Volvo C70

The Volvo is a luxurious, roomy coupe-convertible, wearing a premium badge. But the company does charge quite a premium over less prestigious rivals.

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Rating:
On the road price: £26,295 - £33,875
For : Roof is great to watch, spacious rear seats, tuneful five-cylinder engine, interior design, chunky styling, strong image and residuals
Against : Expensive, lacklustre performance and dull road manners, wind noise from A-pillars, pointless door pockets

Driving:
The Volvo uses a range of five-cylinder engines, but the popular 170bhp 2.4-litre is found wanting. The unit shows no enthusiasm for high revs, and acceleration is found wanting. Still, the warbling engine note gives it some personality - and besides, cabrios are designed to cruise, not tear up the tarmac. This is just as well, as the Volvo doesn't like to be rushed - it feels ponderous around corners. But relax and the C780 does a very good job. The short-throw five-speed gearbox has a wonderfully taut shift, the ride is mature and the car feels very stiff. However, we were surprised at the level of wind noise from the tops of the A-pillars.

Marketplace:
Italian firm Pininfarina has an outpost at Volvo's Swedish factory, to build the C70. But the styling doesn't show much Italian influence - it's typically Volvo, so handsome in a chunky way. Still, Latin flare shines through in the folding three-piece hard-top roof mechanism, which is dramatic to watch (making up for the lengthy operation - nearly half a minute). Smaller than the soft-top model it replaced, the C70- is available in a number of forms, including a turbodiesel variant. But it's priced to reflect the maker's premium status; it's costlier than every over four-seat CC on the market, including the VW Eos, Vauxhall Astra TwinTop and Ford Focus CC. Consider the Audi A4 Convertible and Saab 9-3 Convertible as its key rivals.

Owning:
The driving environment is defined by the elegant sweep of metal that forms the centre console and gearlever surround. It's a successful design, and while the buttons on it look cramped, lipped edges and a logical layout make them easy to hit. The seating position is similarly excellent, with plenty of telescopic wheel movement and a rim that fits in the palms of your hands perfectly. Rear passengers have ample space and comfort too, while the roof mechanism folds neatly into the boot and offers an electrical tilt function so luggage can still be accessed. Seats are lush and stowage is provided by side pockets and a binnacle running front to rear. But while the Volvo has superb retained values - among the best of any car - it's costly to service, not helped by short 12,500-mile intervals. Pence-per-mile costs are high too; economy isn't great which doesn't help, though insurance is a reasonable group 15.