Volvo C70 Coupe Review

You can have a 2.5-litre petrol engine, but the smart money is spent on one of the diesels. The 148bhp D3 version would be our pick because it offers all the performance you need and keeps the price down. However, the slightly pricier 174bhp D4 is a little quicker and just as fuel-efficient.

The C70 is not a new car, and you really feel that in the way it drives. The ride is jittery and uncultured whatever your speed, and bumps send shudder through the bodywork. The handling isn’t great, either. Grip is limited, there’s too much body lean and the steering feels too light and too remote.

Convertibles with metal roofs are usually quieter than those with a fabric hood, but the C70’s pillarless side windows still generate a fair amount of wind noise. Road noise is rather too pronounced, too. The engines aren’t refined enough, either; the five-cylinder petrol is boomy and the diesels are rather grumbly. You’re reasonably well isolated from buffeting with the roof down, though.