5 to Drive: Convertibles
A tantalizing number of convertibles are on the market in 2009. Some have soft tops. Some hard. Some are easy on the wallet. Some aren't. But one thing they all share is this: better safety and structural integrity than ever before, plus a magical ability to make bad days pleasant. Heck, you should plan your summer road trip right now. And trust us: You'll have a better, more memorable time in a convertible.
Featured here are five open-top machines we especially like, each a delight to drive in its own way and each possessing a distinctly different personality. And with the broad spectrum featured here (which includes everything from affordable fun to the tastiest eye candy), there's bound to be a convertible in this 5-to-Drive mix that's calling your name. So let's drop the tops and find out which one it might be!
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2010 Mini Cooper S Convertible (MSRP $27,450)
Some cars are just loaded with personality. Case in point: the new Mini Cooper S Convertible, which puts a grin on the face of anybody who's behind its wheel. As an S model it's fitted with a turbocharged 172-bhp engine, which makes this Mini a delight to drive. This affordable car takes corners like a slot car, with excellent grip. BMW, which builds the Mini, clearly knows a thing or two about suspension tuning.
The company has also done a great job with the well-lined fabric top. As before, its forward section can slide backward for a sunroof-like experience. But the Mini Convertible is best appreciated with its top fully down and the scenery whizzing by. Yes, the back seats are cramped (and are for kids at best), but that's simply the price one must pay for having such a small and nimble car, which gets an impressive 26 mpg/34 mpg in the EPA city and highway cycles.
Inside, the Mini is fitted with supportive sport seats that are color-coordinated with the exterior paint, and those chrome hoops in back pop up for protection if the car senses a rollover is imminent. No worries, though; in a car as low and wide as the Mini — which also has standard stability control — that shouldn't be a concern. Rather, concern yourself more with this — maximizing your top-down time, which is easy to track with the Mini's clever new Openometer gauge!
Five Reasons to Buy:
1. Affordable
2. Loaded with personality
3. Excellent dynamics
4. Easy on fuel
5. Rigid chassis
2010 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible (MSRP $51,225)
Is there anything more appealingly American than a Mustang? We think not. And this is not just a run-of- the-mill Mustang; it's a GT500 convertible, which means it has been touched by the high-performance wand of none other than Carroll Shelby, who has been tweaking Mustangs to great effect since the 1960s.
What makes the GT500 special? Its engine. It's a big supercharged V-8 with more than 500 bhp. Wussies need not apply...this GT500 gets up and goes, hitting the quarter mile in only 12.9 seconds.
As you'd expect, the suspension and brakes have been upgraded to handle all that power, and the live rear axle is a durable design that helps Ford keep costs in check. And speaking of prices, the GT500, at $51,225, is not cheap by Mustang standards, but it still represents lots of bang for the buck.
For that money, you get a power soft top with a heated glass window, side airbags, sport bucket seats and SYNC, the voice-command system that allows drivers to keep their hands where they belong — on the reins (make that the steering wheel) of this high-powered steed, which has EPA fuel economy ratings of 14 mpg city, 22 mpg highway.
Five Reasons to Buy:
1. Power, power, power
2. Classic style
3. Surprisingly refined
4. Dramatically improved interior
5. Slick SYNC system
2010 Infiniti G37 Convertible (MSRP $45,000)
As a sports coupe, the Infiniti G37 shines particularly bright, as stylish as it is fun to drive and blessed with an excellent platform related to that of the sporty Nissan 370Z. As a brand-new convertible, the G37 offers the best of two worlds: It's a stylish coupe with a security-enhancing hardtop whenever the top is up, and it's a sensuous head-turning roadster whenever that top is down.
At the touch of a button, the articulated 2-piece top goes down in a well-choreographed folding operation that takes 28 seconds...your friends will be impressed. Unfortunately, when the top is stowed in the trunk, there's not much room for anything else back there, barring perhaps a loaf of bread.
Top down on the highway, wind noise in the leather-appointed cabin is not a problem, and Bose speakers inset in each headrest ensure that you can hear your favorite tunes as the miles fly by. The active cruise control is also a marvel, automatically keeping the G37 at a set distance from the traffic ahead.
The 325-bhp 3.7-liter engine is a gem, mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed automatic with paddle shifters and rev-match downshifting. The latter gearbox will undoubtedly be the more popular choice, as it better fits the luxurious character of this opulent new Infiniti, which gets 16/24 mpg in the EPA mileage tests.
Five Reasons to Buy:
1. Seductive style
2. Hardtop security
3. Excellent dynamics
4. Luxurious interior
5. Manual transmission
More at Road & Track
Slideshow: 5 to Drive Convertibles
