The kids and I learned the hard way that blazing midday heat causes convertibles to become nocturnal. The C70's hardtop makes it easy to hide from the punishing sun. The power hardtop goes up in about 30 seconds. This enables the driver and rider to cover up and cool down during the hottest part of the day and then re-emerge later with no hassle whatsoever. The kids and I used a little more discretion with the hardtop and all was well.
The C70's turbo engine is zippy. It went as fast as I wanted it to, and I never felt like it would get away from me. The braking is responsive in this front-wheel-drive car. The C70 seems to be made for just enjoying the open road, not taking hot laps at the track. And that's alright with this girl.
I'll admit I was initially surprised by the $46,550 price tag of my test car, but then I started doing the math. The C70's base price is $39,950. If I don't get the fancy stereo, which is part of the Multimedia Package ($2,600), and the Dynamic Package ($1,000), it's looking a bit more affordable. Considering all of the safety gear and the engineering marvel that is the retractable hardtop, the sticker shock wore off. Once I decided that my kids don't need clothes or a college education, the reluctance became acceptance and quickly after that, desire.
EXTERIOR
The C70 looks good when the top is up and even better when the top is down. This car doesn't attempt to justify a weak design due to the fun factor. As much thought went into the good looks of the C70 as the thrilling convertible nature of it.
With the top up, the untrained eye has no clue it's a convertible. All of my neighbors were wowed when the top went down. In parking lots, people would watch as the top went up or down. While it garnered lots of attention, what I liked best about the hardtop is it feels secure, with no rattles or creaks when driving with it up.
Getting in and out of the two-door C70 was a struggle for my kids. They're 6 and 8, so mostly this had to do with patience, which they have very little of most of the time. Remembering to move the seat belt out of the way when getting in and out was the biggest problem. They also had difficulty figuring out how to close the door once they were in the backseat. Eventually, we just decided to all get in and out on the driver's side all the time. Younger kids might not like this all that much and get tired of the effort every time.
With its 227-horsepower, turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder engine, the C70 is fun to drive with the top up or down. The C70 gets an EPA-estimated 19/28 mpg city/highway and uses premium gas.
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