Winter is over. Drop the top. Let's drive.
Ah, the mercury's rising, and the days are getting longer--inevitably giving you the urge to duck out of work to soak up some sun. That means you'll want a convertible parked in the company lot so that even your commute can be alfresco.
By our count, there are some 45 ragtops now on sale or coming soon, with prices starting around $20,000. In the following pages, we'll introduce you to five newly minted convertibles and seven more that've been substantially updated or reworked since their namesakes last mussed our locks. Our roundup includes something for nearly every budget, from the Pontiac Solstice, basing around $20K, to the ninety-grand-plus Maserati Vintage Edition Spyder.
Today's convertibles are quieter, safer, stiffer, less drafty, and more livable in four-season use than those of a decade ago. In addition to reporting on how well these convertibles stimulated our pleasure centers, we subjected them to tests and evaluations to quantify noise levels, power-top speeds, and more. So let's start this vicarious summer cruise. Turn the page and grab the SPF45.
Motor Trend's Convertibles - Hot Fun In The Summer Time
Click below to read about: |
| · | Road Test: 2006 Pontiac Solstice
We drive the engineering work going into GM's $20,000 rear-drive roadster... |
| · | Road Test: 2004 BMW 645Ci convertible
BMW's recently launched 645Ci coupe is just now arriving at dealerships, yet the company didn't waste a minute in introducing the convertible version.... |
| · | Road Test: 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK350
Mercedes's new SLK is a much better piece than its predecessor and demands the attention of women and men alike... |
| · | Road Test: 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster Limited
Chrysler hopes to be viewed as America's convertible brand--never mind that its latest offering is built in Germany... |
| · | Road Test: 2004 Toyota Camry Solara Convertible
The Solara Convertible is for folks who may have never stepped on a clutch pedal or purchased a set of performance tires and never dreamed of clipping apexes on Mulholland Drive... |
| · | Road Test: 2004 Chrysler Sebring
Since the Sebring's introduction in 1996, Chrysler has often held the top spot in the domestic drop-top market, selling roughly 33,000 Sebring convertibles a year... |
| · | Road Test: 2004 Ford StreetKA
A young mom in heavy traffic leans out of the window of her Dodge Caravan. "I like that, honey," she shouts toward our top-down Ford StreetKa... |
| · | Road Test: 2004 Maserati Spyder Vintage
We went gaga over Maserati's delectable Spyder the first time we drove it at its 2002 introduction. What's not to like? Great style, a polished yet fearsome V-8, and a comfy cabin... |
| · | Consumer Feature: Convertible Assets
Once written off as dead, the open-topped automobile is flourishing in this new millennium... |
| · | Air Force Three
Road Test: Mercedes-Benz CLK320 vs. Audi A4 3.0 CVT vs. Saab 93 Arc |