To reach the tiny village of Hana on the island of Maui by car, you'll have the divine pleasure of driving the "Hana Highway" - which is a mere sixty miles - yet it contains no fewer than six-hundred severe switchback turns and about fifty one-lane bridges. It's widely known as one of the most beautiful and challenging drives on the planet.

It was in this setting and this road that we drove the all-new 2006 Volvo C70 for the first time. This is the best-ever convertible from the Swedish carmaker, easily better than the previous version, which with the top down, shuddered and shook like a bowl of Jell-O.

Even so, the prior C70 had plenty of attributes. It was a handsome car that was true to its Swedish roots and it was a real cabriolet. Beyond that, I suspect it drew many newcomers to the Volvo brand. This newest Volvo C70 will surely do that as well.

What's really remarkable about the new C70 is that it's really a car with two personalities; with the top up, it is a strikingly good-looking coupe; with the top down, it is a sexy, sporty convertible. Therefore, one might conclude that for the price of your new Volvo C70 hardtop coupe, you get a convertible for free. That's one heck of a deal.

Making the transition from hardtop to open top is seamless - although it takes about 28 seconds to make the transformation. The retractable hardtop folds away smoothly into the trunk in a magical dance that will itself draw attention - this top opening sequence seems more choreographed than engineered.

Apart from the flexibility offered by the retractable hardtop it also makes for a quieter, more comfortable car when the roof is in place. The large rear window glass offers outstanding visibility and greatly improves body rigidity over a traditional soft-top. The three-piece hard top has some real safety benefits as well - a hallmark of the Volvo brand and a point that will surely attract even more buyers who have previously been disinterested in convertibles out of concern for safety as well as security.

Safety! Yes, now we're talking about a Volvo! An important part of the side impact and rollover protection is an inflatable curtain, or IC for short. In the all-new Volvo C70 it has been given a unique design. The curtain has an extra stiff construction with double rows of slats that are slightly offset from each other. This allows 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.

The new Volvo C70 is designed to accommodate four adults. The two rear seats have comfortably angled backrests and generous width across the supportive cushions. Like all Volvo cars, the front seats are ergonomically shaped, and in my opinion are the most comfortable seats of any car, at any price. With a push of a button on the backrest, the front seats move quickly forward to facilitate entry to the rear seat.

In the US the new C70 comes standard with the turbocharged T5 engine. The 2.5-litre light-pressure turbocharged powerplant produces 218 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 236lb.ft of torque from 1,500 to 4,800 rpm. The flat torque curve puts the power to the front wheels evenly and makes the car highly responsive. The T5 engine is extremely energy efficient. As the manifold and turbo unit are cast together in high-alloy cast steel, which is extremely resistant to heat (emission temperatures are permitted to reach more than 1,000 degrees Celsius), the need for cooling by over-fuelling has been minimised. The engine can therefore run on with lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions, particularly when driving at high speed or under heavy load.

In the UK, a 2.4-litre entry-level model will supplement the C70 T5. The C70 2.4i is also powered by a characterful five-cylinder engine, but with a more modest 170bhp channelled to the front wheels.

Both engines can be fitted with Volvo's five-speed Geartronic transmission (as tested in the Volvo S60 D5). The 2.4i comes standard with a five-speed 'box, while the C70 T5 is fitted with the six-speed manual gearbox that was developed for the Volvo S60 R and V70 R. This gearbox has triple synchros and a very distinct gear change feel.

Volvo's new convertible is designed to offer a lively driving experience without sacrificing comfort. It shares its basic technology with other Volvo models, including front-wheel drive and a stiff chassis. It has MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear axle. The fully independent suspension is tuned to provide a combination of comfortable ride and fast, exact steering response. A broader track front and rear than the original C70 give the car excellent high-speed stability.

As with all Volvos, anti-lock braking is standard. Additionally, DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control System) is standard on the C70 and offers extra stability when driving on a slippery road surface. Known for its dynamic driving characteristics, Volvo's P1 platform serves as a solid base for the 2006 C70. The stout chassis and stiff floorpan allow for great handling. The new C70's steering is electro-hydraulic with a light yet distinct, controlled feeling.

The new C70 has Volvo's modern, advanced front structure with four different grades of steel while the side members, doors and sills have been reinforced to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof. The body structure, in the form of a smartly designed member system, not only contributes to the high level of safety in the car, it also gives the body very high torsional rigidity - twice as high as the earlier C70 model. Thanks to the steel roof panels and bonded rear window, body rigidity is enhanced further when the top is up. The hard top adds 15 percent more structural rigidity over the previous C70 with its soft top.

The choice of alloy wheels shod in low-profile tyres enhances both the appearance and the driving experience. In the US, the car comes standard with a 7.5x17-inch, 14-spoke alloy wheel with 235/45 R17 rubber, where as the UK cars entry-level wheel is a 7-spoke design of the same dimensions. There is a choice of two 8x18-inch alloys (with 235/40 R18 tyres) in the US, but it looks like the UK will only get one of these designs.

When it comes to a nearly perfect audio experience, the Volvo C70 again delivers twice as much, as it's both a concert hall and an outdoor arena! The sound system has been developed to offer high-class sound reproduction with the roof up or down. With the new C70, Volvo Cars is launching a high-end digital amplifier and, following collaboration with Dynaudio, a speaker system that will leave even the most critical audiophile happy.

"A car represents one of the most difficult challenges for an audio engineer," says C70 project manager Patrik Widerstrand. The passenger compartment has irregular shapes, a mixture of hard and soft materials and considerable variation in surface structures. In addition, the road surface changes as you are driving. In a convertible the situation is further complicated by the fact that the top is sometimes up and sometimes down. In the new C70, Volvo has invested in the latest digital technology to control and adapt sound reproduction to the most challenging conditions. "The aim has been to offer a first-rate audio experience which remains consistent regardless of where or how you drive," said Widerstrand. Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology is used to adapt the sound to the design of the passenger compartment and the positioning of the speakers. DSP is also used for the fine adjustment of the tone curve, contributing to the creation of natural sound quality.

With the launch of the new Volvo C70, Volvo will introduce a digital class D amplifier that is considerably more efficient than its analogue equivalent. For example, a digital amplifier that produces 130 watts requires less power to operate than an analogue equivalent of 100 watts. A digital amplifier is also more compact and generates less heat than an analogue unit. Thanks to digital technology, the sound can be adapted to the driving situation. Not only the volume but also the tone settings are adjusted automatically in line with the car's speed. The sound is also adjusted automatically when the car's roof is up or down to ensure that the listener gets the same audio experience regardless of conditions. There is also scope for individual preferences. In the car's personal settings menu it is possible to choose how much the sound should be adjusted according to vehicle speed. There are three levels to choose from: low, medium and high.

There are two sound system levels available for the 2006 Volvo C70: the standard system features a 4x40-watt amplifier and eight speakers; the Dynaudio Premium system includes a 5x130-watt digital amplifier, Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound and fourteen speakers, including two 9-inch subwoofers. Each subwoofer has an integrated 130-watt amplifier. In total, the Premium Sound system with double subwoofers has an output of 910 watts of power. Ouch!

In the doors there are well-proportioned three-way speakers. The bass drivers are 8 inches with powerful 3-inch voice coils that can withstand high output. Even the midrange drivers have powerful voice coils. The tweeters are made of fabric, a Dynaudio specialty that helps produce a cleaner sound. Each speaker has a passive crossover to produce a harmonious, total audio experience with the best possible bandwidth and dynamics. Specially developed centre speakers on the dashboard interact with the door speakers to create a natural, homogeneous sound. The rear side panels have combined bass/midrange drivers. Even these have powerful voice coils and the same type of tweeters that are found in the front doors.

"It is certainly no exaggeration to use the term 'concert-hall quality' for the sound reproduction in the all-new Volvo C70," said Widerstrand. "We can offer what is the best audio experience ever in a Volvo regardless of whether the roof is up or down."

Taken together - open top and coupe; concert hall and outdoor arena; comfortable tourer and sporty head-turner, the new C70 might therefore really be six cars in one! Drive one for yourself, and you just might agree.

With global annual sales projected at 16,000 units, the Volvo Car Corporation is highly optimistic of the all-new C70's success. In the US, sales are expected to account for fifty-percent of the global volume. The UK and Germany are the next most important markets accounting for a further 25% of production.

In the UK, customer deliveries start in April, with prices from £26,200 for the C70 2.4i Sport up to £33,225 for the highly specified T5 SE Lux. Competition is quite tough up against the Audi A4 Cabriolet and Saab 9-3, not to mention the dating, but still capable BMW 3-series Convertible. Still, no other direct rival offers the folding hardtop. We'll have a full UK road test later in the year to give you our in depth driving impressions.