Volvo C70 Interior Review
Top up or top down, life is good inside the Volvo C70. The front bucket seats are ergonomically shaped and very comfortable. The Flextech upholstery that comes standard is a stylish synthetic material with a wetsuit-like feel. Its quality is way beyond cloth, and it feels as nice as leather against the skin.
The front seats slide forward with the touch of a button to ease the boarding of passengers into the two rear seats. There are a number of storage compartments in the cabin, some of which are lockable, useful when the car is parked with the roof down. Other compartments can be locked with a separate key, when leaving the car with a parking attendant, for example.
Volvo's flat-panel center stack fits in a world of flat panel computer monitors and television screens. It features a horizontal information screen over a column of buttons for radio and climate controls. Four big knobs dot each corner, all swathed in sleek aluminum trim. A clever storage bin behind the panel offers a place for a purse. The panel is unique to Volvo. Overall, though, storage space is in short supply.
The trunk gets crowded with the top down, also. Golf club bags have to slide under the roof, so there's an electric mechanism called Load-Aid, which lifts the roof sections and window glass eight inches. There's also a hatch between the rear seats that allows long things like skis to be carried in the trunk, extending into the passenger compartment. There's no room for a full-size spare tire, but buyers can choose between a temporary spare or a compressor bottle with sealant touted to plug a quarter-inch hole sufficiently well to last 120 miles at 50 mph.
In the rear seats, the C70 has more legroom than the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series (1.5 and 1.9 inches more, respectively).
We found the Dynaudio system vivid and all there. With the top down, as the speed of the car climbs, the volume automatically increases. It doesn't forget to back off when you do.
New for 2007 is a standard auxiliary audio input for iPods and other MP3 players, plus MP3 playback capability from the in-dash CD changer. Sirius satellite radio is also available.
Volvo C70 Road Test
The Volvo C70 seems to be made for high-speed cruising. The acceleration isn't neck-snapping, but the top speed is a mind-boggling 150 mph, and electronically limited at that. The car is very smooth and steady at freeway-plus speeds. And with the steel top, there's no ragtop racket at high speed.
The C70 is front-wheel drive and Volvo's well-proven turbocharged five-cylinder engine. It's 2.4 liters with dual overhead cams and variable camshaft timing, tuned to the same 218 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque as the S40; that's 10 horsepower more than the base S60, so the acceleration is about the same as the S60 sedan. Volvo estimates 0 to 60 at 7.6 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox, and 8.0 seconds with the five-speed automatic. It's respectable performance, but certainly not scintillating. (We consider eight-second 0-60s to be roughly the dividing line between quick and average performance.)
The C70 requires premium fuel, and is EPA-rated 20/29 mpg City/Highway.
The standard six-speed manual best complements the C70's sports car feel, and also allows snappier acceleration. It's such a good gearbox, smooth and tight, and we've praised it in other Volvo models. If it's good enough for the high-performance S60R, it's great for the C70.
We found the five-speed automatic to be a fine, crisp transmission. And for those who want a little extra control at times, the automatic features a satisfying and obedient Auto-stick mode.
The brakes work well and we found them to be resistant to fade on a winding road that overheated the brakes on some lesser cars.
The C70 doesn't feel heavy when you flick it around in the curves. The rack-and-pinion steering is power-assisted and electro-hydraulic, and provides a solid feel. We wouldn't call it light or nimble, but turning the C70 doesn't require a lot of effort. It simply gives good feedback through the healthy leather-wrapped steering wheel. Solid as a Swede.
The same could be said of the ride. The chassis is stiff, a key to crisp handling and a smooth ride. The current C70 doesn't shake like many convertibles, including the previous-generation C70.
Volvo C70 Lineup
The 2007 Volvo C70 comes as one model ($39,090). The retractable hardtop is standard. The C70 comes standard with a six-speed manual; a five-speed automatic is optional ($1,250).
Standard features include power front seats, leather steering wheel with controls, and an in-dash six-disc CD changer that includes new MP3 playback capability with eight speakers and four amplifiers.
Optional packages include leather interior with HomeLink ($1,395), and a climate package with heated front seats, headlamp washers and rain-sensing wipers ($675). The Dynaudio sound system ($1,550) features 14 speakers, five amplifiers and two subwoofer amplifiers blasting 910 watts via Dolby ProLogic II Surround Sound. Standalone options include high-intensity discharge headlamps ($700), navigation system ($2,120), silver metallic paint ($475) and pearlescent white paint ($625). The 17-inch Sadira alloy wheels come standard, while 18-inch Mirzam alloy wheels are optional ($995).
Safety features include electronic stability control with traction control and anti-lock brakes with brake force distribution. In addition to the required front airbags, there are side airbags in front, and air curtains which activate upwards from the doors, even with the windows rolled down. The Rollover Protection System, a pop-up rollbar, is activated by a pyrotechnic charge, which will smash the rollbars through the glass when the roof is on.