It's been a common perception that
convertibles are a playboy's car with little
or no room for a third passenger. In
fact, some of these perceptions still
exist. Of course there are strictly twoseater
convertibles zipping along the
streets but who says you have to
restrict yourself to one?
Low and sleek, the Volvo C70 is a
four-seater hard top convertible with a
roof that retracts in under 30 seconds.
Perfect for the winter weather here in
the Gulf, cruising with the top down displays
the C70's very handsome profile. A
hint of wedge from front to back with
sculpted side inlays and nicely curvaceous
finish gives the C70 a polished
appearance with just a touch of muscle.
With the roof up the C70 has more
authority and class, you could imagine
pulling up to the front of any top hotel
and throwing the valet your keys and be
sure he'd be happy to step inside.
The interior is all about the seats;
they are extremely comfortable and you
seem to fit snugly regardless of size; the
pint-sized me or my 6-foot, 100-kg passenger
felt like the seats were molded for
us separately. Add the optional leather
and you'll be cursing the endless traffic
snarls in Dubai just a little bit less.
The trim was also very well executed
with the centre console and door panels
in a light Nordic oak contrasting with the
beige leather upholstery and steering
wheel.
There is
a good
amount
of
legroom in the back which makes it a
decent four-seater. The premium sound
package includes Dolby pro logic surround
sound with twelve speakers, steering
wheel control and a place for your
ipod/mp3 player; certainly more than enough power to get your heart pumping
and announce your presence with
the hood down.
When it comes to safety the C70 is
more than adequate, it's a Volvo after
all. Safety features include ABS, traction
control, anti-skid system, and front
and side airbags. Also standard are
rollover bars designed to deploy from
the rear headrests if sensors detect an
impending tip over. To indicate how
seriously Volvo take safety the metal
trim has been developed to minimize
metal allergies.
The C70 is available in 5 or 6 speed
manual or geartronic transmission.
Geartronic allows you to leave it in fivespeed
automatic mode for carefree
driving, or nudge it into manual mode if
you want to get a bit more kick in it.
This allows you to maintain a lower
gear, for example, to provide added
engine braking as you approach a bend
or curve and save your brake pads. The
automatic transmission is also perfect
if you need to get the car to crawl slowly
with a heavy load under difficult conditions.
Another misconception about
convertibles is that they are
sports cars. Although the C70
probably doesn't have the
punchy acceleration of a sports
car, it packs enough punch and
“lifts” off in a good speed once
the light turns green and sends
you leaving the other cars
behind.
95,000 AED
