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It's the season for convertible cruising and the wind-in-the-hair feeling need not come at great expense.Top-down driving with the wind in your hair isn't solely the province of the rich and famous. For as little as $21,000 drive-away, the sticker price of the little Fiat 500C convertible, you can savour spring motoring.Convertibles don't have to be fast, just cool. And they don't have to be practical because you - and sometimes your partner - are probably the only people enjoying the ride. But they have to be safe.There are about 40 convertible models around. Most exceed $60,000 but prices peak with the $1,075,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead.Convertibles are counted among sub-$100,000 sports cars, a segment that is powering. Sales are up 24 per cent to the end of August. Expect even stronger spring and summer sales as buyers eye the skies.SPRING SPIDERS This trio will put a smile on your face and won't bite too deep into your wallet. The Abarth 595, Mazda MX-5 and Audi A3 escape machines also suit city and suburban duties.VALUE Compact dimensions, four-cylinder engines and frugal fuel thirst indicate low ownership costs. But they're not in the same budget price band as hatchbacks.Audi's A3 Cabriolet, from $47,300, needs options to cement its prestige aura. Satnav, rear camera etc are packaged for $2000 and you'll have to add $450 for the acoustic roof, which should be standard. That's $49,750 plus on-road costs. There's no capped-price servicing - Audi estimates annual costs of about $500.Abarth's 595 Competizione convertible is the eighth model from the Fiat-owned performance arm. Theoretically, it's not a Fiat so there's are big bragging rights for the car's $39,000 price. Equipment levels are good, from 17-inch spidery alloy wheels to Sabelt race seats, digital instrument panel, full-length electric sunroof and Bluetooth connectivity. Again, no service program though Fiat/Abarth has a service menu. The marque's exclusivity benefits three-year resale, estimated at 61 per cent by Glass's Guide.The Mazda MX-5 is the world's most popular sports car and the only one voted a classic while still in production. There's a new one early next year. Meanwhile the two-seater exemplifies simplicity and a dogged mandate to achieve fine handling using off-the-shelf components.But it's expensive at $47,280 and has been around the block too many times to miss out on features we now expect as standard - park sensors, reverse camera, Bluetooth and so on. Mazda's capped price servicing contains service charges, keeping to as little as $929 for three years. Resale is 53 per cent.DESIGN This is a car segment that is all about "look at me''. Which one will get you the most looks or make you the centre of attention? Here the jury is divided - the Abarth looks as if it's on steroids and on test drew the most attention. The Mazda is clearly a sports car but despite its austere beauty, is too common to turn many heads. The Audi is perfectly proportioned, undeniably elegant and its visual appeal is reinforced by its German badge.The Abarth is all Italian flamboyance with chrome trim, lots of colour and artistic detail. The digital instrument panel is clever and incorporates data including lateral G-forces and the thin, body-hugging seats are trimmed in red cloth. Unnecessarily damaging to image is the Fiat "500C" badge on the passenger-side dash.The electric roof is more an extended fabric sunroof that retreats in stages, culminating in collecting up the rear glass and folding like a bustle above the boot lid masking all rear vision. Luggage space is 182L, expanding to 520L with the rear seats folded.The Mazda has a metal folding roof (also electric and also folding out of sight; there's no longer a cloth-roof model). Cabin detail is sparse but perfectly suited to its sports car theme and all-black materials ensure glare-free driving. Luggage space is only 150L.Inside, the Audi wins. Its cabin is clinical but oozes quality. It can fit four adults, only matched here by the Abarth. The boot is surprisingly spacious at 320L. The cloth roof folds back perfectly in line with the body so it looks classy topless or fully clothed.TECHNOLOGY The Abarth crowds a small but punchy turbo into the tiny nose for frugal use of 91RON petrol. A "sport" mode boosts outputs while race-oriented chassis components include intuitive Koni dampers up front, vented discs all around and dual-weighted steering.The simplest is the Mazda, sharing parts with the family's previous generation passenger cars yet riding on a unique platform. The engine outputs are relatively uninspiring but it's relatively frugal on 95RON fuel. It has perfect weight distribution. Honed suspension components and some aluminium parts (the bonnet, for example) keep weight down to help performance. The six-speed gearbox is shared with the Toyota 86.Riding on VW Group's lauded Golf platform, the Audi has a very taut, composed ride. Its turbo four turns a seven-speed dual-clutch auto for easily the best fuel efficiency, despite being the topweight here.SAFETY The four-star Mazda shows its age while the others, with contemporary safety gear, score five. There is a distinct sense of vulnerability that generally goes with the convertible territory.Audi has seven airbags, front and rear park sensors, active rollover protection and auto wipers and headlights plus optional safety kit. The Abarth has rear park sensors (but desperately needs a camera), tyre pressure alerts, bi-xenon headlights and five airbags. Only the Mazda has no spare; the others have space-savers.DRIVING Noise - and lots of it - is the Abarth's calling card. With engine and exhaust in "sport" mode, it sounds as if it's competing in a World Rally Championship stage.Generally, it's fun to drive, the open-air experience is wonderful. Power pours on, rushing through the beautifully weighted five-speed manual. The steering is pin-sharp and the seats wrap around the body, though the driving position is best for smaller people.When the road gets bumpy, however, the suspension is too hard to be comfortable. The Abarth's ride degenerates into a brutal shake that throws the short-wheelbase car offline through corners and even blurs the driver's vision.Far more domesticated is the venerable Mazda, which is the best at making driver and car fit like hand in glove. You can almost think it through corners, almost move your hips to adjust the rear end and merely apply light steering wheel pressure to arc the tightest corner.Ride comfort and handling are perfectly balanced and even if the engine wants for urge, it's such fun and remarkably competent in the city. Drop the top and you feel as if you're on an oversize skateboard.The Audi, however, takes the honours. The body rigidity and (optional) acoustic cloth roof lining make it feel more like a sedan. The silky smooth engine is incredibly frugal.Top down - it can be dropped at up to 50km/h - the wind buffeting is more than acceptable and the (optional) neck warmers combat crisp morning or evening air. The auto gearbox has a little low-speed lag but, overall, it's a beautifully accomplished car.VERDICT The Abarth is an enraged boiled egg; the Mazda is dictionary definition roadster; the Audi is the recipe for everything topless. Raw-edged owners will pick the Italian, singles will buy the MX-5 and more mature drivers will go for the Audi.WHAT'S A SPIDER?The term "spider" (or marketing variations such as spyder) is apparently drawn from a horse-drawn, light and open two-seater carriage popular in Britain in the era before motor vehicles. The carriage was known as a "speeder" but as the carriage became popular in Italy the phonetic spelling - "spider" - was adopted. As horses made way for internal combustion, small two-seat convertible sportsters became known as "spiders". There is also ostensibly a reference to the original folding-roof frames resembling spindly spider's legs.AT A GLANCE Mazda MX-5: 4/5Price: From $47,280 Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km Capped servicing: From $929 for 3 years Service interval: 6 months/10,000km Resale: 53 per cent Safety: 4 stars ANCAP Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 118kW/188Nm Transmission: 6-speed man; RWD Thirst: 8.1L/100km, 95RON, 192g/km CO2 Dimensions: 4.0m (L), 1.7m (W), 1.3m (H) Weight: 1167kg Spare: None Audi A3 Cabriolet Attraction: 4.5/5Price: From $47,300 Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km Capped servicing: No Service interval: 12 months/15,000km Resale: 50 per cent Safety: 5 stars ANCAP Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cyl turbo, 103kW/250Nm Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto; FWD Thirst: 4.9L/100km, 95RON, 114g/km CO2 Dimensions: 4.4m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.4m (H) Weight: 1380kg Spare: Space-saver Abarth 595 Competizione: 3.5/5 Price: From $39,000 Warranty: 3 years/150,000km Capped servicing: No Resale: 61 per cent Service interval: 12 months/15,000km Safety: 5 stars ANCAP Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cyl turbo, 118kW/230Nm Transmission: 5-speed man; FWD Thirst: 6.5L/100km, 155g/km CO2 Dimensions: 3.7m (L), 1.6m (W), 1.5m (H) Weight: 1035kgSpare: Space-saver

We turn the spotlight on the car world's newest and brightest stars as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. But there's only one question that really needs answering would you buy one?What is it?Another addition to BMW’s lineup of sporty SUVs. Smaller and more practical than the odd-looking X6, it sits on the same platform and has the same running gear as the more conservative X3. BMW says this car is targeted at customers who desire premium motoring with a point of difference.How much?Prices for the X4 start at $69,900 for the entry level petrol model. It’s another $3500 for a 2.0-litre diesel, or $83,900 for this very desirable 3.0-litre diesel. What are competitors?Think Audi Q5, Volvo XC60 or perhaps the Range Rover Evoque. No Benz in this segment yet, but it won’t be long and Benz will be wanting to launch with a splash.What's under the bonnet?A 3.0-litre straight six cylinder diesel punches out a healthy 190kW of power and 560Nm of torque, the latter from a low 1500 revs. Drive is to all four wheels although the all-wheel drive system remains predominantly two-wheel drive most of the time. All X4s come with an eight-speed auto, in this case a sports auto that includes gear shift paddles. How does it go?Gets off the line fairly quickly and has plenty of torque on tap. Sits flat in corners and the dash from 0-100km/h takes only 5.9 seconds which is faster than the original WRX. Is it economical?With a 67-litre tank and rated at 5.9L/100km, we were getting 7.4 after just over 500km, but with not quite 4000km on the clock we would expect this figure to improve. Diesels don’t start producing at their best until 10,000km. The X4 also features auto stop-start and brake energy regeneration to reduce fuel consumption.Is it green?Not bad. Gets 3.5 out of five stars from the Government's Green Vehicle Guide (benchmark Prius scores five out of five). This one discharges 159g/km of CO2 into the atmosphere. Fitting optional low rolling-resistance tyres trims this figure by another 7g/km. Is it safe?No rating from ANCAP but we would expect the X4 to score a full five stars. Comes with front, side and curtain airbags, along with a rear view camera, front and rear parking sensors, electronic traction and stability control, ABS anti-lock brakes and a string of other acronyms including CBC (Cornering Brake Control), DBC (Dynamic Brake Control), Dry Braking function, Fading Compensation, Start-Off Assistant, HDC (Hill Descent Control) and Performance Control.Is it comfortable?Easy to get in and out of. Front seat occupants sit 20mm lower and rear seats 28mm lower than in the X3. Rear legroom is adequate. The rear features two individual seats but it can carry five at a pinch, with a rear seat that splits 40:20:40.What's it like to drive?Seats are comfortable. Colour scheme in our test vehicle was garish, with a combination of grey wood, chocolate coloured leather and contrasting light brown stitching. Good combination of performance and economy. The diesel is for the most part smooth and quiet. Needs a rear screen wiper because water beads up making it difficult to see. Head up display was fitted but very difficult to see even at its brightest setting with polarised sunglasses. Satnav does not provide current speed limit with speed camera warnings.Is it value for money?To an already long feature list the xDrive30d adds Surround View with 360 degree visibility with help from cameras in the exterior mirrors, a wide-angle camera in front and the rear view camera, exterior mirrors with anti-dazzle and fold function, dual exhaust pipes, 9-speaker 7-channel audio and Dynamic Damper Control that offers a range of settings to suit conditions and customer preferred settings.

Alistair Kennedy road tests and reviews the Skoda Yeti, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Stuart Martin road tests and reviews the BMW 420d Convertible, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Mini Cooper S auto, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the 2014 Mini Cooper, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Though a big hit in Europe, Volkswagen Polo lags significantly in sales behind its big brother Golf in Australia. That's partly because the so-called light-car segment in Australia is dominated by Asian imports selling at low prices. VW Australia's response is simple - it has trimmed it prices and the newly revised Polo starts at just $15,990 driveaway. Be aware that's an introductory price, and will revert to $16,290 plus on-road costs within a few months; the exact timing has yet to be set, but don't hesitate or you may be lost.STYLINGThere's nothing to get excited about in the Polo's styling. It' neat and competent enough, with a rectangular theme front and rear. The shape has just been revised front and rear, with slightly sharper lines but it still doesn't exactly jump out from the crowd. However, it is likely to remain timeless - and many like it like that. New wheel designs are part of the updated shape and some extra colours have been added to the body and trim palettes.The interior is simple and functional, with minor revisions to the colours and materials, it has a neat layout that's easy to see and controls that fall easily to hand. INFOTAINMENTPolo has a 5.0-inch touch screen. AM/FM radio, CD player, Aux socket, SD card slot. Compatible with MP3 and WMA music files.ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONSThe biggest news is that the Polo is powered by two versions of the ultra-modern 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine we have admired in other recent Volkswagens. In the lower cost Comfortline models it provides 66 kilowatts of power and 160 Newton metres of torque, the latter coming in at a mere 1400 revs and going all the way through to 3500 revs, so most drivers will find themselves having maximum grunt on hand virtually all the time.Pay more money for the upmarket Polo Trendline versions and the 1.2 engine is tuned to provide more power and torque, 81 kW, and 175 Nm, again at just 1400 rpm, but now running all the way up to 4000 rpm.Polo 66 TSI is offered with a five-speed manual, whereas the 81 TSI has a six-speed manual, both have the option of a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission.SAFETYA five-star rating thanks to strong body and electronic stability aids. Additionally, the Sport Package (see later in this story) adds quite a few crash prevention or minimisation features.OPTION PACKSPolo Comfortline, but not the Trendline can be specified with a $1500 Driving Comfort Package with Adaptive Cruise Control, Driver Fatigue Detection System, Front Assist with City Emergency Brake function, automatic windscreen wipers and a rear view camera.There's also a Sport Package, again at $1500, with lowered suspension, Mirabeau 17-inch wheels, dark tinted rear side window and rear window glass, front foglights with static cornering function.DRIVINGThe front seats support nicely without being overly aggressive, the seating position is quite high to provide for extra room behind them. However, the rears are better suited to children, though adults can be carried if those in the front are willing and able to give up some space.In typical Volkswagen fashion the little Polo handles in a nicely dynamic fashion and can corner at far higher speeds than are likely to be tried by most owners. At the limit there's safe understeer that brings it back under control, and which is, of course, backed by electronic aids to further keep you safe.Electro-mechanical steering has been introduced primarily to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, but at the same time it gives even more direct feedback than in the outgoing Polo. Ride comfort is again typically VW as the body has a solid feed and provides a good platform for the suspension to work on. There's a relaxed feeling inside the Polo that normally requires a car from the next size segment.These new-design 1.2-litre engines are delightful to sit behind. They provide strong torque, respond well and are more than happy to rev. I feel the majority of drivers won't need anything more than the 66 kW version.

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2014 Maserati Ghibli.

The Mk5 Volkswagen Polo took a few leaves out of its Mk6 Golf sibling's book when it arrived in Australia in 2010, bringing surprising levels of refinement, technology and efficiency to the highly competitive light hatch segment.  Four years on, the Polo has the even-better Mk7 Golf to draw on for its mid-cycle

Luxury maker Maserati is rolling the dice with the more affordable Ghibli. This four-door coupe, the same size as a BMW 5 Series, is the cheapest Maserati yet, starting at $138,900, or scores of thousands less than the next model in the line-up.At risk is the Maserati mystique, borne of its exclusivity, which could take a hit when more of its cars are spotted on the street. The reward would be a dramatic boost in sales and profits. Maserati sold just 6300 cars around the world in 2012, but is aiming to move 50,000 next year. The Ghibli (pronounced Gibbly) is right at the centre of the plan.Maserati's new coupe will quickly become the brand's best seller in Australia but in turn it is expected to be outsold by a new Maserati SUV called the Levante, which will cost a similar amount when it arrives in 2016. For its part Maserati argues that the new, more affordable, models won't hurt the brand because sightings on Australian roads will still be rare.Even if Maserati sells 1500 cars a year locally after the Levante arrives, spokesman Edward Rowe says: 'That is still a small number when you consider the new car market in Australia is one million cars a year." The Ghibli takes its name from a prevailing wind in Syria. Maserati first used the name in 1963 then reprised it in 1992.The new car is essentially a downsized Quattroporte, although it might be rude to point that out to someone who has shelled-out more than a quarter of a million dollars on the larger model. Firstly, it looks like a Quattroporte, with the same aggressive nose and sloping coupe profile but the smaller proportions mean it looks better than its big brother.Plainly it isn't as expensive as the Quattroporte nor does it have quite the same presence, but most people will assume it costs more than it does. The Ghibli is also built on a shortened version of the Quattroporte platform and even employs the same suspension design.When it comes to engines, yep, you guessed it, they are from the Quattroporte too. The most affordable Ghibli costs $138,900. This uses a 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 from VM Motori, which is also available in the Jeep Grand Cherokee. This example has a unique Maserati tune for outputs of 202kW/600Nm, so it doesn't mess about when you jab the accelerator.Next up is the "standard" petrol engine, a 3.0-litre direct injection V6 with two intercooled turbochargers, developed in conjunction with Ferrari and built in Maranello. It costs $139,990 and it has a 243kW/500Nm version of the engine under its long bonnet.A warmer version, with more aggressive engine management software that increases the outputs to 301kW/550Nm, tops the current range at $169,900. For the record, Maserati says a high-revving V8 and an even more powerful V6 are planned for the Ghibli at some stage in the next few years.Carsguide drove the more powerful V6 at the launch near Byron Bay this week and came away pondering: 'Why would anyone buy the more expensive Quattroporte?" For its part, Maserati reckons customers who want a larger limousine with more interior space will be happy to hand over the additional cash for the bigger car.Regardless, the Ghibli is a great performance sedan that looks beautiful, stands out on the road and goes mighty fast when required (0-100km/h in 5.0 seconds).It handles extremely well and its hydraulic steering (not electric as in almost all other new cars) is wonderfully involving. The ride of our test car was uncomfortably harsh but it was running optional 20-inch wheels ($5090). It should ride better on the standard 18s.Surprisingly, there is some turbo lag but the engine is remarkably strong when the turbos start spinning. You better pay attention because the revs build extremely quickly.The V6 has a meaty sound, which is louder in Sport mode, does a great "thrump" on gear changes - but doesn't sound as good as a V8.All Ghiblis get an eight-speed automatic, a regular torque converter type, which swaps cogs quickly and without fuss and it can be controlled via paddle-shifters on the steering column. Selecting reverse, park or neutral via the centre-mounted gear shifter can be frustrating as the design is surprisingly poor.This is a rare negative in what is an excellent interior.The cabin not only looks smart and expensive, but the controls and easy to use. There is plenty of space for four adults, sitting on sculpted seats trimmed with soft leather and it has as a decent boot. Small items, such as USB charger and 12V charger ports in the rear centre armrest show Maserati has put in a lot of thought.