Volvo’s lovely convertible’s hardly a softie ..
Richard Hammond

I have a problem with the folding roof on the new Volvo C70. It’s not that it isn’t well made - in fact, it’s an exquisite piece of engineering.

When the three aluminium panels that make up the roof go about the business of folding away into the boot, it’s a beautiful sight to behold, like watching a Space Shuttle manipulate a satellite into its dock.

No, my problem is … it looks too much like an ordinary roof when it’s up. The collapsible roof is simply too successful at impersonating an ordinary tin-top.

As a result, you spend most of your time driving around with it down, just to show off that you’ve got a convertible. I nearly froze to death this week, but there was no way I wanted to be seen cruising around in an ordinary Volvo Coupe - that would be ridiculous.

Far better to let the world admire your style and panache as well as the icicles hanging from your nostrils.

With an old fashioned cloth top, you show the world you went that extra mile and spent a few quid for the convertible version.

Ever since Mercedes unveiled the SLK roadster with the first of these folding hardtop arrangements, there has been a steady flow of models with similar setups.

The Vauxhall Tigra, Peugeot 206 and 306CC and Nissan Micra C+C have all joined in the fun.

By the end of this year the line up will have been further extended to include the new Vauxhall Astra, Ford Focus and VW Eos cabriolets, all with folding metal roofs.

But I predict a return to popularity of the proper, cloth-topped convertible. Why hide the fact you’ve got something special? But in nearly every other way, the C70 is great.

It’s immensely well-built, the interior is stylish and substantial, the seats super-comfortable and it’s got loads of kit on board.

The dash looks great and you can opt for the £1,750 Danish-built 910Watt stereo upgrade that’s loud enough to leave your eardrums hanging out of your head like socks. Cool.

Versions include a 168bhp 2.4-litre and the T5 model with a turbocharged 2.5-litre engine with 217bhp - it’s actually the same engine that’s fitted to the sparkling Ford Focus ST, which not only makes the C70 fly, but also sounds brilliant.

It’s no BMW 3-series-beater, the steering is vague and the suspension wooden, but it is up for some brisk cruising. But once again, Volvo got a bit carried away with the sensible stuff and made a diesel version - they just can’t help themselves.

THE FACTS: VOLVO C70

Two-door folding hard-top

Price: £33,225

Engine: 2.5-litre five-cylinder, 217bhp 0-60mph: 7.6sec

Fuel consumption: 31.0mpg

THE RIVALS

Audi A4 3.2 Quattro £32,480
BEAUTIFULLY made and stylish. Not as good to drive as Volvo. Still highly desirable.

Vauxhall Astra T win Top £20,695
WOULDN’T normally include a Vauxhall in this company, but the Astra is good value and stylish.

(this article was taken from mirror.co.uk)

This entry was posted on Friday, March 24th, 2006 at 11:35 am and is filed under New Cars. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.