Volvo’s C70 is all new this year, trading in its former soft drop top in favor of a three-piece retractable hard top. With a Scandinavian-influenced interior and sleek exterior, the C70 is packed full of safety features, including new rollover curtain protection. The curtain has an extra-stiff construction with double rows of slats that are slightly offset from each other, allowing them to remain upright and offer effective head protection even with the window open. The curtain also deflates slowly to provide protection should the car roll over.

First rolling onto the scene in 1998, the C70’s curvaceous lines demonstrated that the automaker was no longer just for conservative suburbanites. This latest iteration of the C70 takes safety and style to a new level, and is available in one trim level for 2006, the T5. Under the hood resides a 2.5L, inline-five engine with a light-pressure turbocharger that generates 218 hp.

The all-new Volvo C70 is (pick one or more): "two cars in one," "the best of both worlds," "a way to double your pleasure and double your fun." Yes, the cliches come thick and fast to describe the new Volvo, but that is because the vehicle is replacing two cars—Volvo's previous luxury coupe and luxury convertible, each of which bore the C70 name. Volvo figures that by combining the best attributes of both coupe and convertible it can increase the desirability of its new offering. And Volvo engineers have pulled out all the stops, providing this car with a full Volvo level of safety (including pop-up rollbars), seating comfort for four adults, and a three-piece collapsing steel hardtop with glass rear window. Power is provided by a 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine that, thanks to the light-pressure turbocharger, offers 218 horsepower.

The question's a classic one from you civilians to us automotive-journalist types. If you had $40,000 to spend on a new car, what would you choose? Well, it depends, we answer faithfully and ambiguously. Do you want a coupe for all-season practicality and good looks? Or does the idea of having a convertible before all your hormones dry up and you start shopping for emergency-alert jewelry have its own logic? How about something with four seats in case you develop unexpected friends?