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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.

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We take a second look at the Volvo C70 cabriolet

Nothing to do with boring

Published in Weekend Witness Motoring on Saturday September 4, 2010

In a Bond movie, years ago, the hero took himself to task and backed off from temptation with the words: "Discipline, 007." Now it's my turn to be disciplined.  I must remember that the Volvo C70 cabriolet is not a saloon car; it is scarcely a proper coupé and it's definitely not a family chariot for the likes of Mum, Dad, two-point-seven kids and a couple of small domestic animals.

I will therefore not whine about the size of its boot, top up or tucked away, or that seating is strictly two-plus-two, despite what the company's press releases tell you. The C70, available here with just one engine, the Volvo/Ford 2,5 litre T5 turbocharged five-cylinder and just one gearbox, the rather refined Aisin AW55-51 five-speeder, is a niche player for a specific type of buyer.

Cabriolets, convertibles or roadsters, call them what you will, are about open roads, the wind in your hair, sunny days and gentle breezes, being at one with Nature and at peace with the world. Forget budget cuts, quarterly reviews, your golf handicap and the overdraft - life is for living and a good open tourer is the golden key to La Dolce Vita. Think skiing (there is a special hatchway between the boot and the back seat, just for snow skis), lost weekends for two and days at the beach.

I last drove this car in October 2008 and was given another opportunity recently, after it was resculpted and refreshed a few months ago. Volvo has redesigned the front and rear to harmonise more with current and future Volvo models. "Materials and trim details have been upgraded to enhance the atmosphere of luxury and enjoyment inside the car," explains Fedde Talsma, Exterior Chief Designer at Volvo Cars.

The new C70 has a clearer, more pronounced face. Bodywork details such as front wings have been redesigned, the nose is more wedge-shaped and the headlights have been repositioned to give the car a more dynamic appearance, while detailing of the lower grille is more pronounced.

High-tech LED lamps, of the same type found on the Volvo XC60, are the most noticeable update at the rear. The entire lamp unit is clearly integrated with the oval framing the rear panel, while new lines and details in the rear bumper and elsewhere emphasise the family design language.

The instrument panel has been redesigned, giving it a wider, sleeker look with a new texture to enhance the feeling of quality. New instruments, with gauges and graphics specific to the C70, emphasise the car's premium feel. "We've focussed the new interior features around the driver to give a stronger perception of being rewarded behind the wheel. The seats are upholstered in a new type of soft hide and there is even better detail finish to make driving a more pleasurable experience than ever before," said Talsma.

The lightly charged 2,5 litre motor develops 169 kW at 5 000 rpm and 320 Nm of torque between 1 500 and just under 5 000 rpm, getting you to the magical 100 km/h in just 8 seconds and on to a maximum of 235 km/h. It's not the performance of grand prix winners, but that's not what this car is about. The numbers tell you, and practical driving confirms, that you get to your destination quickly, easily and with a minimum of stress.

A gentle prod on the accelerator pedal results in a quick and smooth kickdown to one gear lower, while a little more venom results in a double downshift and a pleasing rush to gather in the approaching horizon. The five-speed Geartronic 'box fitted to the C70 is a straightforward torque converter unit with manual override, very useful for holding third while chasing bends in country roads, for instance.

There is no "sport" position, nor does it do all your thinking for you. In manual mode it will gently nudge down to a lower gear if you are labouring the poor thing in too high a ratio, but it leaves the decision as to when to upshift entirely to you. Well, there is always the rev limiter for occasions when you really are too dim to breathe unassisted, of course.

Briefly, the Volvo C70 has little to do with practicality but all to do with pleasure, nothing to do with boring and all about just for a day, or even an hour, tossing discipline out through where the roof would otherwise be and just having fun.

The numbers

Price: R538 500

Engine: 2 521 cc DOHC 5 cylinder, turbocharged

Power: 169 kW at 5 000 rpm

Torque: 320 Nm between 1 500 and 4 980 rpm

Zero to 100: 8,0 seconds

Maximum speed: 235 km/h

Real world average fuel consumption: about 12,0 l/100 km

Tank: 62 litres

Maintenance plan: 5 years/100 000 km

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax. 

So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

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