2009 Volvo C70

The front-wheel-drive Volvo C70 doesn't handle as well as its rear-wheel-drive rivals, experts say. It doesn't accelerate as quickly, either, with 227 horsepower from its 2.5-liter, five-cylinder, turbocharged engine. Still, reviews say power for the Volvo hardtop convertible is adequate, if not thrilling. Expect 21 mpg in combined driving with either transmission (18 mpg city and 27 mpg highway with the six-speed manual, 18 city and 26 mpg highway with the five-speed automatic). Interestingly for a convertible, the Volvo C70 is rated to tow 2,000 pounds.

Also rare for a convertible are the Volvo C70's side curtain airbags, part of a comprehensive safety package that help make the C70 one of the few Top Safety Pick convertibles in crash tests conducted at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Reviewers point out that the less expensive Volkswagen Eos (*Est. $31,615 to $35,200) also offers a retractable hardtop and is just as safe, but the Volvo is roomier and more reliable -- about average, according to dependability surveys. The Volvo C70 carries a four-year, 50,000 mile warranty.

The most thorough, test-based reviews of the Volvo C70 can be found at ConsumerReports.org and Edmunds.com. Reviews at Kelley Blue Book and Cars.com are shorter but are still based on expert testing. Although the U.S. government has not crash tested the Volvo C70, the nonprofit IIHS has. We found official fuel-economy estimates at FuelEconomy.gov and reliability ratings at J.D. Power and Associates.