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Volvo C70 Convertible wraps plush features in a curvy carton
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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TORTILLA FLAT, Ariz. -- Curves, curves and more curves unfold beyond the nose of a curvy new convertible in a run up the Apache Trail, which climbs out of the Phoenix desert and threads around Superstition Mountain to the oasis of Tortilla Flat.
The serpentine circuit winds through a canyon defined by multi-colored layers of rock accented by exclamations of saguaro cacti, and the car, with top dropped and rear wind screen in place, carves a precise and stable line through all of those twisties.
It feels firm and solid, despite the absence of a roof's unifying structure, effecting the stability and rigidity of a precise sports coupe rather than the usually loosy-goosy ragtop.
But this car, the C70, is not a typical convertible.
For one thing, it comes together in the chilly climate of Sweden, where cars need sure-footed traction for ice-bound roads and heated seats to thwart winter's bite -- and where convertibles are as rare as January sunshine.
Yet it bears the badge of Volvo, the Swedish automaker heretofore known for boxy no-nonsense sedans or wagons equipped with supreme safety features -- but whose last convertible, the P1900 of 1956, amounted to only 67 issues.
And, although it lacks a protective superstructure, the new convertible from Volvo contains more passive and active safety system than most coupes and sedans -- like side airbags tucked in sides of front bucket seats, windshield pillars and doors reinforced with Boron steel, and inventive rollover protection with steel hoops that pop up behind rear seat head restraints if sensors detect a potential roll.
Then there's the shape of this slinky thing.
Sensuous lines, with multiplex curves built into a boat-shaped form, confront the tank-like image of some previous Volvo cars.
Designs for the C70 convertible trace to a C70 coupe, first Volvo to integrate swoops and swirls in the exterior package. It springs from Volvo's 850 series, which debuted in 1991 as Volvo's initial front-wheel-drive car -- and the first to exhibit an athletic personality.
All 70 Series Volvo models -- sedan, wagon, coupe and convertible -- use the 850's chassis, front suspension and brakes, and they draw from various 5-cylinder 850 engines.
Volvo's marketeers refer to the revised mid-size platform as the 70 Series now instead of the 850. An alphabetical letter indicates style: S70 for sedan, V70 for all-wheel-drive wagon, and C70 for coupe and convertible.
"Although the convertible and coupe have many mutual features, there are differences in feel and tone," according to the designer, Jose Diaz de la Vega, a confessed convertible fan who rode the shotgun seat back from Tortilla Flat during handling tests on those wiggly mountain roads.
"The convertible seduces you with its grace," he observed. "This isn't the Volvo you need -- it's the one you want, an extrovert automobile for people who don't hesitate to express their passions."
The exterior design, dominated by those fluid curving forms, resembles the hull of a ship with tapering bow and stern. Volvo's familiar grillework appears in front, but all lines flow in streamlined fashion beyond the sharply raked windshield and across a defined beltline which wraps around the passenger compartment.
The interior, arranged with twin front buckets and two rear seat positions, emphasizes luxury and comfort.
A driver-oriented cockpit adds power controls for all equipment, including dual climate zones and electro-chromatic rearview mirror. To reach the rear area, front seat slides forward under power when backrest is moved.
Standards include leather and wood trimmings, keyless remote entry with anti-theft system and a 240-watt audio package with ten speakers and cassette deck as well as in-dash compact disc player.
Lowering the convertible top amounts to the easiest push-button operation in the business: Use an index finger to depress an electric switch, then watch the car do all of the work.
It even unlocks the top's front edge automatically.
Five separate electric motors control the top mechanism, including one for the front lock, two to control tensioner arches and two more to raise and lower the top.
A hard bonnet rises from the rear deck as the top's front edge shoots up and folds back, pleating into itself as it collapses in a well behind the second seat. Next, the bonnet returns to hide that wrinkled mess, leaving nothing more than sky for a ceiling.
When raised, the ragtop provides an interior lining which resembles a hardtop's lid. On an extended drive into the Mazatzal Mountains, heavy rains and sleet pelted our top, but driver and rider remained dry and cozy in the comfortable cockpit.
Extended time behind the wheel of C70 demonstrated that Volvo has crafted a fun machine that delights and satisfies an active driver.
A unibody frame, fortified at key flex points, boosts torsional stiffness to set up a firm foundation for attachment of suspension elements taken from the 850. These include a MacPherson-type system up front and Volvo's delta-link independent rear arrangement enhanced by gas-pressured shocks and an anti-roll bar to check lateral sway.
Steering, strung from a rack and pinion system with power assistance, feels firm but predictable and reacts quickly from driver's input.
The C70 also comes with an electronic traction control device which interacts with anti-lock disc brakes to block wheel spin.
For motivation, the car packs an aluminum 2.3-liter 5-cylinder plant with pent-roof combustion chamber, twin cams on top and Bosch Motronic engine management inside. Enriched by a light-pressure turbo-charger, it delivers 190 hp and lustful torque in a broad range through all gears.
The sole transmission, a slick 4-speed automatic, gets electronic controls.
Autonova, a joint venture between Volvo and Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) of the U.K., builds the C70 Convertible in a Volvo plant at Uddevella, Sweden. Volume, following a slow start, will climb to 10,000 units annually.
Pricing for new C70 begins around $43,000.
1998 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1998 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size luxury convertible |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size luxury convertible |
| Wheelbase: |
105.0 inches |
| Overall Length: |
186.0 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.3-L I5 Turbo
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
4 |
| Gas Mileage: |
19/26 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 43,000 |
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