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2007 Volvo C70 T5 Road Test

Classy. Sophisticated. Elegant. Those are just a few adjectives to describe the

The C70 is a beautiful vehicle; its nose is elegant and stately. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

2007 Volvo C70 T5. Not to mention safe, sturdy and sunny. Sunny? Yes, with the popular trend of retractable hardtops infiltrating the market, the C70 not only offers its driver the comfort and camouflage of a 2-door coupe but the convenience and capability of a convertible.

Volvo continues to create visually appealing cars with an acute attention to aesthetic and engineering detail resulting in driving excellence. Whether it's the tight, efficient execution of the retractable hardtop, up or down, or the ergonomically correct interior maximizing passenger and trunk space (... How? Keep reading...) and minimizing button-clutter with the floating center stack, it's a well-rounded and well put together front-wheel drive car.

Underneath all the beauty hides a fully independent MacPherson front and rear multi-link suspension that makes short and long distance trips smooth as a calm summer day. How so? The suspension absorbs the bumps and jumps giving the driver and its passengers a feeling of gliding across the pavement and still allows for decent cornering in tight turns. And the

18-inch wheels accentuate the curvy exterior. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

optional $995 18-inch "Mirzam" alloy wheels linked to the 235/40R18 tires that help hug the pavement in those tight turns. The ride is soft, yes, along with the clutch of the standard 6-speed manual transmission. Pushing in the clutch is not arduous at all. In fact, it's very favorable in stop-and-go traffic. The throws of the close-ratio gearbox were also in accordance with the clutch and suspension, smooth and soft.

Powering the 6-speed transmission is a 2.5L, 20-valve, DOHC, turbocharged I-5 producing 218 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 236 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm. The turbocharged horses are not as prominent as those of the VW Eos, but still give enough buck to get this retractable hardtop convertible a 0 to 60 mph time of 7 seconds.

Speaking of seconds, how long did it take to impress my co-workers, friends and acquaintances with the finesse of going topless? Only 30 seconds.

If you should not manage to keep the shiny side up, Volvo's ROPS will save the day. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

For a lot of my non car-crazy pals the C70 appeared to be a hot new coupe, but they were shocked when, with the press of a button, the retractable hardtop unfolded, literally (into 3 parts, 2 for the roof and 1 for the rear pillars and glass)... and voila! Then there was sun. One co-worker decided to witness the unfolding outside of the car because she was so impressed. She then, in jest, asked if the car was actually a transformer and wanted to know what I did in my spare time!

Whether the top was covering or accentuating the C70's silhouette, safety was never a concern. Volvo continues its amazing safety resume with such features as the rollover protection system, a feature that activates two rollover bars that pop up behind the rear seats in the unfortunate event of an accident. Furthermore, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, multi-stage driver and passenger airbags with knee pads, side impact protection system (SIPS) and door-mounted inflatable curtains (IC) are just a few of its long list of features designed to protect the driver and passengers.

C70's cabin is like that of the C30, S40 and V50: organized and very clean looking. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

Driving with the top up and down was great either way, but when driving topless the C70 felt less top heavy and sturdier. Furthermore, it was a lot more interesting because when the sun was out, it really accentuated the Passion leather interior without burning my buns when entering. Plus, driving around with the top down makes life more fun and gives the boyfriend a lot more headroom (36.4 inches). As I mentioned earlier, the 3-segment folding roof allows the interior height to be more accommodating, but also gives way for a pretty decent 6.0 cubic feet of cargo room in the trunk. And like its VW Eos competitor, there are stickers clearly indicating where all items must be stored in order to experience the hair-blowing-freely-through-the-wind feeling. And I'm not talking about that feeling you get by rolling the windows down. With the top up, the trunk holds 12.8 cubic feet of cargo; a more favorable amount when it comes to packing for a long weekend road trip.

Did I just mention weekend and road trip? Don't mind if I do! So, I did just that with the boyfriend and another couple; we in the C70 and the

Pack wisely: even though there is room for more than 6.0 cubic feet of cargo when the roof is down, make sure that cargo is not too tall. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

other two in another vehicle. Our outings took us up an island about 80 miles and back to the mainland (via ferry of course) only to land ourselves in the middle of the wine country a good 250 miles plus away to the northeast. Was it a lot of driving? Oh yes. But when the tunes are blasting, the top is down, the seat warmers are on as it was rather chilly and overcast, life is good behind the wheel of the Volvo C70 even for hours on end. It's just that comfortable. Well, for me it was. David, on the other hand, being 6'3” tall had a little more discomfort than I did, as he would have liked more legroom to stretch out. And in his words, “It's not geared for big people.” Despite its smaller 'gears' he still found it to be a very nice car. I'm glad I had a chance to give the C70 a few clicks because the more I drove, the more I liked this retractable hardtop convertible.

With all the driving I did, I had the opportunity to test out the fuel economy. Before my road trip, fuel consumption was quite daunting. I had driven just over 125 miles and more than half a tank was gone! I thought to myself, this could just be the city driving, and then realized

It's easy to warm up to the C70. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

that fuel economy in the city isn't that great at an estimated 21 mpg. However, highway driving was much more fruitful. I drove over 375 miles with just under a quarter of its fuel left. That made me and my wallet sing. The estimated fuel consumption on the highway is 29 mpg. Ah, much better. It is, however, a small price to pay for such a great ride.

Some not so great ride qualities were noticeable when the top was up. Visibility is no bueno. The rear pillars are prominent, making parallel parking hard but not impossible. With the top down, it was much easier. That's a given. And one other beef I had was with the little bit of chrome trim on the steering wheel. It heated up with the top down making it difficult to grip the top of the leather-wrapped steering wheel for a few minutes after taking off. It didn't deter me from driving but made it a little awkward at first.

Overall, the 2007 Volvo C70 deserves applause for its charming good looks, impressive drop top and uber comfy cabin. It earns a solid 8 out of 10 Swedish Meatballs in my test kitchen.

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