WANTED: RAGTOP, UNDER $ 50K
Oh, and it has be an AWD …
Oh my gawd, thank goodness that’s over with. What am I referring too? This past winter. Which, for occupants of Eastern Canada, involved several months of unrelenting cold, snow, darkness and general all- around misery.
However, this month’s Dear John letter writer has already put the winter behind her. Instead, Leigh- Ann Burton of Laval, Quebec, has her sights on sun- filled spring days, and a new convertible to enjoy them with.
With her lease up on her current ride, a 2011 BMW X5 SUV, and the last of her three sons off to university, the marketing executive is counting on her husband’s 2013 Lexus RX350 to handle her family’s utilitarian transportation needs, and wrote that she’s “long overdue for something fun to drive.”
Specifically, Leigh- Ann is looking for a convertible.
“I bought myself a new Mustang convertible after I got my first job, right after graduating from university,” she wrote. And now she’s anxious to get that wind- in- her- hair feeling again.
Leigh- Ann says she’s read “some really good things” about the new 2015 Mustang. But after driving all- wheel- drive SUVs for the past decade, she’s become used to the perceived safety of an AWD vehicle.
“So, John, can you find me an AWD convertible that’s also fun to drive?” Well, Leigh- Ann, I’ll try. In addition to traction at all four wheels, Leigh- Ann is also looking for occasional rear seats for a couple of extra passengers, an automatic transmission and a full complement of infotainment, including navigation, hands- free capability for her smartphone and satellite radio.
Leigh- Ann also said she does not need “a lot of horsepower.” And, finally, her budget is capped at $ 50,000.
Fortunately, for a nation where winter feels like an eight- month season, there is a host of 2+ 2 convertibles you can buy for under $ 50K. Unfortunately, the $ 30,349 2015 Ford Mustang Convertible and $ 37,030 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible ( all prices are base MSRPs) send their engine power to the rear wheels only. The remaining options — such as the $ 27,990 Mini Convertible, $ 26,850 Volkswagen Beetle and $ 42,990 Eos — are front- drivers.
Which leaves me with just two recommendations: the 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet and the 2015 BMW 2 Series Cabriolet.
( As an aside, those who have not been in the new car market for a while may be thinking, “John, why not the convertible versions of the BMW 4 Series or Audi A5?” Unfortunately, both start at $ 60K.)
New to the Canadian market this year, the two- door, 2+ 2 Cabriolet is the latest addition to Audi’s growing compact A3 family, joining the existing sedan and forthcoming E- Tron plug- in hybrid electric four- door hatchback.
While available with a variety of gas and diesel engines in foreign markets, Audi’s small convertible only comes as an A3 2.0 TFSI Quattro S- Tronic model with a gas engine.
My second offering is the more familiar BMW 228i xDrive Cabriolet. It’s the open- air version of the 2 Series hardtop. Although the 2 Series convertible has been available in Canada since 2007, this is an all- new version for 2015.
Leave it to the uber- competitive Germans, but the differences between these two are pretty thin.
For starters, both offer a power cloth top and 2.0- litre, turbocharged four- cylinder engines rated at 258 pound- feet of torque, with the BMW getting the edge in horsepower with 241 compared to the Audi’s 220- hp rating. The BMW also has a slight technical advantage in that its automatic gearbox sports eight gears instead of the Audi dualclutch gearbox’s six cogs. That said, both can scoot from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in just six seconds.
It would be easy at this point to toss up my hands and claim that both these small convertibles would make excellent choices as fun- to- drive, AWD, open- air replacements for your outgoing SUV. Between their near- matching under-$ 50K pricing, performance and available kit, they are remarkably similar. But there are subtle differences between these German compact cabs that you need to consider after you have properly test driven each of them.
For example, the BMW offers slightly more rear passenger space and 390 litres of trunk room with its roof up, whereas the Audi only offers 320 L.
However, in the end, I have to recommend the 2015 A3 2.0 TFSI Quattro S- Tronic.
When equipped with the levels of features you are asking for, Leigh- Ann, the A3 Cabriolet rings in at $ 47,050, while the 228i Cab is $ 1,845 more. A small difference, for sure. But one that needs to be objectively considered.