Two for one
A convertible is so much fun. With the top neatly stowed, wind in your hair and the sun setting down, you can strut your stuff while cruising on crowded streets on a warm summer evening.
The thing is, summer only lasts three months -- maybe four if Mother Nature is in a good mood. The rest of the year, the roof goes up and the cockpit is darker. In addition, if your car has a soft top, road and wind noises will still have an easy time penetrating inside. That's why, when weighing pros and cons, many people scratch the idea of buying a convertible.
However, over the last three years, we've seen more and more automakers offer retractable hardtops, which solves more than a few problems.
Beautiful with the top down or up
Volvo created an interesting design for the C70. Some convertibles are gorgeous with the top down, but when it's time to put in on, the overall look of the car is compromised. With other models, it's the other way around. Well, I'm happy to report that the C70 is beautiful either way.
With the top up, the car sports a sleek, flowing roofline. The greenhouse is large and, despite a few rear blind spots, visibility is great all around. Incidentally, with a dark paint color, the separation between roof and bodywork is almost invisible. In fact, when you take just a quick glance, the C70 looks like a regular coupe.
On the other hand, with a light paint color, the interior feels much cooler when you step inside on a scorching summer day. Since white reflects sunrays and black absorbs them, the temperature difference inside is significant.
When the roof goes down, the C70 is just as superb. The 3-panel hardtop folds away at the push of a button and completely disappears under a hard tonneau cover. The whole process is quite entertaining to watch: said cover opens rearward, the three panels retract in a Z-shaped pattern and drop into the trunk after which the cover closes upon them. In terms of overall styling, the C70 is impeccable.
A convertible is so much fun. With the top neatly stowed, wind in your hair and the sun setting down, you can strut your stuff while cruising on crowded streets on a warm summer evening.
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| The C70's retractable hardtop means year-round comfort. |
The thing is, summer only lasts three months -- maybe four if Mother Nature is in a good mood. The rest of the year, the roof goes up and the cockpit is darker. In addition, if your car has a soft top, road and wind noises will still have an easy time penetrating inside. That's why, when weighing pros and cons, many people scratch the idea of buying a convertible.
However, over the last three years, we've seen more and more automakers offer retractable hardtops, which solves more than a few problems.
Beautiful with the top down or up
Volvo created an interesting design for the C70. Some convertibles are gorgeous with the top down, but when it's time to put in on, the overall look of the car is compromised. With other models, it's the other way around. Well, I'm happy to report that the C70 is beautiful either way.
With the top up, the car sports a sleek, flowing roofline. The greenhouse is large and, despite a few rear blind spots, visibility is great all around. Incidentally, with a dark paint color, the separation between roof and bodywork is almost invisible. In fact, when you take just a quick glance, the C70 looks like a regular coupe.
On the other hand, with a light paint color, the interior feels much cooler when you step inside on a scorching summer day. Since white reflects sunrays and black absorbs them, the temperature difference inside is significant.
When the roof goes down, the C70 is just as superb. The 3-panel hardtop folds away at the push of a button and completely disappears under a hard tonneau cover. The whole process is quite entertaining to watch: said cover opens rearward, the three panels retract in a Z-shaped pattern and drop into the trunk after which the cover closes upon them. In terms of overall styling, the C70 is impeccable.
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| The exterior styling is both modern and classic. |