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Volvo C70
By Frank S. Washington-NNPA Columnist
HANA, MAUI, Hawaii -- The Hana Highway is fabled. There are 54 one-lane bridges and 600 turns over the 35 mile, two-lane stretch that leads to the top of the Haleakala Volcano. At more than 10,000, ft., there were points where we literally looked down at the clouds.
With a background lush with African Tulip, Banion, Eucalyptus and Mango trees, it was an impressive statement that we even noticed Volvos new C70, the car we were here to test drive.
The 2006 C70 is a convertible hardtop. It replaces a coupe and a rag top convertible of the same name. The C70 is powered by a turbocharged in-line five cylinder engine that makes 218 horsepower and 236 pounds-feet of torque from 1500 rpm to 4800 rpm. It can be equipped with either a five-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.
We had the five-speed automatic on the way to the top of the Volcano and found it more than adequate for the climb. From time to time, we could hear the engine working to overcome the altitude but it never strained to get the job done
We were in prototypes, not production cars. The all-new C70 has been in production since November, so its must be designated as a 2006 model and not 2007.
The convertible top was fabricated from steel. An electric motor, hydraulic pump and computer took 30 seconds to fold the three pieces into the trunk. The cargo area could be used with the top folded into the truck. Top down, it had six cubic feet of cargo space. Top up, cargo space doubled to 12 cubic feet.
We climbed into a manual transmission C70 down and were able to push it a bit on the way down from the Haleakala National Forest and we got a real sense of its driving characteristics.
The car responded well to driver input, response was immediate and accurate. Gear shifts, the most robust of which were downshifts, were smooth and we encountered no problems when we had to cross gate, mostly from second to third.
We did have one sprint on Hwy 366 and acceleration was more than adequate. The car tracked well and cruised at 80 mph with little effort. Since we had the top down, we couldn't gauge quietness. But we had no problem hearing the sound system or each other in casual conversation.
Among the standard equipment on the C70 are 17-inch wheels, power seats, in-dash CD player, six-speed manual transmission and of course the retractable hardtop. Options include satellite radio, a DVD-based navigation system, Bi-Xenon headlamps, 18-inch wheels, a 910-watt audio system and heated front seats.
Volvo has developed side curtain airbags that are mounted in the door and afford head protection with the top down and the windows open. And the roll over bars will deploy upon rear collision to protect occupants from flying objects.
Volvo hopes to double sales of the previous C70 to 16,000 annually with half that number sold in the US. Prices start at $38,710.
Frank S. Washington, a former correspondent for Newsweek magazine, has covered the automobile industry for such publications as Automotive News, Advertising Age and the Detroit News Online. Your comments are welcomed. Washington can be reached at P.O. Box 23167, Detroit, Michigan 48223 or by e-mail at frank@aboutthatcar.com. You can also visit his Web site, aboutthatcar.com.
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