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Driving Impressions

The Volvo C70 seems to be made for high-speed cruising. The car is very smooth and steady at freeway-plus speeds. And with the steel top, there's no ragtop racket at high speed. The C70 doesn't accelerate that quickly, but its top speed is a mind-boggling 149 mph, and electronically limited at that. We do not recommend this.

The C70 uses front-wheel drive and Volvo's well-proven turbocharged five-cylinder engine. For 2008, output for the 2.5-liter light-pressure-turbo power plant has been increased from 218 to 227 horsepower at 5,000 rpm, while torque remains unchanged at 236 pound-feet from 1,500 to 4,800 rpm. The flat torque curve puts the power to the front wheels evenly and makes the car highly responsive. Volvo estimates 0 to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox (about a half-second quicker than last year) and 7.4 seconds with the five-speed automatic (ditto). That's respectable performance, but certainly not scintillating. (We consider eight-second 0-60s to be roughly the dividing line between quick and average performance.)

Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated City/Highway 18/27 mpg with the manual transmission, 18/26 mpg with the automatic.

We found the six-speed manual best complements the C70's sports car feel, as well as allowing snappier acceleration and slightly better highway economy. It's such a good gearbox, smooth and tight, and we've praised it in other Volvo models.

On the other hand, we also found the five-speed automatic to be a fine, crisp transmission. And for those who want a little extra control at times, the automatic features a satisfying and obedient Auto-stick mode.

The brakes work well. We found them to be resistant to fade on a winding road that overheated the brakes on some lesser cars.

The C70 doesn't feel heavy when you flick it around in the curves. The rack-and-pinion steering is power-assisted and electro-hydraulic, and provides a solid feel. We wouldn't call it light or nimble, but turning the C70 doesn't require a lot of effort. It simply gives good feedback through the healthy leather-wrapped steering wheel. Solid as a Swede.

The same could be said of the ride. The chassis is stiff, a key to crisp handling and a smooth ride. The current C70 doesn't shake like many convertibles, including the previous-generation model.