Comparison Tests
Let’s dispense with jingoism right here at the starting line. There aren’t any American entries in this four-seat-droptop derby because there aren’t any that fall into this price category. Okay, almost none. The base MSRP for Ford’s Shelby GT500—$53,575—does slide in below the as-tested ticket for one of our four contestants. But even though it has rear seats, the super-Mustang lacks an automatic-transmission option, whereas our four test cars were all self-shifters with manumatic function.
More significant, we suspect that guys attracted to the Shelby’s overtly outlaw persona and 540 horsepower are unlikely candidates for any of these more sedate rides. Though our four sun dogs are far more sophisticated than the superpony, to someone whose idea of convertible fun involves big longitudinal g-loads every time he tramps on the throttle, the cars in this test look like . . . well, how do you bark in German and Japanese?
We hasten to add that sedate does not equate with boring here. Though none of these cars will cause whiplash, their straight-ahead performance is certainly adequate, and they give a respectable account of themselves dynamically. Moreover, their luxury quotient is distinctly higher than that of any Mustang, and each represents a brand imbued with a healthy dollop of prestige (some dollops healthier than others).
As is our custom, this group consists of one recidivist and three new contenders. The repeater is the BMW 328i, defending champ from our last entry-luxury-convertible tournament [June 2007]. In that one, the 3-series’ folding hardtop was brand-new. This time, it’s the veteran, which tells you something about the pace of change in this game.
Speaking of change, the title of that ’07 test—“40-Somethings”—referred to dinero. The base price of those five cars was right around $40,000, with the Bimmer topping the as-tested chart at $49,575. This time they’re 50-somethings. The lowest base price is $44,715, and the lowest as-tested is $51,865.
As in ’07, Audi is a player, but this time it’s an A5—the A4 cabrio is gone. The new Lexus IS350C and Infiniti G37 round out the field. As mentioned, all four cars are equipped with automatics with manumatic control, none with the dual-clutch variety, and none of them particularly prompt in manual mode. The tops are all power operated, natch, and one—the Audi’s—is fashioned from traditional soft material.
With Jack London weather impending in Michigan, we flew to Arizona, picked up our test subjects at the Phoenix airport, and headed south through a dust storm to the Nissan proving ground near Casa Grande. (It was our first visit to this excellent facility and certainly not our last.) From there, we headed for high country, headquartering in Prescott (elevation: 5368 feet), to see how our droptops would perform on mountain byways and also to see which would be the most comfortable going topless in temperatures hovering near the point where water—and blood—will freeze.
Squire Gillies showed manly disdain for frostbite and thus became an authority on the excellence of Audi’s neck warmer. But the answer to the question of which convertibles were comfortable with tops down in 32-degree weather, in the opinion of your humble narrator, is none. As to our primary mission—naming a winner—read on.
