2006 Volvo C70 Convertible T5 review

Volvo C70 Convertible T5 review:

Thanks to a unique three-piece retractable hardtop, customers of the second-generation Volvo C70 can enjoy life without compromise – whether the top is up or down. The all new Volvo C70 is unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September, and sales will get under way in the first half of 2006.

The all new Volvo C70 was developed to offer new standards of preventive and protective safety in the convertible market. The car has an advanced body structure and several solutions that make it unique among open-top cars. The lack of a fixed roof has been compensated for by reinforcements and sophisticated technology. One unique example is the door-mounted Inflatable Curtain (IC) a new feature, which is part of the enhanced protection system for side impacts. Since the IC cannot be fitted in the roof like other Volvos, it is fitted in the door and inflates upwards when it is deployed. Volvo's safety engineers have fine-tuned the IC to be extra stiff. As a result, it can stay upright and help protect the head effectively. In addition, the curtain deflates slowly to help provide additional protection if the car rolls over. This is a unique solution in the automotive world.

The body structure, in a carefully designed network of beams, not only contributes to the car’s high safety standards, it also gives the body extremely high torsional rigidity – twice as high as that of the previous C70 model. With the roof up, torsional rigidity increases by a further 10-15 percent. The all-new Volvo C70 is initially powered by in-line, five-cylinder engines topped by the turbocharged 2.5 litre T5 that produces 220 hp (162 kW) and offers maximum torque of 320 Nm. There are also two normally aspirated, 2.4-litre engines producing 170 hp (125 kW) and 140 hp (103 kW). Later during 2006 a 2.4 litre, 5-cylinder diesel engine, producing 180 hp (132 kW), will be available.

The development and manufacture of the all new Volvo C70 is the result of a joint venture with renowned Italian company Pininfarina and like its predecessor, the car is built in Uddevalla in Sweden. End of Volvo C70 Convertible T5 review.