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Posted August, 2006

Road Test: 2006 Volvo C70

By Thomas E. Bonsall

Readers who have been following Ride&Drive through the years will know that we have never met a Volvo we didn't like. That was before we met the C70.

Introduced last year, the Volvo C70 offers, in the company's words:

"…the best of both worlds. It's a modern convertible with classic proportions, four comfortable seats and a three-piece retractable hardtop. The C70 can be transformed seamlessly from a coupe into a convertible."

As always, Volvo justifiably touts its safety systems, including a breakthrough Inflatable Curtain:

"An important part of the side impact and rollover protection is the Inflatable Curtain (IC). In the new C70 it has been given a unique design. The curtain has an extra stiff construction with double rows of slats that are slightly offset from each other. This allows them to remain upright and offer effective head protection even with the window open. The curtain also deflates slowly to provide protection should the car roll over. This is a unique solution in the automotive world."

In addition to its safety features, exterior styling is high point with the C70. It looks great from any angle, and, especially with the top down, attracted admiring glances wherever we drove. We wished the interior styling had been as good. Instead we found a terribly plain cabin that might have been acceptable in a Nissan Altima, but hardly looked appropriate for a forty-grand Volvo. My colleague, Kevin Lowery, described the interior in his notes as "looks cheap, low grade." The upholstery material is called Vulcaflex, which the company describes as "a synthetic material with a skin-like surface and a high-tech feel." They can have it, in our opinion. Order the optional leather.

Worse, the interior ergonomics were poor. The ignition switch is located on the instrument panel directly behind the windshield wiper stalk. Behind it. You almost have to be a contortionist to start the car without bumping the wiper stalk. You DO have to have to be a contortionist to enter or exit the rear seats.

This is what Volvo says about the seats:

"The C70 is designed to accommodate four adults. The two rear seats have comfortably angled backrests and generous width across the supportive cushions. Like all Volvo cars, the front seats are ergonomically shaped. With a push of a button on the backrest, the front seats move quickly forward to facilitate entry to the rear seat."

The truth is that every single person who rode in our C70 test car complained about the seats. As for entry to the rear, even with the front seat moved all the way forward, the room available for crawling into or out of the back is pitiful. We have tested a lot of two-door cars where entering or exiting the rear seats was difficult, but the C70 is hands down the worst we can recall.

This is all the more curious because the C70's doors are so long it is difficult to enter or exit the front seats in any sort of head-in parking situation, such as you find all over: in parking decks, at the grocery store, etc. The doors reach the car parked next to you before they offer anything approaching adequate room to get in or out of the vehicle. It is just a major hassle every time you have to do it.

The one nice thing about the interior was the sound system. As Kevin Lowery noted, for a non-brand system (i.e., Bose, Infinity, etc.) it is really pretty good — even with the top down. The standard system features a 4 x 40 watt amplifier and eight speakers. There is also an optional Dynaudio Premium Sound system. It features a total output of 910 watts of power, plus Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound and 14 speakers, including dual eight-inch woofers.

The C70 comes with a standard 2.5-liter light-pressure turbo powerplant which produces 218 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 236 lb.-ft. of torque from 1,500 to 4,800 rpm. The flat torque curve puts the power to the front wheels evenly and makes the car highly responsive.

The C70 is fitted with a six-speed manual transmission that was developed for the Volvo S60 R and V70 R. All six forward gears are adapted to combine rapid acceleration with a high top speed. The transmission has triple synchros and a very distinct gear change feel. Unfortunately, the clutch is rubbery and detracts somewhat from the capabilities of the gearbox. A five-speed "Geartronic" micro-processor-controlled automatic with "Auto-stick" function is optional.

The car we tested was a 2006 model. Minor changes to the C70 for 2007 will include a standard auxiliary audio input plus MP3 playback capability from the in-dash CD changer. Sirius Satellite Radio will be a new option.

The base price of our test car was $39,090. The optional 18-inch Mirzam alloy wheels added $995 to that, and the destination charges upped the ante by another $695 for a grand total of $40,400.

The C70 is a car of contradictions. It is very good looking from the outside, while the interior design left us completely cold. On the other hand, it drives well and has an above-average sound system. The ingress/egress issues are the deal breaker for us, though. We just couldn't see ourselves struggling to get into or out of the C70 several times a day throughout several years of ownership. R&D