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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 27, 2006 - 25 C70 gives you two cool Volvos in one hot package By Bradley Horn SPECIAL EVERYTHING Auto your guide to everything auto in Oakville 29 1A SP E ER S RD ., O AK VI COME EXPERIENCE TRUE CLEAN QUALITY LL E, 90 5. 33 15% 9. 37 77 OFF No offence, but it seems some of the foreign press are a bit more, uh, enthusiastic, behind the wheel during press launches as compared to the (mostly) stoic Canadians. Our contingent was the last of six waves of journalists invited to the lush, lavaformed island of Maui, Hawaii, to drive Volvo's new 2006 C70 hardtop convertible. We were preceded by a month's-worth of American, Japanese and Mexican journalists, all of whom made good use of the scenic, serpentine, Hana Highway -- a 50-mile two-laner, comprising some 600 turns and 50 one-lane bridges. Judging by one local's reaction, the auto writers hadn't exactly been sticking to the 25-mph speed limit. After rounding a tight left-hander, a heated Hawaiian came steaming toward us in a clapped-out Mitsubishi pickup. As we passed each other, he actually leaned out the window and spat at our car, cursing virulently. Apparently, earlier in the week he had encountered a C70 that had severally ruffled his grass skirt. Thankfully, there were no further incidents over our three days on the island, and we were able to wring out and enjoy one of the most compelling Volvos to date in peace. The first generation C70 was available in both coupe and convertible models. This new, second-generation replaces both with one all-singing, all-dancing retractable hardtop model. Volvo's design team in California beat out colleagues in Barcelona and Sweden for the honours of penning the new C70. The car is largely a joint effort between Volvo and Italy's long-time convertible connoisseurs, Pininfarina. Volvo readily admits its partner has "much more knowledge" when it comes to building receding roofs, especially in the case of C70's computer-controlled, threepiece wünderkind. The steel roof is impressive in action, flipping and folding into the trunk in 30 seconds. With the roof up, cargo capacity is 400 litres; with the roof down it decreases to a stillrespectable 200. Also, when the roof is down, access to the trunk can be reached by (electrically) moving the folded roof out of the way. Open, the C70 gives that glorious, openair convertible feel, while with the roof closed, the interior is appropriately quiet, thanks in large part to a proper fabric headliner. Volvo says torsional rigidity improves 15 per cent with the top up. Californian John Kinsey (who rightly surfs every morning before work) is primarily responsible for the C70's sexy look. His team crafted a coupe first, getting the lines just right, before casting off the roof to create the convertible. The front end and big shoulders connect the car to its Volvo lineage, but the C70's rear, with its dual exhaust and squat taillights, exudes an attitude, that of all things, evokes the Dodge Viper. The front-drive C70 uses a modified P1 platform shared with the S40/V50 twins. Twice as rigid as the previous car, it's also shorter and lower. As expected, the drop-top overflows with safety innovation. Hydroformed and highstrength steel is used in the windshield frame, doors, B-pillars and behind the rear seats to keep passengers safe and crash forces out of the cockpit. Front, side and curtain airbags are EVERYTHIN standard, the latter, like the Mercedes-Benz SLK, deploy from the door tops and deflate slowly in a rollover. As before, the Rollover Protection System (ROPS) is standard, firing protective bars up behind the rear seats in a collision. All models use a 2.5-litre DOHC 5-cylinder turbocharged engine, making 218 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 236 lb-ft of torque between 1,500 and 4,800 rpm. Transversely mounted, it uses variable camshaft control and four valves per cylinder. The front suspension employs a MacPherson strut design, while the rear suspension is in a multi-link configuration. The foldaway roof is able to significantly alter the character of the C70, but how the option boxes are checked off can have a similar effect. Our first tester was a silver 5-speed automatic wearing the standard 17-inch wheels. Overall, the package had a refined, boulevard cruiser feel, with the electro-hydraulic steering feeling light (but controlled) and the engine pulling smartly after a brief bit of turbo lag. Day two brought a whole different animal: a red tester wearing the $4,250 Sport Package, standard 6-speed manual gearbox, optional 18-inch performance tires, and level and mass movement sensors. In short, the C70 is transformed. The 6-speed (derived from Volvo's R cars) has BMW aspirations, encouraging high revs to keep the turbo spooled and immediate power on tap. The sticky tires and added sensors work with the standard DSTC stability system and 4wheel ABS disc brakes to give the C70 exceptional dynamics for its class, albeit the exhaust note is a bit tame and power goes to the front wheels only. With claimed best-in-class rear shoulder room, we agree with Volvo Continued on Page 27 Oak-land Ford Lincoln y Offer expires Oct. 2nd. p $500 Bounty N YOU TRADE ANY GM,TOY O ISSAN OR H e, 570 TRAFALGAR ROAD, OAKVILLE · AT THE QEW · WWW.OAKLANDFORDLINCOLN.CA 1-866-398-4270