The Rage In Ragtops - automobiles - Evaluation

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, July, 2001 by Ed Henry

CARS | Today's CONVERTIBLES nave all the panache, but few of the bugs, of earlier models.

AMERICA'S LOVE affair with the convertible was once a tempestuous one. The carefree, wind-in-your-hair feeling while riding with the top down was offset by leaking roofs, life-threatening rollovers and cowl shake--macarena-like movements in the dashboard and steering wheel. But in the past ten years, engineering improvements have moved convertibles from novelty acts into the mainstream. Almost three million convertibles travel U.S. roads, three times the number in 1985, according to the Polk Co. of Southfield, Mich.

One of them belongs to Robert Warren, a Jacksonville, Fla., trial lawyer. When Mercedes-Benz introduced the sleek, powerful CLK 320 cabriolet in 1999, Warren says, he had to have the car. But with a two-year waiting list, Warren planned to buy a pickup truck to use until the Mercedes was delivered, and then give the truck to his son, Mark. Mark told a school friend about his dad's plan, and his friend rushed to tell his dad--who was in charge of Mercedes-Benz cars imported via the port of Jacksonville.

The shortcut worked. Warren got his CLK 320 in less than a week. (Mark got a used Chevy Blazer for helping to arrange the deal.) Warren is ecstatic with his car. "It rides and handles so well," he says.

Rave reviews

YOU DON'T HAVE tO buy a Mercedes to fall for a new-generation ragtop. But you should expect to pay a premium for one--perhaps 20% to 30% more than an ordinary sedan. Convertibles typically cost more than hardtops because of the extra chassis work needed to stiffen them and because they are limited-production cars. For example, only 1% of all Camrys made last year were convertibles. Thirty or so ragtop models are offered by various manufacturers, starting at about $20,000 for a Volkswagen Cabrio and ranging upward to $129,000 for a Mercedes-Benz SL 600 roadster.

We omitted sports cars from this story to focus on two-door sedans, which are the most popular models. Then we picked convertibles with different styles and prices to represent the category.

At the low end, we chose the Volkswagen Cabrio. For convertibles in the best family tradition, we picked the Chrysler Sebring and the Toyota Camry Solara. No review of ragtops would be complete without a representative of the 1950s and 1960s muscle cars, so we included the Chevrolet Camaro. Likewise, the Ford Mustang owns a place in the convertible hall of fame. For the top end, we picked the Mercedes-Benz CLK 320, and the more powerful CLK 430.

The VW, Chrysler and Toyota are front-wheel-drive cars, while the Chevy, Ford and Mercedes are rear-wheel-drive. The rear-wheel-drive cars are the best choices if you want sporty performance, but they handle poorly in snow--and no, the sun doesn't always shine on ragtops. (To compensate, the rear-wheel-drive vehicles offer traction control.)

Volkswagen Cabrio (three models: manufacturer's list price for the GL, $20,125; GLS, $21,125; GLX, $22,825). The Cabrio continues to be the lowest-priced convertible on the U.S. market. This year's model begins at $390 below last year's sticker. But the base model is pretty spartan, and you'll have to retract the vinyl top manually. While side-impact air bags are standard in all three models, the GLS and GLX have cloth tops, power windows and cruise control. For a top that retracts automatically, leather seats and alloy wheels, you'll have to spring for the GLX, which is well worth the price.

On the road, the Cabrio provided the usual Teutonic ride, with ample suspension travel to suck up the bumps and hold its own around curves. The Cabrio's lackluster power, however, was a disappointment. The 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine delivers a wimpy 115 horsepower. Even a VW New Beetle equipped with the same engine delivers slightly more oomph pound for pound.

As a result of Cabrio's signature roll bar, the boxy car is slightly taller than the other cars tested, allowing the best peripheral vision with the top up. Like all of the convertibles except the Sebring and the Solara, the back-seat room is stingy--and don't expect to carry much in the trunk, either. The Cabrio has eight cubic feet of cargo space--about the same as the Camaro and Mustang, a little less than the Solara and CLK, and about three feet less than the Sebring. It will hold a set of golf clubs, but not much more.

The plastic dashboard design wasn't up to the standards set in the VW New Beetle. And some of the borrowed elements from the New Beetle--for example, the purple gauges--seemed like superfluous feminine touches that made you want to look for potpourri in the glove compartment. About 70% of the Cabrio's buyers are women.

Ford Mustang (three models: base, $22,915; GT, $27,390; SVT Cobra, $33,205). No ragtop story would be complete without this pony car. After nearly forty years on the road, the Mustang is still running hard: It was the best-selling ragtop last year, with 50,000 in sales.

Our test vehicle was an adequate performer, providing good room, good brakes and good crash-test scores. On the road, the vehicle shook a bit more than other test cars.