Convertible, American Roadster, And SUV Comparison

All sorts of medium- to large-size American cars were available in convertible form 30 years ago. Most offered room for four people and a trunk good for a weekend's worth of luggage. Though "them days are gone," the American convertible came back with a vengeance a little more than a decade ago, and has flourished ever since. The Pontiac Sunfire and Chrysler Sebring, respectively, represent the least expensive and the best selling U.S.-made ragtops.

The Sebring is a purpose-built convertible from the ground up. It seats four quite comfortably, five in a pinch, and offers one of the largest trunks available in a droptop. The fully padded cloth top makes for plenty of headroom, and the long doors and large amount of side glass keep the cabin relatively airy.

The power top operates simply, and we like the one-piece boot, which has some neat design touches, such as a carrying handle and elastic straps to help it stay folded when stowed. Wind noise is not much of a problem, and the stereo's rich bass keeps it in your ears during top-down cruising. Cowl shake is commendably low, as well, especially for such a large roofless machine.

While the front-drive Sebring won't challenge a BMW M3 ragtop in the handling department, it's decidedly sporty when equipped with the 2.5-liter DOHC V-6, 16-inch wheels and tires, and Chrysler's innovative AutoStick transmission. This automanual reacts quickly to driver input and definitely enhances the fun quotient. The Sebring Limited is quite a handsome droptop that also happens to work exceptionally well as a real-world, everyday driver or touring car.

The compact Pontiac Sunfire and its platform cousin, the Chevrolet Cavalier, represent among the least expensive ways to drop your top in an American automobile these days. Yet with an as-tested price of $21,155, letting the sun shine in is not as cheap as it used to be. For the price, there's a solid roster of features, including a 2.4-liter, DOHC four, five-speed manual transmission, air conditioning, alloy wheels, a CD player, plus power windows, locks, and mirrors.

You might expect a manual top in such a lower price offering, but that's not the case with the Sunfire. The power up/down switch is integrated into the top's latch handle; just pull down, twist, and the top is on its way. The rear window is glass and features an electric defogger. Nice items on a ragtop at any price.

If there's any place where the Sunfire falls down as a convertible, it's in the boot design. It consists of three somewhat tacky vinyl-covered panels that don't fit to the deck surface all that neatly and take up a fair amount of the small trunk when stowed. We'd bet these pieces won't get much use.

Other than that, this littlest Pontiac offers good top-down fun. Rear seating is really only adequate for two, but that's still two more along for the ride than would fit in a pure roadster.

Though the flamboyant days of big-finned Eldorado and lush Thunderbird convertibles are over, cars like the Sunfire and Sebring prove that the American ragtop does indeed have life.