Embracing the Elements
I know I’m in the minority but, for me, the best cabriolet weather is not when the sun is shining. I prefer to unfurl the canvas – or unhinge the hardtop – before dawn, with the sun poised to warm the horizon. This is when the sound of the engine, the shifting of cogs and the tyres on the tarmac have few other noises to compete with.
Convertibles do add another dimension to driving but they also pose major engineering and packaging challenges. Weight gain is typically the price the car pays. Maintaining structural rigidity and minimising noise requires extra insulation and body strengthening. This can translate into a little less performance or slightly higher fuel consumption.
The latest open-top trickery helps compensate for this. For instance, Mazda engineers have made the MX-5 roadster experience richer by ducting the engine’s breathing noises into the cabin under acceleration. The Mercedes-Benz SLK introduced us to ‘AirScarf’, a seatback system that channels warm air around your neck when it’s cool. And Lexus designers have created a climate control system for the new IS250C that maintains cabin temperatures regardless of whether the roof is open or closed.
The IS250C is a new four-seater convertible based on the handsome IS250 sedan. It’s a two-door with an electronic folding roof and a longer (slightly awkward-looking) rear overhang that allows you fit your golf clubs when the roof is stowed in the boot. Push a switch and the transformation from coupé to convertible takes a brisk 20 seconds, but the car must be stationary.
Aside from some visibility issues with the roof up, the Lexus is remarkably user-friendly to drive, boasting one of the best turning circles of any mid-sized car, a reversing camera with visual parking guidance and radar-active cruise control.
Lexus has done everything imaginable to prevent the IS shaking over rutted roads, so it takes a serious bump to make the car shudder. And with the roof up there’s a complete absence of wind rush at motorway speeds, and road and engine noise are also well suppressed. Such refinement is matched by the quality feel of the car. The only downside is that while you get to drive an open-top that still offers an ultra-safe, cocoon-like cabin, the doors weigh a tonne. Also despite several weight-saving measures, performance is not a strong point because the small-capacity V6 could do with more oomph. Just as well it’s silky smooth because it requires plenty of revs to accelerate quickly.
Another sun-seeking newcomer is Audi’s (even pricier) S5 cabriolet. Based on the A5, it has the same elegant sheet metal, a weight-reducing canvas top, a supercharged V6 that delivers the power and torque of a V8 and the security of Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system. An ultra-quick seven-speed automated manual makes gear changes satisfyingly instant and sonorous. The ‘Drive Select’ system results in Jeckyll and Hyde character changes: choose the ‘Dynamic’ mode for all-out sportiness and your casual cruiser stiffens up considerably, barking at traffic as you blast past.
There are more sedate engine options in Audi’s A5 cabriolet range, including a petrol 2.0-litre turbo that is to be recommended for its sweet soundtrack and eager performance. There’s also the V6 turbo-diesel that is well proven in Audi sedans and SUVs. Refined, smooth and swift, the 3.0-litre diesel pulls away with 500Nm from just 1500rpm. It’s suitable for cruising or bruising but don’t expect its handling to impress quite as much as the seriously sporting S5.
Audi is also pestering the supercar elite with a Spyder version of the mid-engined R8 sports car. It will be the maker’s most expensive production car when it goes on sale this year, powered by a 5.2-litre V10. The rear wings feature carbon-fibre reinforcing, and a design feature of the rear deck is two rows of cooling vents for the huge motor. The fabric hood folds away in less than 20 seconds and can be opened or closed at urban driving speeds. Despite a 100kg weight gain
(necessary to improve the roadster’s structural integrity), the R8 Spyder can still reach the speed limit in about four seconds.
Bucking the weight gain trend, Porsche unveiled the new Boxster Spyder at December’s Los Angeles Motor Show. This is a new, regular production model designed to be primarily driven with the roof open and it should hit our roads by mid-year. Low side windows and bulges on the single-piece engine cover combine to create a silhouette reminiscent of the Carrera GT supercar. The Spyder tips the scales at 1275kg to become the lightest sports car in the Porsche range. It’s also the most powerful Boxster variant, with 235kW from a 3.4-litre direct-injection engine. Improved handling results from a lower centre of gravity and tweaked sports suspension.
Trading a fraction of pace for extra grace, Maserati’s first four-seater cabriolet, the GranCabrio, promises grand touring at its luxurious best. This is the convertible version of the beautiful GranTurismo coupé and it features a folding canvas roof to keep the kilos down and to maintain a link with the maker’s soft-top tradition. Designers also opted for an aluminium bonnet and a boot lid made from a composite material. Maserati insists it has achieved class-leading torsional rigidity in a supremely elegant body.
At the other (ie. affordable) end of the market, Fiat is set to introduce the cutest drop-top of all, the 500C. Its electric canvas hood folds back, leaving the windows and side pillars in place. Baring more cheek than a sumo wrestler, it will be a great way for me to create a pre-dawn buzz.
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