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Volvo C70 Convertible - 2006 and Newer
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Comments
First impression was that the car looks very classy and sophisticated. Definitely geared towards the baby boomer crowd which I am proud to be one of.
Someone had mentioned that the gas and brake pedals were very close together. I certaining agree and this may cause a problem if you are wearing wide shoes. I'm not joking the pedals are real close and I will pay attention to that when I have a test drive.
The roof looks great from the inside and out. You would never guess that this was a convertible without prior knowledge. The roof mechanism is quite fasinating and takes about the same time as my SAAB ragtop to open and close. When the top is down there isn't much usable room in the trunk. I don't know if I can keep a set of golf clubs in the car while the roof is down. This is important to me and could break a deal. My 2003 SAAB convertible held 2 sets of clubs with the roof down.
The C70 I ordered was originally scheduled to arrive 6/14 and now has been pushed back to 6/30. I not sure but I think more delays are likely.
I'll report back after my test drive and look forward to reading other peoples experiences.
This is the only convertible I'm considering so I'm going to the auto show tomorrow in New York to scout out sports sedans as an alternative if I decide against the C70. Now that's a long list of alternatives.
I test drove a Nissan 350Z yesterday - sweet! But nuthin' but troubles with tires and trannys posted on the 350Z threads here. So...back to the wait...
The interior is very pleasant with top down, not too much turbulence inside. The Dynaudio stereo is fantastic, really a great sound system.
Cons: definite turbo-lag. That took some getting used to. My Maxima responds the second I hit the pedal; the Volvo has a bit of hesitation which was a little disconcerting. I tried out the back seat, and found it VERY difficult to exit. Maybe a younger, skinnier, more flexible person would have no problem. Also I make the mistake of doing this from the driver's side, it might be easier on the passenger side.
Brake had a weird sort of springy feel. They worked fine, just was different than what I was used to.
Trunk space with top down of course is adequate, though limited. I brought along my typical weekend bags and they fit ok, with a little room to spare.
Nit-picky thing, but could be annoying, was that I found the speedo and the information screen a little hard to read. I was wearing sunglasses, and that just about cancelled out the green lit time and temp. sign. The speedo and the other gauges are orange against black, and smallish type. I guess you'd get used to it, and it's not a deal-breaker, but I expected a little better graphics.
Dealer is asking full sticker, plus $250 advertising, plus $300 dealer processing fee. They have 8 slots, and have sold six of them. The car in the color combination I want is due to come in in September. So really, for me personally I'd be just as well off with OSD for fall delivery of an '07.
I certainly am still considering buying one, but I'm not as afflicted with "gotta have it-itis" as I thought I would be.
This car will be an addition to our Silverado pickup and our '99 VW Cabrio (173k miles). So it will be a pleasure car for the most part for us. One thing for sure is if I hear one peep about problems with the tops on these things I'm walking away from it and will wait it out for another year.
This is a first for me: ordering a car that I won't get for six months or more but I think it's the right thing to do here. I want to see the bugs worked out on these things before I drop more than I've ever thought I would pay for a car in my life.
FYI, the 07 info is out, so check w/ your dealer.
1) the engine is OK, but I didn't like the turbo lag & thought there was significant tourque steer when you "punch" the throttle. overall a good engine, but i think the car would be better served with the S60R engine.
2) stereo was awesome. except that it didn't have an aux/ipod port (which i've complained ad nauseum about already).
3) the top is a work of art & trunk space was adequate even with the top down (thanks to the load aid).
4) interior is handsome & smart. nav system is well done with joystick on the steering column.
5) car felt heavy & it is. it doesn't have the roadster feel of tearing around town in a cabrio, but then again it's not supposed to be that kind of car.
6) hated the clutch - felt rubbery & cheap.
7) C70 has high attention value - people were looking it over with amazement as i dropped the top on a sidestreet.
overall impression is that car is a great roadtrip cruiser & practical daily driver (if you choose AT or 6M but don't live in city). i've had some life events happen lately that take me out of the $40K car purchase range, so i pulled my order, but otherwise i think the car is a gem (this was tough as i got $5K off the MSRP through the military).
hope that helps & maybe i'll be back in the game for '07
(Black with Calcite Cream interior)
JDSmith, I'm curious as to where you live, that you were able to get your car right away without pre-ordering? (Or had you ordered your car, subject to an acceptable test drive?) Around here (northern Virginia), there is nothing available for immediate delivery. Earliest available was mid-July for a black one (I think), or late September for Celestial Blue with Cream.
Did your dealer charge you for advertising fee and so on? The dealer here wanted $250 for advertising fee plus $300 for dealer prep. And no negotiation at all on price, full list.
Anyway, for myself, I'll be keeping the Z for at least two years, I think, and maybe reconsidering the Volvo at that time.
I actually put a refundable deposit down back in February. I was told that I was the 3rd on the list at my dealership and they would be receiving a demo and 6 cars for sale before other dealerships because of a promotional plan they participated in last year. I wasn't able to do any sort of special ordering. So when the cars came in this past Thursday, I received a call and was able to come in and decide if I wanted one of them or not. If I had decided not to take one of the first six, I could've gotten my special order on June 15th (which was going to be black with black interior). I chose to take the cream interior. They were not able to negotiate much on the price. MSRP + window etching fee + destination fee + dealer prep fee
congratulations on your new car. i hope you'll post again in a few days to keep us all informed on how you are enjoying your new c70.
i debated about ordering the black, but opted for another color... having not seen a black one in person yet, can you tell me if the black stone is a metallic or pearl finish or flat black?
Great Car (Never Perfect) - Volvo Deserves Much Credit!!!!!
What color, options, etc. are you getting?
Jay
My car was also a case of a leftover 2005 model. It is Redline over black leather, Touring Roadster, with alloy wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport HP tires (a $1200 option), supplemental side air bags, automatic transmission, alumunimum kick plates, cargo net, floor mats, splash guards, trunk mat. Original list was just over $40,000, discounted asking price was $34,500 (on hang tag), I got them down to $33,500 very quickly, plus the next two sets of tires.
(The dealer offered the tires; this is a program that Nissan is promoting, and you have to have your car serviced at the dealer - ALL the scheduled services. For me, no problem, I would do that anyway. We've had our Maxima serviced at this dealer for the last six years.)
If you can buy an '05 for about that price, anywhere in the low to mid 30's, I'd grab it. Essentially the dealer is eating the first year's depreciation. An '06, with the options I got, would list at $41,375.
To compare to the C70 financial side of it, just to keep this on topic: The base list prices are almost identical, at around $38,000. Volvo options as I wanted would have brought it to around $43,000 (A/T, Climate Control, Premium package and park assist). Dealer wanted (and is getting) full list, PLUS $250 ad fee, plus $300 dealer prep. Nissan dealer: no ad fee, and $199 dealer prep. Plus tax, tags, and title, of course.
Thus the '05 Z-car ended up being about $10,000 less than the full price of the Volvo. An '06 Z would be closer to the Volvo price, just a bit less.
To compare the cars: Both cars have an easily retractable top that disappears under the trunk lid. No muss, no fuss, with either one. In the case of the Nissan, the top does not interfere in any way with the storage space in the trunk; in the Volvo it does, and that might be a nuisance. Both have (in my opinion, of course), an elegant look to them. Both are going to be high-quality products, I think.
Usable trunk space, surprisingly, is about the same in the Nissan as in the Volvo, and I preferred it because the trunk floor is completely flat, unlike the Volvo with the well in the middle.
The big difference is in the nature of the cars. The Nissan is a blast to drive. It hugs the road, it goes fast, you put pedal to the metal and she is GONE! 287 hp on high-performance tires will put a grin on your face if you've got a driver's soul at all. When you need to stop, you will stop, comfortably and securely. You will feel connected to the road.
The interior is elegantly simple, in a sporty way. Besides the tach and the speedo right in front of the driver, there are three gauges to the side, facing the driver, one being a multi-function computer with tire pressure monitoring, outside temp., speed, a stop-watch function, couple other things. Other two gauges are oil pressure and engine temp. There are some storage cubbies in the cabin, but no conventional glove box, so the area in front of the passenger feels very spacious.
The Nissan has some weight and heft to it, so I felt very secure and not blown around at all on the Beltway, with trucks whooshing by me. That was what I was most concerned about in thinking of a roadster. It's just not a problem, the car feels very grounded and secure.
Volvo: Gorgeous car, very high marks for style. But for me, the driving experience just wasn't there. It felt heavy and ponderous. The noticeable turbo-lag had me wondering when the car would respond to pressure on the accelerator. The brake pedal felt like there was a spring under it to make it bounce back. Handling was typical of a large-ish sedan - i.e., comfortable enough but the steering was light and nowhere near the pinpoint precision of the Nissan.
Of course the Volvo seats four people, so if you need that extra seat, well, that takes care of it.
But if you don't, if it's mostly you and some lucky passenger - well, I bought the Nissan with 72 miles on it, and it now has well over 200. I've been having fun - and that's just since Saturday!
For those still deciding - Warren Brown, car columnist for the Washington Post, in his on-line chat today said he'd be taking the C70 out for a drive this afternoon, probably down to the Shenandoah Valley. Look for a WP review sometime in the very near future. His column runs in the Sunday paper, and you can find it online at washingtonpost dot com.
Economies of scale, why shouldn't they use it? Keeps the price within reach.
It certainly wasn't the shared platform that made me decide against it, it was the way it drove. But if you want luxury more than driving excitement, it's a beautiful car and purchasers I'm sure are going to be very happy with it.
How you construct that blueprint and what materials you use are the determining factors.
The VW Phaeton costs $80,000, the Bentley Continental over $200,000 yet they share the same platform.
The Toyota Camry can be has @ $22,000, the Lexus ES330 around $35,000 yet they share the same platform.
So do the Honda Odyssey and the Acura MDX.
To get back to the discussion at hand, the Mazda 3 weighs in around 2700 lbs, the S40 around 3100 lbs and the C70 around 3800 lbs. Clearly some significant differences in construction and materials between the 3 cars.
Thanks
All other colors are on the rest of our lineup.
FAIK, only Black and Silver demo cars were delivered.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I ended up with a red 350Z, and love it. Never thought I'd own a roadster, but one drive in it had me thinking; test drove the Volvo the next day, had much the same less-than-awed impressions that you had, went back to the Nissan the day after that and bought my fun-mobile.
Freedom of choice: what a great concept! ;-)
For issues, I too was annoyed by the high door well - I could not put my arm on the door sill easily or comfortably. Thinking about it later, it would be a problem if the air bag was to suddenly pop in an accident and you had your arm on the door sill. The interior was sparse - nothing really fancy at all, but well done. While the front seats had very ample room, the back seat will still be a challenge for some. Seems the passenger front seat has a lot more room and the back seat passenger behind this person should be OK - but not the driver side.
Anyway, some good and some bad. Since I am determined to get my first convertible - this one fits the bill the best of the ones I have looked at and I can't wait.
Figure the earliest is Sept.
The 06's are coming in July and August.
So late Sept to Oct is the most likely time.
-The 2.5T engine is quiet and doesnt have quite the get up and go put it is very respective considering the cars weight and the 21/29 mpg.
-It has torque steer and turbo lag but again weight of the car and mpg performance take your mind of the little things.
- The 18 inch wheels and lower profile tires are sexy and it drives as if you were on rails on the smooth pavement but drive on an uneven interstate or rutted side street and you'll have both hands on the wheel keeping it tracking on your intended course.
-The trunk has plenty of room for a convertible with the top up and with the top down and you can get one golf bag into that remaining 7 cubic feet.
-The Dynaudio stereo is quite nice and very easy to operate. Sound quality very impressive.
-The drivers cockpit is very ergonomic, seats very comfortable, interior is well laid out, simple, and the steering wheel very comfortable.
- Console controls again very impressive and simple.
-The hardtop is quite the engineering feat and looks nice from the inside and out.
-Overall the look of the car in most impressive in person, the driving experience is different but with all the design features, and as mentioned performance and comfort and how about those looks !!!
As much as I like the Audi's I am very happy and impressed with everything about this car. Mind you yes it has noticeable differences that one could say are less of an attribute than what an Audi or another car offers but again I think the overall end product/system that Volvo has put together here in the C70 makes for a very impressive total package.
Volvo......Impressive Car!!!
Is there a perfect car out there? I think Volvo came very close to answering that question with the C70.
For those of you that weren't as lucky as I and will have to wait for yours to be delivered.
I think you will be happy, its worth the wait.!!!!
Was this the dealer's would-be demo that he sold you? Odd that some dealers are selling their demos.
However, there never were ANY C70's available for delivery in the March/April/May period, except for the store demo's.
All the 06's were delayed.
The earliest that customer cars should appear is June.
If your dealer has a car ordered for you, he should be able to show you the CIS report, this will give the approx date of arrival.