The only good thing about the terrible Saint remake with Val Kilmer way back in 1997 was the rather attractive burnt orange Volvo C70 Coupe that he drove around in the film. It wasn't quite on a par with Sean Connery's DB5 or even Roger Moore's P1800 that he steered in his own time as the Saint, but it was desirable nonetheless.
It used to be that Volvo did separate C70 Coupe and Cabriolet models, but with the advent of advanced roof-removing technologies the company is now able to offer two cars for the price of one in the form of a logically-named coupe-convertible. Based on the S40 saloon, the C70's folding hardtop is intended to combine the best of both worlds for owners, providing the refinement of a coupe with the roof up and the thrills of open-topped motoring with it down. The downside is that the high price of the C70 means you are effectively still paying for one-and-a-half cars.
It's not all extravagance, though - Volvo sensibility shines through and there are some well-considered details in the car - the storage bins provided inside the cabin for various odds and ends are linked into the central locking system, meaning you don't have to worry about things being stolen. You might need to rely on those cubbies with the roof down, because it does seriously eat into the available boot space.
Luckily you've got the rear seats to store your bags. The C70 might be billed as a four-seater, but those rear seats are only for occasional adult use with such restricted legroom. There is still more room than many rivals, though - children should be comfortable enough. With plenty of room at the other end, occupants in the front seats shouldn't have any trouble getting relaxed there.
The cabin itself is nicely-trimmed and solidly built - the dashboard is based on that of the S40, meaning it comes with the cool but slightly gimmicky floating centre stack that frees up an area the size of an ashtray behind for storage. It is comfortable though, and the cabin is well-insulated against wind buffeting with the roof down. The stereo is particularly good on the C70 and worthy of mention.
The C70 is surprisingly fun to drive, but lacks the engagement of something like the BMW 3 Series convertible. The 2.4-litre diesel is the pick of the diesels, whilst the 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol provides some fun.
The main problem is the price - £30K for a car based on a Ford Focus chassis is an awful lot of money.