Car reviews

Introduction

The C70 Cabriolet is a vast improvement over its predecessor with new styling and surprisingly spacious and comfortable interior. It comes with a good selection of engines that combine both speed and efficiency with the D5 diesel being exceptionally smooth is great sounding too considering it's a diesel. However, if you're looking for a car that will thrill then the C70 probably isn't for you. On the other hand if you're looking for a car that provides you with a indulging and pampered ride then the C70 ticks all the boxes.

Exterior & Interior

Volvo employed Italian firm Pininfarina to design the new C70, but there doesn't appear to be much Italian flair in the body with the Volvo carrying its usual chucky, yet handsome looks. The interior and roof is where you really notice their influence with the three piece folding roof which is spectacular to watch. With both the roof up and down there is enough room in the C70 for four passengers to sit comfortably, which is a pleasant surprise, although the head room is limited in the back with the roof up. The optional wind deflector can only be used when there are two people in the car though as it takes up the space of the rear two seats.

The boot is a good size with the roof up at 404litres, but this shrinks down to 200litres with it down. There is a button you can push when it comes to loading the boot with the roof down though which raises the roof slightly making it easier to get shopping and luggage in and out.

The seats are extremely comfortable and the interior feels very solid and robust with the floating central console that is used in other Volvo's making an appearance with its easy to use controls, especially on the stereo which is extremely easy to use.

There are almost a dozen trim levels to choose from but the SE trim offers the best equipment available and comes with several optional extras too. It comes with ABS, alloy wheels, climate and cruise control, airbags all round, electric windows in the front and back, electric and heated wind mirrors, lumbar support, service indicator, traction control, CD stereo and remote central locking as standard. Optional extras include parking sensors, sat-nav, electric front seats and a CD multichanger.

Drive

This new C70 is a revelation to drive compared to its predecessor. The C70 is a heavy weight due to the strengthening it has received and because of this it is slower to drive than most of it rivals. As with most other Volvo's a lot of the design has gone into comfort and safety rather than performance. The car has plenty of grip, but it doesn't feel very agile, again mainly due to its weight. There is also a lot of wind noise with the roof down, but with the roof up the wind and road noise is pretty much none existent. The visibility is good all-round as well apart from when the roof is up which makes reversing tricky so go for one that comes with parking sensors.

Faults & Repairs

There haven't been many problems with the C70 so far but make sure you check that all the electrics are in working order and that it has received regular servicing. Volvo's fair well when they comes to servicing and repairs as they tend to cost, on average, the same as their rivals.