Volvo C70 - Swedish surprise

The Swedes are good at many things, mainly in knitting stylish jumpers and wearing them peacefully in front of a cozy log fire. The leading car manufacturer in Sweden, Volvo, have primarily built cars to fit this image. Occasionally, however, some sportier models creep through the doors of Volvos' factories.

Volvo C70 2.3 T5 in Mystic Silver (1999)

Today the car in question is the Volvo C70 from 1999. It is available as a 2-door coupé and as a convertible with a canvas roof. The car I drove is obviously the coupé version. Another thing obvious from the picture is that it is quite a large car for a two door and the driving experience reflected that. The styling is done by the same man as almost the entire Volvo range in the late 90's and early 00's. I think the styling is modest and understated, you could almost call it timeless. Slightly flared wheel arches, no extra gills or styling cues some may consider vulgar. It even has only one exhaust pipe. Today, even the small Audi S1 has four of them.

Despite the coupé roof, even a lofty person can sit in the rear seats cozily.

The theme of modesty continues in the interior. The dashboard is made of soft, quality plastics some wood and leather. The buttons and switches are from other Volvos which means that it feels a bit conventional. And some of these buttons are in strange places, but nothing, no one couldn't become accustom to. But the best thing about the interior is the seats, which are excellent and are very suitable for the character of the car. The rear seats as well will fit two adults in comfort.

The outstanding seats make this a delightful place to be.

Behind this simple grill sits a jewel of an engine.

To move this flagship front-wheel drive coupé, Volvo offered a string of five cylinder engines. This specimen has the turbocharged 2.3 litre five cylinder called the T5. It delivers a power of 240 HP through a 5-speed manual which moves the car from 0-100 km/h in under seven seconds. This is the fastest version of the C70. That said, it did feel faster than what the moderate seven seconds would suggest. When the turbo kicks in at around 3000 RPM it really does fly. Despite the substantial weight and the comfortable suspension it tracks very well and you always feel like you're safe and in control, even though the slippery conditions made the traction control work overtime. The only complaint I have is why did Volvo give it front wheel drive. As rear wheel drive or even four wheel drive it would really have rivaled the competition, namely the Merc CLK. I suspect because of the front-wheel drive and that heavy engine it feels a tad nose heavy and the turning circle is shocking. But the turning circle is instantly forgotten when you hear the throaty baritone bellow of the five cylinder turbo. I honestly believe that it is one of the greatest and purest engine noises of any engine.

The Volvo C70 may be a sports coupé but in my mind it isn't a sports car. Its large body front-wheel drive layout represents more a long distance cruiser or a budget French Riviera cruiser if you will. I don't think it will become a classic. But if you want to experience performance motoring but still keep your sensible hat on, I really cannot imagine a better car to choose than this.

C70 in the sun.