A Volvo That Won’t Bore You to Tears
With the 1998 Volvo C70 comes notice we’ll be seeing fewer golden retrievers perched alongside Dad, panting hard and slobbering softly down passenger windows. The dog, that is.
Sales of Harris tweed jackets will slump; also brier pipes and Old Holborn tobacco. Purchasing a Volvo will no longer require 2.5 children, proof of competency in backpacking and a notarized photocopy of your degree from UC Davis. Preferably a master’s in public health.
For this sensual, even voluptuous coupe arrives in American showrooms in the fall as a deliberate exercise in exorcising all things automotively dull about Volvo and its square, sturdy, agonizingly boring vehicles.
Paint has been elevated to cultural and the culinary arts: “cassis,” after black currant cordials, and “saffron,” as in Buddhist robes and yellow rice. Perceptions of Volvos as cube cars cursed by sluggish performance and humdrum handling are addressed by company literature stating that the C70 is “sporty, with powerful vitality . . . designed by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.”
And this turbocharged, five-cylinder coupe will be available as a dashing convertible, something Volvo hasn’t built in more than 40 years because ragtops suggest sexiness and risk, elements outlawed from the agenda of a conservative, Swedish car maker.
Sporty and vital? Topless or hardtop, the C70 with a five-speed manual accelerates to 60 mph in about seven seconds, which is quicker than today’s flock of lighter, more youthful sport coupes, even Toyota’s swift Paseo and the Eagle Talon ESi.
By enthusiasts, for enthusiasts? The suspension and chassis package has been enhanced by Tom Walkinshaw, guru of Britain’s Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), who designed Le Mans racers for Jaguar and has supervised Volvo’s touring car racing program. So no surprise that the C70’s top speed of 155 mph is an electronically governed wash with the most powerful automobiles from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
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Now add to the mix Volvo’s traditional reputation for engines that never burst, a Yosemite green environmental conscience and obsessive attention to strength and safety.
And the C70 emerges as an automobile of full-market appeal; one not just targeting the company’s hard corps of family folk, but a car to tease younger bloods without families, and graying boomers toasting empty nests and an opportunity to dump their venerable 960 wagons for something with the dignity of Stefan Edberg but the passion of Anita Ekberg.
Although sized and engineered heavily around the chassis and powertrain of the front-lovely, rear-ugly Volvo 850R, the fresh look of the C70 is a chic, rounded statement with all-European echoes of Audi and BMW. Despite a 10% increase in torque to 243 pound foot, the 236-horsepower, inline-five engine is virtually identical to the 850.
It’s a fastback showing the tapered tail of Audi’s A4. The hood, front and rear glass, and semielliptical roof line suggest BMW’s 3- and 5-Series. The understated, almost modest front grille--still trimmed with Volvo crossbar and badge--is almost Mustang, while five-spoked wheels shoed with low profile rubber add to this hint of Detroit muscle.
But uniquely C70 is the way lines and planes curve in and around, over and under themselves. It creates the illusion of shortening the car, with the suggestion of something strong and surprising under the hood. They are subtle, clever visuals of a coupe that seems to be hugging itself in anticipation of broad roads and fun times ahead.
The interior is simply elegant, probably the best to come from Volvo. Gauges and controls are positioned like old friends, with nothing where it shouldn’t be. Tradition and richness are honored by leather bucket seats and standard placement of black walnut wood trim. And there’s innovation in remote releases for trunk and filler door in the driver’s armrest.
Despite that tapering tail--and a roundness beginning just fo’ard of the rear window pillar--there are wide open spaces in the back for a pair of adults. But getting there is a bit of wait and a squeeze, thanks to motorized front seats that are deadly slow and don’t move far enough forward.
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One will be forgiven for presuming the optional AM-FM-CD and cassette sound system was lifted from a movie theater. It’s Dolby Surround Sound with 14 speakers and enough wattage to blow off your baseball cap. Unfortunately, one of those square speakers sits raised and dead center on the dash and is about as unobtrusive as the top turret on a B-17. Or an abandoned Spam sandwich.
The C70--sedan and station wagons will be known as the S70 and V70--is engineered to the usual pinnacles of Volvo safety and technology. Safety cage and anti-lock brakes are standard. So are driver and passenger air bags, and side impact bags.
Padded head restraints, childproof locks, rear fog light, knee bolsters, pyrotechnic seat belt pretensioners and traffic warning lights in open doors: If it has been invented to protect us from ourselves, it will be found on a Volvo.
Then there are cosmetics and conveniences. Tilt and telescoping steering wheel. Power sunroof. Heated mirrors and daylight running lights. Alloy wheels. Dim-down and bright-up interior lights. Cruise control, driver / passenger automatic air, rear reading lights. All standard.
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A ton of stuff, of course, doesn’t come cheap. But then the shrillest cries against Volvo have always centered on the high cost of being so homey. Prices for the C70 have not been set, but expect a base of $40,000 for the coupe, $45,000 for the convertible.
Despite specifications and appearances, this coupe should never be mistaken for a sports car. Steering is a little heavy, particularly at lower speeds, and is reluctant to be tugged off center. Despite a fairly firm ride, we had trouble reading precisely what the wheels were doing on twisty bits where pinpoint, mutual communication is a must.
At 3,197 pounds, the C70 is no Miata. Sudden changes of direction produced noticeable leans as weight went sideways and the suspension hesitated before soaking up all those moving energies. So we backed off and headed for straighter and more level terrain, where the car lopes at an easy, wonderful pace and its turbocharger seems in complete control of things from zip to maximum speeds.
Which makes the C70 a spirited, entertaining tourer and compared to yesterday’s Volvos, a Lexus SC300 evolved from a Peterbilt.
Or as Volvo executives have recently taken to bragging: We have kept the toy and thrown away the box.
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1998 Volvo C70
The Good: Out with boring and dowdy, in with high spirits and elegant styling. Volvo safety, strength and durability left intact. Genuine performance car aimed at both ends of the market for quality coupes, and all customers in between.
The Bad: Price is scary. Handling still Volvo, which falls off the knife edge and lands on the heavy side.
The Ugly: Dashboard speaker bigger than some radios.
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1998 Volvo C70
Cost
* Base: $40,000 estimated. (Includes front and side air bags; knee bolsters; power windows, mirrors, doors and driver’s seat; anti-lock brakes; dual climate controls; power steering; cruise control; rear child seat anchors; wood trim; center armrest with cup holders; remote releases; etc.)
* As tested, $43,000 estimated. (Adds automatic transmission, heated leather seats, traction control and 14-speaker Dolby Surround Sound with CD.)
Engine
* 2.3-liter, 20-valve, turbocharged inline-five, developing 236 horsepower.
Type
* Front-engine, front-drive coupe.
Performance
* 0-60 mph, as tested: 7.4 seconds, with automatic.
* Top speed (manufacturer’s estimate): 155 mph.
* Fuel consumption, city and highway, estimated: 19 and 27 mpg.
Curb Weight
* 3,197 pounds.
