The shape is honest, with no dramatic shifts to something some designer in Itscoolvania thinks is spot on. It has a simple interior with just the right dash of Swedish modern, and a simple turbocharged inline engine to pull it along. Call it chic simple.
But is it enough to have simple chic?
*Volvo vision – The C70 is a hardtop convertible, the best of both worlds for many. You get the sleek shape of a coupe, especially in the roof line, yet the world shines in when you want it. We were glad when the original cloth-topped C gave way to this one in 2007, gaining a more defined round-shouldered look. For 2011, the overall look is the same. But Volvo has sweetened its face with reworked fenders that let the headlights slash up and aft more. The nose is more wedge-shaped, the “V” of the grill complimented by the upward cut of the fog light frames. Volvo claims the lower grill has been spiced up – maybe. Ours came in a deep Flamenco Red Metallic, the better to let its subtle curves glow in the sun. The front fenders’ shoulder line compliments the side view without distracting, another clean look with just a bit of waist at the door line, the body-color door rub strip an almost straight line. In back, wide LED lights echo the shoulder line, cleanly integrated in. Subtle fender flares frame “Diamond Cut” 5-spoke alloys wearing 18-inch Pirelli rubber. Like I said – a simple, nice design, a sleek coupe shape when needed, a sleekly simple convertible with no top-down hump when you cruise the beach. The side mirrors even fold when you shut down. It’s definitely a sleek look above other hardtop convertibles, like the VW Eos.
As for fitting in amongst the Bimmers and Benzes at a local beachfront resort area one day, we did, but only a few seemed to note the C70, based on the compact S40’s 103.9-inch wheelbase. Oh well.
*Volvo livability – Again, a simply clean design that oozes solidity without being stuffy. Black over light tan with alloy accents, a discrete white LED spotlight shining down on the still cool slim-depth center control panel, it is so Danish modern I love it even though every Volvo has it. The fine grain leather finish to the padded vinyl dash top is a clean look, as is the buff silver-ringed 160-mph speedometer with inset gas gauge/8,000-rpm tach with inset temperature gauge, with familiar green displays (one a trip computer controlled off the left stalk’s thumbwheel) and red needles. The thick-rimmed steering wheel has perforated leather were you grip most, manually tilting and telescoping with integrated Bluetooth, stereo and cruise controls. Subtle gauge face changes and a nicer feel to the instruments help for 2011. An LCD screen flips up from the dash top when you turn the high-mounted ignition, slowly coming to life, but offering only street lines – no names. Its joystick and twin function buttons are behind the steering wheels right spoke. I’d rather have the buttons on the front of the spoke, thank you. And the remote control (honest) is just a gimmick. I like how the sat-nav screen dims at just the right part of dusk when the headlights are on, the same time the dash lights glow on. The headlights can be set to turn when you do. And the blind spot alert flashed a side mirror-area light when something is hidden, then did it when nothing was there but air.
A CD slot tops the slim center stack, over a combination audio/car function menu done in more green that tells you all about the great 14-speaker Dynaudio sound system with 910 watts of power, Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound and a standard USB and MP3 audio jack under the small center armrest’s double cargo area. Slide down and there’s a dual-zone climate control system and a five-speed automatic transmission. Again, a clean look. The front bucket seats are firm and comfortable, the driver getting three memory presets and 10-way power adjustments. The glove box is good enough, the twin cup holders shallow, leaving water bottles in the way. Buttons power the front seats forward to access the back seats. If those in front give a little, you can bring two more out to dinner, but their hair will nudge the well-fitted hardtop convertible’s inner liner.
Want more headroom? The hardtop's three sections are smoothly integrated into an arcing pillarless top, meshing nicely with the rear deck. The top takes about 30 seconds to lower, its three sections stacking atop each other and sliding into the trunk under a rear-hinged cover. A white-lit button raises the assembly to access the small trunk space left under a divider. It is usable, and there’s a ski pass-through to slide longer stuff into the cabin. But the long trunk lid is heavy.
*Volvo vivacity - The C70's turbocharged 2.5-liter in-line five-cylinder engine is all we get stateside, with a light-pressure T5 turbo for 227-(up from 218)hp. Standard with a 5-speed manual gearbox, we had the five-speed "Geartronic" with manual shift capability. Our 3.300-mile-old coupe/convertible was perky off the line, seizing 60 mph in a decent 8 seconds, a half second better than the last version we tested, with smooth shifts. There’s a gentle turbo whistle under acceleration, a nice counter note to the inline five’s gruff snarl. The extra 400 pounds of top and bracing blunts performance a bit, and fuel mileage on premium was about 22-mpg in mixed coastal road driving.
The fully independent suspension gave a comfortable ride, and reinforced side members, doors and sills offer decent torsional rigidity, although we had a slight twinge of chassis flex top down over bad bumps, and a slight creak top up one cooling sunset. Get sporty with it, and we had a bit of body roll thanks to the added weight, with understeer cropping up, some comfortable tire scrub and a touch of Dynamic Stability and Traction Control that you can't turn off. The car was OK playing sporty, but a bit detached, sharp enough steering with some front-drive feel to it. The all-wheel disc brakes with ABS offered straight, short stops from 60-mph, with some fade after a few hard stops. Wind management was OK top down, aided by the windshield rake, and the heated seats and warm air flow helped on chilly nights. Call it more topless grand tourer than sports car. For safety, front and side impact air bags, plus very obvious door panel-mounted side impact air curtains.
*Volvo bucks – Base price for the C70 is $39,950, standard with all above except the $2,600 multi-media package with Dynaudio sound system and navigation, $850 metallic paint, $700 blind spot detector, and $1,900 Dynamic Package with 18-inch wheels, xenon active headlights and heated seats – final price $46,550. That’s up from the $44,075 last version we tested cost in 2007. The new VW Eos hardtop convertible is about $33,000, with less power and rear seat room, similar ride, but a cooler multi-function top. The better sports coupe/convertibles for a bit more are the BMW 3-Series and Infiniti G37 – ‘nuff said.
2011 Volvo C70 T5
Vehicle type 4-passenger hardtop convertible
Base price - $39,950 ($46,550 as tested)
Engine type – turbocharged in-line five cylinder gas engine
Displacement – 2.5 liter
Horsepower (net) – 227 @ 5,000 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 236 @ 1,500 to 5,000 rpm
Transmission – 5-speed Geartronic
Wheelbase – 103.9 inches
Overall length – 180.4 inches
Overall width – 72.3 inches
Height – 55.1 inches
Front headroom – 38.2 inches
Front legroom -42.3 inches
Rear headroom – 36.4 inches
Rear legroom – 33.9 inches
Cargo capacity – 12.8-cu.ft. top up/half that top down
Towing capacity – up to 2,000 lbs.
Curb weight – 3,837 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 15.9 gallons
Mileage rating – 19-mpg city/28-mpg highway
Last word – Better looks, nice weekend car that can tackle the week
By Dan Scanlan
MyCarData
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