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| The Volvo C70 could very well be the prettiest Volvo ever created, roof up or down. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
The folding hardtop convertible market has become one of the busiest places in the past couple of years. With the exception of a select few drop-tops at both the very high and the very low end of the scale, everything that's been introduced has featured a folding hardtop design. This whimsical piece of engineering has proliferated, an impressive thing considering they've been around in their current form for a relatively short amount of time. Prior to Volvo's venture into the segment, hardtop convertibles were exclusively a two-seat affair. Buyers had their choice of the large and small Mercedes-Benz roadsters, the Cadillac XLR, and in very select numbers, the Mitsubishi 3000 GT. It probably would have made an even bigger splash as the first four-seat hardtop convertible if Pontiac hadn't arrived in the same model year with its even more accommodating G6 retractable hardtop. Such is life.
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| In true Volvo tradition, the tail lights hug the shape of the body. They're an added touch of class on the C70. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
The first thing about the C70 that should be noticed is its roof, but often times it is not. What I mean is that the C70 makes a convincing impression of a sleek, two-door coupe when the roof is up, as you'd never know that it was a convertible at all if not for the various cut-lines that segregate it, being that the C70 was designed first as a coupe and then a convertible. It also succeeds at looking sporty, with its sharky nose, steeply raked windshield pillars, and shoulders that mimic the human form. Around back, the C70 is a touch tail heavy, an impression produced by the long rear overhang, but the shape of the belt line and the curve-hugging tail lamps hide it beautifully.
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| There's a fair bit of space underneath that roof, and a whole lot when the car is a coupe. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
It takes 30 seconds for the roof of the C70 to lower, but only a fraction of that time to attract stares, and for a small crowd to gather. The roof precisely separates into three segments (two for the roof and one for the rear pillars and glass) a significant step up from the two-piece roof that one of its domestic competitors utilizes that limits headroom and consumes trunk space. It's always an event when the roof's panels, held up by hinges and struts, rise in a one-atop-the-other process, looking cooler than any other convertible out there. With the top down, the C70 looks even better, its long decklid giving it a boat-tail look. As a coupe, the C70's large back side gives it a surprisingly large trunk of 400 very usable litres (14.1 cu-ft) that includes a ski pass-through, which is halved when the roof is stowed away. What's left over would be particularly difficult to access if not for a clever button that when pushed raises the roof slightly when the trunk is opened.
