster, but Volvo's result is still impressive. The dynamics of the convertible with the 2.5-liter T5 turbo engine are also very decent: just 8.1 seconds to 100 km/h.
Driving
Powerful but bold character; slightly short of modern standards of steering sharpness.
Interior
Smooth leather trim, pleasant and moderately restrained design.
Comfort
Acoustic comfort, especially at medium city speeds, is quite good, but the suspension is clearly designed for European roads.
Safety
World premiere: side airbags installed on a convertible.
Price
The car is not cheap, but comparable in price to competitors.
2008 Volvo C70 Cabrio
© Photo: Volvo
Advantages and Disadvantages
+ Powerful engine, high level of safety, thoughtful aerodynamics, successful folding roof concept.
- Nervous handling behavior, large turning radius.
Technical Specifications
- Make and model — Volvo C70 T5
- Dimensions — 4582x1820x1400 mm
- Engine — petrol, turbocharged, 2521 cm³, 230 hp/5000 rpm
- Transmission — automatic, 5-speed
- Dynamics — max 235 km/h; 8.1 s to 100 km/h
- Competitors — BMW 3 Series Convertible, Mercedes CLK-class, Alfa Romeo Spider
Our Opinion
Coupe-convertibles are an initially expensive pleasure. This is a niche product for those who want to stand out from the crowd and have refined taste. Such is the C70. The powerful engine, laconic Scandinavian design, high level of safety and comfort more than compensate for some nervousness in handling.