Convertible Reviews

Convertibles with folding hard tops are supposed to remedy all of the problems associated with rag tops. They are more rigid so they handle better, they are more secure and they are quieter. Or so the theory goes.In reality, not all rag-top problems are remedied by a hard roof and there are some new problems that are added to some models, such as extra weight, complexity of design and operation, reliability of the electro-mechanical opening operation and a reduced amount of cargo space.Holden's Astra now comes with a two-piece folding top, called the Astra Twin Top. Having just two folding pieces must make it more compact, faster and a simpler mechanism, right? Wrong.The folding roof mechanism has all sorts of other bits folding out from it and the whole complex shebang takes about 33 seconds to fully open or close.  That compares with about 20-odd seconds for most rag tops.One useful function is that you can open it up with the remote control. However, as with the button above the interior light, you have to hold it on throughout the long process. The operating thumb was pulsing red by the time it was finished. And if you don't keep the pressure up on the button, it stalls.When the roof is all folded away in the boot, there is only cargo space for a briefcase, although you won't be able to access it unless you put the roof up again.There were no problems encountered with the mechanism's reliability during the test, but other folding hard tops, as well as rag tops, have been noted as behaving erratically. Also, when the roof was closed, the car sometimes had a lot of creaks, groans and wind noise, while at other times it was fairly quiet and rattle-free. This could be because the various hard bits haven't quite matched up when it has closed. The same problem has been noted with other folding hard tops as well.At least the added weight in the rear hasn't badly affected handling. Like all Astras, it steers and points very well, without having an uncompromisingly hard ride.The Twin Top comes with the new German-built 2.2-litre direct injection petrol engine which is a lusty unit with linear power delivery and less of a grainy feel like the previous engine. But it is hampered by the dull and lifeless four-speed auto transmission that GM Holden is stuck with. The six-speed manual is a far better option.The Twin Top looks like a sleek coupe with the top up, but appears ungainly with the top down.Inside, it is standard Astra fare, which I have grown to dislike. The decor is fine, but there is a lack of storage space and the controls are fiddly. The only storage bin is a uselessly small square hole behind the handbrake. There are no bottle holders and the door map pocket isn't even big enough for a UBD. I hate cruise controls on the end of a stalk like the previous Commodore. They are difficult to use and if you fumble with it you could accidentally turn on the indicators.Up front, there is still plenty of space with the sun visors not too close to your head as in most convertibles. However, there is virtually no room in the back for an adult or a teenager. If you did fit in, you would quickly become uncomfortable with the bolt-upright seat back.Just as well you can use the rear seat as a parcel shelf which augments the lack of cargo space. When the roof is up, the boot is quite deep, but it is also very narrow.The on-board computer and sound system controls are more difficult to use than the notorious BMW i-Drive system. They are certainly not intuitive. Despite having had several Astras to test over the past couple of years, I always have to consult the handbook and I still haven't conquered it. Some of the buttons have strange symbols on them that mean absolutely nothing to me.One button on the steering wheel has a symbol that looks like a home phone handset on a set of wheels. I pressed it but it doesn't seem to do anything. Another shows a box with one side missing, a dot in the middle and three arcs radiating out. It changed channels on the radio.Go figure.

Marketing and public relations general manager Ross Booth said the next model would not be bigger or heavier. It will stay true to the sports car genreThe new Z car is at least 18 months away, so Nissan has beefed up the power on its current 350Z to stir up flagging sales.Out of the 95 countries that get the Japanese-built Z car, Australia is the fifth-largest market behind the US, Japan, Germany and the UK.More than 4000 have been sold here since its 2003 release, but sales have slipped from 1600 in the first year to only 533 last year.Now the most powerful sports car in the under $80,000 segment, it gets a 9kW power boost for the manual and 24kW for the auto, bringing it to 230kW with a bonnet hump or power bulge to cater for the taller V6 engine.It now looks more like the original 1969 240Z.Nissan claims the Z car now has 44 per cent more power than a Chrysler Crossfire, 30 per cent more than a Mazda RX8, 28 per cent over a Porsche Boxster or Cayman, 25 per cent on an Audi TT and 18 per cent on a BMW Z4 3.0si.And at a starting price of $62,990 for the Coupe Touring manual, the 350Z is also cheaper than all but the RX8 at $54,565.All prices are unchanged with the Touring auto $64,990, Coupe Track manual $67,990, and the Roadster's $73,990 for the Track manual and Touring auto.Some 80 per cent of the engine, which has been 13 years in the world's top 10, has been modified with ram air, reprogrammed variable valve timing, larger exhaust manifold and a higher compression ratio.As well as boosting horsepower, torque has also benefited from the engine mods, up 5Nm to 358Nm.There is no change to either the combined fuel consumption figure or the CO2 emissions.The engine also has been lowered 15mm to improve stability from the lower centre of gravity.A new plant has been built in Japan just to build this engine.Other changes to the 350Z are a 500rpm higher limit to 7500rpm, active head restraints in the cabin, new Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tyres as used on the new Commodore SS and three new colours, including a $500 pearlescent orange that glistens with a background of green in bright sunshine.The new 45-profile tyres feature a new tread pattern which lowers road noise and softens the ride which was also improved last year in a suspension update.The improvement is immediately evident in the Z car; the Roadster being one of the quietest soft tops on the scene.While handling is still sharp, steering precise and body roll almost non-existent, the harshness of the ride has been diluted.Nissan Motor Company Australia passenger car product manager Adrian Givoye said a hard top convertible was a maybe for the future.He said 40 per cent of customers opted for the Track variant which features Brembo brake calipers, vehicle dynamic control, an optional burnt orange seats, front and rear spoilers, and a rear diffuser.While the Touring has traction control, vehicle dynamic control is advisable on a rear-wheel-drive car with this much power.Givoye said demand for automatic in the Track was so small it has been deleted from the range.Inside, an illuminated ignition switch is the only change.The Z car even retains the anachronistic cassette tape player and still does not have MP3 capability in the six-CD Bose sound system.However, Givoye said they had been trying to get MP3 capability for some time.“But for some reason they cannot supply it, even though it is offered in the US,” he said.Nissan is also unable to supply a satellite navigation system, because of our network, yet there is a storage bin above the sound system where an aftermarket system could be installed.“This is a performance vehicle. A raw sportscar.“We haven't tried to soften it and add more luxury features,” he said.Givoye said this was the last facelift for the 350Z which would be replaced in 2009.“But we're working on a number of things to keep the Z alive, such as special editions.”Marketing and public relations general manager Ross Booth said the next model would not be bigger or heavier.It will stay true to the sports car genre.Nissan 350Z Roadster, Coupe$62,990-$73,990POWER: 233kW @ 6800rpmTORQUE: 358Nm @ 4800 rpmREV LIMIT: 7500rpm (up from 7000)ECONOMY: 11.7l/100km (combined manual Coupe) to 12.1 (combined manual Touring Roadster)PRICES: Coupe Touring manual ($62,990)Coupe Touring auto ($64,990)Coupe Track manual ($67,990)Roadster Track manual and Touring auto ($73,990)350Z HISTORY1969 The original 240Z makes its debut1974 Capacity increased from 2.4 litres to 2.6 litres and name changed to 260Z1975 280Z introduced1979 280ZX gets a targa roof1990 300ZX launched1999 Z concept unveiled in Detroit2003 350Z goes on sale in Australia2005 35th anniversary limited edition model2006 minor upgrade to interior,exterior and suspension2009 new Z car planned to arrive

The new Euro IV compliant engine puts out 103kW of power at 6300rpm and 175Nm of torque at 3800rpm in manual form, up 11kW and 5Nm respectively.As well as producing more power it also delivers better fuel economy, down from 8.2 to 7.8 litres/100km for the four-speed auto.They’re modest gains but come at no extra cost because Holden has held prices for the new model at the current level.The bad news is that these figures are generated using premium unleaded petrol.Holden tells us the car will run on standard unleaded but could not supply figures for the reduced power output that will result.The previous engine dropped from 92kW to 90kW when run on standard.The Astra range starts with the entry level CD five-door manual hatch priced from $21,990, topping out at $47,490 for the 2.2-litre Twin Top coupe-cabrio auto.The auto adds $2000.It’s all part of a mid-life makeover for what is Holden’s second biggest selling model behind the perennial Commodore.Launched here in 2004, the Astra holds third place in its own segment, behind Corolla and Mazda3.Holden describes Astra as one of the most complete small car ranges in Australia.However, this overlooks the fact that there is still no sedan.What of a diesel wagon, fivespeed auto or standard electronic stability control? The latter is standard on Commodore, which leads its segment, and diesel Astra gets a sixspeed auto.Holden remains vague when asked about these possibilities, saying only that it is constantly reassessing the pricing and specification of its car in what is a very competitive segment.The engine upgrade is accompanied by minor styling changes with a revised front fascia, headlamp and grille.We were able to take the fourspeed auto for a quick run up to the Blue Mountains and back at the launch of the new model in Sydney.New engine or not, it’s still not going to set the world on fire but it will not disappoint the average driver.

We've said it before (and the odds are short that we'll say it again), but nothing confirms the futility of owning a quick car in NSW than driving it during the times when you have the time to enjoy it.We refer, of course, to the double-demerit-points weekend we're all currently fearing and loathing.It's a time for that erratic Zafira steerer Morris Iemma and his chauffeured drones to rake in the windfall that comes with a lot of people failing to get where they're going within the boundaries of the most cynical traffic-enforcement regime outside Victoria.And doing it on roads that are much worse than Victoria's.Quixotically, BMW chose Thursday — the first day of the government's Great Easter Cash Grab (well, you voted for them) for the launch of the latest car powered by its sublime, three-litre, bi-turbo six.This mighty mill, which can already be had in coupe and sedan form, graces the long-awaited 3 Series Convertible, the first generation of this auspicious line to come with a hard (not a rag) top.The 335i Convertible — and the lesser 325i — complete a 3 Series range that arrived locally two years ago and immediately became class-leading. The E92 335i Coupe, which lobbed last October, also went straight to the head of its class.On the basis of a necessarily constrained and cautious introduction to the folding metal'n'glass roof line, Bimmer could have another dux. Mercedes-Benz, though, will have a bit to say about that.For, in the E93 Convertible, the edgier dynamics that inevitably distinguish 3 Series from C-Class won't be so starkly defined.Weighing in from 1735kg, the 335i Convertible is two big adults and a couple of sets of golf clubs heavier than the similarly engined sedan.Although it loses a mere few tenths on the sprint to 100km/h (5.8 seconds for manual, 6.0 for the auto is claimed), even BMW says the Convertible cannot be so sporty.Nor is it so intended. The topless 3Series does what it says on thefolding tin lid, providing tolerably smart to decidedly rapid touring.Certainly, the lard is obvious to anyone fortunate enough to have experienced the sedan or coupe, though not in a straight line with all 400 Sir Isaacs announcing themselves from 1300rpm.Naturally, the atmo simply can't leap to with such alacrity, but it's going to be car enough for all except those who absolutely must have the full whack.Indeed, while the 325i is the more obviously stifled, it is by no means disgraced on chicane-like roads, where the hero model's thumpingly superior acceleration and roaring power has less application.These roads chosen for our introduction showed the standard run-flat tyres in the best light.As to handling, BMW's hallmarks of crisp rear-wheel drive and razor-sharp turn-in are present and correct.Bimmer's standard 50:50 axle load distribution should be affected when the 40kg of roof and attendant mechanisms are folded into the boot (most of the extra heft is due to underbody reinforcements that achieve new levels of open-top torsional rigidity).But the feel will be negligible to all but the most discerning (and quite a few others who like to have themselves on about such things).With a microscopic manual take up among buyers, only autos were available for sampling. As a militant manual owner, I could only take guilty pleasure in the six-speed ZF auto box.Hooked up to the 335i, it's programmed to shift more rapidly than any Bimmer slusher to date, either left in Drive, Drive Sport or via the manual mode (steering-wheel gear levers are a cost option). It could almost talk you into converting ...Deciding in the circs that discretion was the better part of valour, and the better part of valour was cowardice, we can't speak to the efficacy of the Dynamic Traction Control.Pressing the dashboard button partially disables the attached stability control to allow for a bit of lateral slip. Held down for five seconds, all such nannies are said to go off for a nice cup of tea.The item of chief concern — the roof — can be stowed a button's push in 22 seconds, reducing boot space from 350 litres to 210. Roofless is the most pleasant mode of travel, not least for any rear-seat passenger over 180cm.Luggage space is enhanced by flat folding rear seats and a ski port. A cost optional keyfob function allows partial roof openings to better access the boot.In either opened or closed modes, the E93 is striking to behold. From the long boot to the low, horizontal shoulder line and short overhangs, this convertible really couldn't be anything other than a Bimmer. Why, with the roof up, there's even a Hoffmeister Kink.And, being Bimmers, they are, of course, auction-your-organs expensive. Before options, that is.If you can afford the whole 10 metres, you won't care that the 325i is good enough almost all of the time — it will just have to be the blow-hard model.Just remember where we live, though. And weep.

Try to show off, and things are sure to go wrong. For instance, you can be left sitting in a new convertible like a dill as its roof at first refuses to budge, then partly raises itself only to halt, whirring and buzzing furiously, halfway aloft like a sail.Memo to self: in future, read the handbook before trying to demonstrate fancy technology.Holden's Astra TwinTop is yet another of the new breed of convertibles with a multi-piece folding hardtop. It turns out to be simple to operate when you know how.Once everything was correctly in place and everyone was well away from what the driver's handbook calls the “action zone of the roof”, the TwinTop did its thing with robotic precision.It proves to be a nifty machine, albeit one that costs almost $50,000.In my defence, the handbook devotes five pages to explaining how the roof should be operated, using the phrase “risk of injury” twice in the first five lines. Looks like the lawyers gave the engineers a hand there.For those who want the open-air experience of a convertible along with the security of a solid-roofed coupe, the fast-growing flock of versatile cars like this answer their prayers.And, unlike many rivals, the Astra's roof can be made to go up or down while the car is on the move — up to 30km/h. In another handy feature, it can be operated while you're standing outside, using the remote-locking gizmo.How cool would that be: parking your open convertible in some hip street, then casually pressing the remote button to shut the roof as you walk away. Of course, with my luck, it wouldn't work.But, honestly, the roof is simplicity itself. Just press a button on the top of the windscreen and the boot lifts, the roof splits into three sections, various flaps extend, motors and hydraulics do their thing, the side windows go up and down — it's like a robotic ballet.Luggage space is 440 litres when the roof is in place, and 205 litres when it's folded down. So you need to packlight for the wind-in-the-hair option.The open-air TwinTop joins quite a family of European-made Astra models: hatchback, wagon and coupe, with engines in 1.8, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.2-litre sizes, fuelled by petrol or diesel.It's the dearest of the bunch, more than twice the price of the entry-level Astra CD hatchback. That's understandable, as the engineering and packaging involved must have been quite a challenge.It's a big step ahead of Holden's previous Astra convertible, which appeared in 2001. That was the traditional sort, using a fabric roof.Like the TwinTop, it had a 2.2-litre engine, but the new car has a more advanced fuel-injection system (shared with the sporty SRi hatchback and coupe), improving power and torque.This powerplant — developing 110kW, compared with just 90kW in base-model Astras — has the TwinTop scooting along happily, easily overcoming the extra weight of the roof system and the reinforcing added to make the open car feel reassuringly solid.The car I drove had the optional four-speed transmission, which didn't seem to impede its progress, though life would be sweeter if Holden offered the six-speed it reserves for the diesel Astra.No matter, because the TwinTop is zippy enough, and with the roof up it looks and feels like a coupe: solid and secure.Retractable hardtops like this are becoming so widespread — VW's Eos has just arrived, and a Ford Focus is on the way — they're practically the conventional type these days.Maybe pretty soon we'll even be able to operate them without having to read the handbook.

A lot has been happening at Aston Martin lately. First the British sports car starred alongside Daniel Craig in the James Bond film Casino Royale.Then it starred in its own big-screen ownership extravaganza, which culminated in a $1 billion move away from Ford and into private hands.It has also been building up to an attack on the Le Mans 24-hour race in June with its DB9 racer.And it has been finalising plans to transform its four-door flagship, the Rapide, from a great-looking concept into a showroom contender.But Aston is a car company, which means it lives and dies by the quality of its cars.Based on its newest, the V8 Vantage Roadster, which was unveiled last week, Aston Martin is doing just fine and will have no trouble hitting its production target of 7000 cars this year.The Vantage Roadster is the droptop development of the Vantage coupe. It combines the best of British with a bright fresh-air future.It looks gorgeous, drives extremely well and has the classic Aston touches that will keep existing fans happy and draw new ones.It is not cheap, from $269,000, and it is not perfect, with a cramped boot and lousy digital dials.But it provides more proof of why Aston is ready to fly solo out of the Ford nest.And why the company is well into profit at the same time as Jaguar is doing it tough with a red bottom line."This car delivers a smile. I think a modern sports car has to be like this," Aston Martin chief executive Ulrich Bez says."We want to have this attachment you feel to a car. But we don't make cars that do spectacular things. This is the past. No one can drive like that on public roads."Bez, who has put his personal stamp on Aston, emphasises that the Vantage Roadster is a real-world sports car. not a weekend-only exotic track machine.The newcomer takes familiar Aston pieces and reworks them for the droptop drive.It is built over the company's patented VH chassis, which uses lots of bonded high-strength aluminium.It also uses the 4.3-litre quad-cam Aston V8 engine and rear-wheel-drive.It has lots of extra strengthening, mostly at the base of the windscreen and below the floor. And it has a new Sportshift automated-sequential manual change for its six-speed gearbox.The performance is just what you would expect from an Aston with 283kW and 410Nm, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.0 seconds and a top of 280km/h.Fuel economy is not so good, with a combined figure of 15.0 litres for 100km.The droptop conversion runs deep, though it has been done with an old-fashioned cloth top and not a new-age metal roof. It is a one-touch operation, which will put the top up or down at up to 40km/h.It has a heated glass roof and pop-up rollover bars that are triggered in a potential crash.The boot is behind the roof and will hold two sets of golf clubs.Aston is investigating a load-through port between the seats to tap the available space in the roof compartment.Standard equipment is much as you would expect, with heated leather seats, alloy wheels, a punchy sound system and a meaty steering wheel.The suspension is fully independent, it has anti-skid Brembo disc brakes at each corner, airbags and electronic stability control.Cruise control costs extra, the same as satellite navigation, and the Sportshift gearbox puts another $8250 on the bill.Bez cannot see the need for standard cruise control, but admits it will be considered if Australians have a 100 per cent take-up rate.The first V8 Vantage Roadsters are being readied for local deliveries from June.No one is talking about the exact allocation for Australia, but Aston intends to build about 3000 Vantages this year and about 80 per cent of those will be Roadsters.The droptop percentage is expected to fall after the start-up surge, but the long-term prediction is about 50:50.And the Sportshift is likely to be the choice for at least 80 per cent of owners.

For every equivalent to "Phwoar, that's all right," there was a "****, that's horrible!"You can groove on the Z4's endless bonnet and plethora of planes and creases. Or, like me, you can find the construct vaguely nauseating.In which case, the 3.0si model really does deliver on its looks. If ever there was a single case against BMW's fitment of runflat tyres to almost all its models, here it be.Picture the reaction of a big cockroach when narrowly missed by a tightly furled and vigorously wielded newspaper. This image came to mind when driving, with no particular intent or enthusiasm, on one of western Sydney's standard, coarse-chip roads.When not tramlining along ruts in a way that any less stiff sidewalls wouldn't, the 3.0si skittered and skipped at the merest patchwork. That Lotus Europa S we featured a fortnight ago was more forgiving.And the latter is a mildly constrained version of Lotus's road warriors, not an allegedly luxury coupe.Given that the fat majority of 3.0si models are bought by soft cogs who stipulate the automatic transmission — rather than the notchy, short throw manual of our car — Bimmer is missing its market by the width of its rubber.Of course, you could always emulate several BMW owners we know of — rip off the runflats and replace 'em with conventional low-profile tyres. If you have a serious flat any distance from the metropolis at least you'll have a chance of replacing it locally and at perhaps half the cost.And unless your daily drive is over the beaut blacktops of rural Tasmania, you'll find the going much less maddening.Such a street legal modification might even enhance the anodyne electro-mechanical rack and pinion steering, which is not a patch on the hydraulic set up afforded the hot Z4 M (which eschews runflats, incidentally).While pushing the Sport button sharpens throttle response, somehow it also serves to further denude the wheel of feel, dissipating the fun factor of a nicely balanced rear-wheel-drive coupe.Buzzing about results in more within. Not for the first time in one of BMW's US-built sporters we've had cause to suspect fit and finish. There may be only a bit of clicking and vibration, but there's too much of it too often for anything like this money.To continue in that universal language, if you can't find the means — or the will — to live with the uncompromised M version, save heaps and buy a Nissan 350Z. If that's too common, look at Mazda's high-revving rotary RX-8.Of course, what neither of these have is BMW's superb 3-litre inline six, with 195kW/315Nm that can be enjoyed to its utmost in the 1320kg 3.0si.Strapped in with your rear end somewhere near the rear axle, trying to stir the 3.0si to its claimed 5.7second 0-100km/h sprint time is a sure-fire smile.If all-round vision is more restricted than even the aforementioned Lotus, it's no chore to clamber in and out of the Z4's cockpit. Nor, when opening the doors, do you risk disabling bystanders on the other side of the street, a la Alfa's Brera.The 3.0si's dash design and instrument cluster is lean, clean and easy to read with the sat-nav unafflicted by i-Drive. Bold aluminium accents and beige leather are tasteful contrasts to the particular shade of metallic grey that's the most pleasing of BMW's current hues.These are aesthetic points upon which even observers polarised by the Z4's shape can agree. Just as they would likely arrive at the same verdict after driving it home.

Both attract glances from all angles and leave you feeling good about yourself from behind the wheel. Volkswagen's latest offering provides the best of both worlds in one package, a hard-top convertible and a coupe. And it's an affordable one at that.The new Eos has a convertible, sliding coupe roof and is priced between $47,990 and $52,290, depending on whether you want to stick to the traditional petrol or give the diesel a try. And with a 2.0-litre turbo on offer in both modes, the Eos, which is named after a goddess, is competitively priced for the segment. On a first drive, there even seems to be more on offer for your money than with the more expensive Volvo C70, which starts at $69,950 and the diesel Saab 9-3 for $67,400. The 2.0-litre turbo diesel is the entry-level model for the range, with 103kW developed at 4000rpm and 320Nm from as low as 1750rpm to 2500rpm. It's priced at $47,990 for the manual, and $50,290 for the DSG gearbox. While the DSG gearbox is impressive, and allows you to drive in three modes, manual shifting with a light touch of the gear lever, Sport or the easier Drive option, the manual is a more enjoyable drive. With tall gearing, it was a quick shift into third as we easily tackled the winding Great Ocean Road in Victoria. The diesel is a good ride and it doesn't seem to possess past diesel traits, such as a noisy engine.During our test, mother nature wasn't so kind, so unfortunately we couldn't test it with the roof down. But when driving with the roof closed, you barely notice you're in a diesel in terms of noise.The alternative is a 2.0-litre turbo petrol model, with 147kW from 5100rpm to 6000rpm and 280Nm of torque delivered at 1800rpm to 5000rpm. The petrol has a price tag of $49,990 for the six-speed manual and $52,290 for the DSG. This is a little more expensive than the Holden Astra Twin Top at $45,490 and the Peugeot 307cc at $47,990, but its performance also exceeds those models. The turbo has the benefit of responsive and smooth acceleration, the torque always on hand.The bad weather held off long enough to test the topless option in the petrol model.The car has to be stationary to remove the roof, which takes 25 seconds to retract and folds into the boot. With the roof down, there's still 205 litres capacity (enough for two bags). It has 380 litres when the roof is up.The Eos is the first car to have a sunroof fitted into a retractable hard top, so you can still pull back the inside of the roof to reveal the glass top and the beauty of the sky, storm or no storm. And the design of the car is in line with its goddess origin. She's a good-looking model, with the smooth shape and space-like encapsulated shell.The Eos borrows some attributes of other Volkswagen models, including the suspension based on the Golf and Jetta and the petrol engine, which was first deployed in the Golf GTI. But its platform is new.The back surprisingly has decent head and leg space, even with the roof up. The suspension felt light on the road when we were testing the petrol model, not quite taking the corners with the firmness you'd like. But the problem was solved when we stepped into the diesel model, fitted with the optional 18-inch wheels and sports suspension, which comes at an extra $2490. It's well worth it for that extra grip and a more dynamic ride.The Eos comes standard with a rollbar system, ABS, ESP, four airbags working as six, parking sensors, 17-inch alloy wheels, a six-disc CD changer with eight speakers, rain-sensing wipers and that first-of-a-kind five-piece Convertible Sliding Coupe roof. Leather interior is extra.In Greek mythology, the Titan goddess of dawn, Eos, rose from the edge of the ocean to awake her brother, Helious the sun. So perhaps jumping in your Eos at dawn and stretching her legs on the road would ensure the rising of the sun, allowing the full benefits of her convertible form. It didn't really seem to work for us, but then again, there was no getting up at dawn for these journalists, even if a goddess was awaiting.

Styled by Italian design studio Pininfarina, the Colt Cabriolet is at once stylish and goofy looking, particularly in profile with the roof up.The rear deck is too flat and long and the bubble shaped cabin too large and bulbous, creating an unbalanced appearance.With the roof down, however, the car looks like a million bucks.One thing's for sure, it's certainly got some get up and go with the 1.5-litre turbo aboard.Pininfarina has been responsible for a range of diverse and iconic designs over the years, including the Jaguar XJS, Peugeot 206CC and recently released Volvo C70 coupe/cabriolet.The company specialises in soft and hard topped roof solutions and its expertise is employed by many manufacturers.Mitsubishi says the roof system was the first thing that Pininfarina developed for the Colt Cabrio during the design phase.The roof was engineered and tested in its wind tunnel at Grugliasco, to guarantee the highest standards of safety and functionality.The fact Pininfarina engineered both the Pug and Mitsubishi cabrios is a point of interest, as the two are rivals, with a new Pug set to heat up things shortly.Our test car was certainly an eye-catcher finished in burnt metallic orange, but with a pair of the tiniest back seats that we have ever laid eyes on.There's little or no legroom for rear seat passengers and you've got to wonder why they bothered?The turbocharged engine develops 110KW of power at 6000rpm and 210Nm of torque at 3500rpm, slightly less power than the Ralliart Colt.In comparison the cheaper naturally aspirated model delivers 80kW at 6000rpm and 145Nm at 4000rpm.The force fed engine features a weight- saving hollow camshaft.Other changes have been made to accommodate the higher power output, with stronger engine and gearbox mountings, plus higher spring rates to cope with the demands of more harder acceleration and spirited handling.The turbocharged engine is mated to a five- speed Getrag manual transmission, with a revised gear set - there's no auto.Rounding off the package are 16in alloys fitted with 205/45 rubber.The end result is a car that's a bit of a tearaway, able to spin the wheels off the line, and again when changing to second gear and one that is something of a handful in the wet.Weighing in at 1200kg, it can sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds and has a top speed of 205km/h.Fuel consumption from the 47-litre tank is rated at 7.2 litres/100km.We found the turbo a fun car to drive, but not exactly what you'd call cheap motoring at $37,990 plus on-roads.The roof is easily removed, with a locking clamp at each corner and luggage screen in the boot that must be extended before the roof will operate.Too much luggage and the roof will refuse to open.There's some body flex with the roof open, particularly on bumpy secondary roads - but not too much.The top of the windscreen is quite high and this minimises wind intrusion.The power-operated windows can be tricky, as one set of controls operates both front and rear windows, with a pause required between the two.You get leather and heated front seats standard, but the finish inside smacks of plastic and the sound system failed to impress.Handling is generally good, but we were wary of executing any fast cornering in the wet.It's reassuring to know that Active Stability Control (incorporating Active Traction Con- trol) is fitted along with anti-lock brakes to stop things getting out of hand.Strong front pillars and windshield frame are designed to support the car in a roll over accident, without the need for rear roll bars.Driver, passenger and side airbags are also fitted.

Sure, he might admit he’d made her a little overstuffed in the lip department the first time around and tone that area down to something more recognisably human, but otherwise there wouldn’t be a lot of tweaking required.Improving on perfection isn’t easy, even for God, so spare a thought for the poor pencil pushers at Audi who were asked to redesign the TT.This car was groundbreaking when it arrived, back in 1998, was then awarded the highest form of praise by other companies as they tried to copy it (check out the roofline on a Nissan 350Z, for example) and still – today – looks futuristically cool.In fact, it looks like some oversized rollerskate from that excellent movie, Tron.I imagine a series of meetings with the red-eyed designers turning up time after time with a car that looked pretty much exactly like the old TT.“Seriously, we changed the colour of the indicator reflectors – it’s a totally new car,” they would plead.Actually hacking into those fluid lines to come up with something quite markedly different must have felt like sacrilege.The first few times I saw the new shape I got angry. Why on earth would anyone mess with a one-off like the TT? Why didn’t they just start again and call it something else? But after a week of intimate time with one, I must admit I’ve done a backflip of Olympic, or even Politician standard.The new TT isn’t as attractive as the old one, but viewed in isolation, it’s still a pretty sharp, hawk-beaked looking vehicle. My neighbour even described it as being “a bit too porn star” for her taste, so it’s not exactly a sleeper.It’s derivative without being damaging to the original concept and it grows on you. It may yet be seen as a classic in its own right, but that will have more to do with the way it drives than how it looks.The one area where the designers definitely got it wrong, however, is the interior. As good as the old TT looked from the outside, my favourite feature was always the cockpit, which just felt – and looked – special.It was the shiny, garage-door style cover for the stereo that topped it off, but generally there was a sense that the interior had been designed to reflect the exterior. And it worked.The new car is merely another Audi inside, with plenty of nice-feeling plastics but no character or pizzazz – with the obvious exception of the flat-bottomed steering wheel, which is a thing of boy-racer beauty.Luckily the TT has so much character elsewhere that you’re entirely willing to overlook the innards.Because, while we can debate over whether the look of the new car has matched the old one, the new TT is a far, far better thing to drive.It is one of those cars where you just know, in the first five minutes in a heavily trafficked 60km/h zone, it’s going to be special.It has a taut, on-its-toes feel for the road. Muscular, meaty steering – at last – and an exhaust note that is as different from its forebear as Kylie Minogue is from Ozzy Osbourne.The old TT had a pleasant enough rasp to it, while the new one blows raspberries at rasping and gives out an angry, howling growl, which is at its best on the over-run and when running from the horizon.On a favourite bit of road, the new TT put on a display of corner-biting, scenery blurring genuine sports-car behaviour.It handled and went and stopped like, well, almost like certain other brands that Audi just never competed with before, in such a serious way.The old TT was fun enough, but it always felt like swinging a slick, aluminium baseball bat compared with a fine piece of willow, or a sword.Driving the new one gets your pulse racing the way looking at the old one did. Impressively, the model we were driving was merely the base model, powered by a 2.0-litre turbo FSI engine with 147kW, good for a 0 to 100km/h time of 6.4 seconds.Even the fact that the engine only drove the front wheels wasn’t as annoying as it should be.And I just have to mention the steering again. Not usually an Audi strong point – they more favour the light approach than the premium lager – it really does the business here, connecting you with the road at broadband speeds.So, with the inherited looks of the old TT, but a good 30 per cent more fun, this new Audi is one of the company’s best efforts ever.Even a pricetag of $68,900 starts to look like reasonable value.Most people will spend $72,500 instead and get the S-tronic flappy paddle auto box. The fools.I’ll admit I’m keen to try the top-line V6 quattro version, for $88,900, not so much for the 3.2-litre V6 engine (reportedly it weighs the nose down too much and takes some of the free spirit away), but for the all-wheel-drive gripfest – and the 0 to 100km/h time of 5.7 seconds sounds like fun, too.