The new Volvo C70

The all new Volvo C70 is two cars in one – a coupé and a convertible – with room to seat four adults in comfort. It is also the first of its kind in the premium sector with a three-piece retractable steel roof which, at the press of a button, folds up or down in 30 seconds or less.

Volvo expects to double its annual sales of the new C70 to 16,000 globally, and to over 3,000 in the UK. The USA is expected to account for 50 per cent of C70 customers, with the UK and Germany the next most successful and accounting for a further 25 per cent of sales.

Design concept

Volvo's designers have ensured that the all new Volvo C70 follows its latest, modern design trends of rounded front corners with shapely shoulders and rear lights, and is just as attractive and desirable whether the roof is up or down.

The design and development of the folding roof has taken place in collaboration with Pininfarina in Turin, Italy. It will still be built at the Uddevalla plant in Sweden, but in conjunction with Pininfarina – Pininfarina Sverige AB – its first joint venture and the first time Pininfarina has built a car in another country.

The boot lid for the all new Volvo C70 is cleverly designed to open in two opposite directions – either backwards while the roof folding mechanism is operating, or forwards as normal to load luggage.

The C70 offers a generous 400-litre boot capacity with the roof up, or 200-litres with the roof down, while to aid loading and unloading when the roof is stored in the boot, the roof panels can be electronically lifted by 200mm. In addition, a ski-hatch in the rear seat allows longer items to be carried inside the car, plus the front passenger seat also folds forward.

Driving Dynamics

The body structure of the all new Volvo C70 is fully reinforced to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof which not only provides extra safety, but also gives the body very high torsional rigidity that's twice as high as the previous generation Volvo C70 convertible.

The chassis for the all new C70 also helps improve its driving dynamics with a front track of 1550mm (29mm wider than the previous model), and rear track of 1560mm (39mm wider), while the wheelbase is 2640mm (24mm shorter).

Front-wheel drive, MacPherson front suspension, and a Multilink rear axle, combine with a broad track and long wheelbase to make the all new Volvo C70 extremely stable and compliant, with electro-hydraulic steering for improved feel and response.

The engine line-up has also changed with a choice of two, new Volvo petrol engines – a 2.4i and T5 – which are both transversely mounted, in-line, five-cylinder units. These will be followed by a five-cylinder, 180bhp D5 turbo diesel in mid-2006.

The 2.4i is a normally aspirated, long stroke engine with four-valve technology and double overhead camshafts producing 170bhp, 230Nm of torque and CO2 emissions of 215 g/km.

The T5 engine tops the range for performance with its 2.5-litre low pressure turbo engine offering 220bhp with the added flexibility provided by 320Nm of torque from as low as 1500rpm and CO2 emissions of 217g/km. The engine offers highly responsive performance across the rev range, with 0-62mph possible in 7.6 seconds.

Quality and equipment

There are three trim levels for the new Volvo C70: Sport, SE and SE Lux.

Volvo typically offers higher levels of standard equipment compared to its other premium brand rivals, as demonstrated by the comprehensive specification levels of the all new C70.

Sport models include ECC (Electronic Climate Control), 17in polished or 18in alloy wheels, DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control), cruise control, information centre, power windows, leather sports steering wheel and gear knob with aluminium inserts, steering wheel remote audio controls, aluminium trim, leather/T-Tec sports upholstery, performance sound radio/CD audio system with 6-speakers and 4x20W amplifier, power adjustable and heated door mirrors, and front fog lights.

In addition, SE models also gain a power driver's seat, leather upholstery, autodimming rear view mirror, wood trim and a high performance 6xCD/radio audio system with 8-speakers and 4x40W amplifier.

SE Lux models top the all new C70 range with a premium sound 6xCD/radio audio system with Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound and 12 Dynaudio speakers with a total 910 watt output (4x130W + 1x130W amplifier and 2x130W subwoofer), larger 18in alloy wheels, lockable storage areas, power folding door mirrors with ground lights, and power passenger seat.

Volvo is one of the few manufacturers to develop its own sound system and components to suit each car and is introducing a high quality digital amplifier for the all new C70.

DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology is used to adapt the sound to the design of the car's interior and positioning of the speakers to create a natural sound quality. Volume and tone settings are adjusted according to the car's speed, and when the roof is up or down, to ensure the same sound experience regardless of the conditions. The personal settings menu offers three choices of sound adjustment according to the car's speed: low, medium or high.

Dynaudio produces speakers for home use and professional studios and, as a result, the Dynaudio speakers in the all new Volvo C70's Premium Sound system are extremely high quality. The bass drivers are 8in with powerful 3in voice coils and silk dome tweeters – a Dynaudio speciality that helps produce a cleaner sound. To achieve even deeper, richer bass tones, there is the option of dual 8in subwoofers with class D amplifiers producing 130W each mounted behind the rear seats.