A heat wave is here - which are the coolest cabriolets?

South Africa has experienced a heat wave of note.  Temperatures soared, exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.

We all mention and complain how hot it is, feeling we just want to hide in front of the airconditioner, or just get outside.  As motorists, we might turn up the car’s aircon to max… or… if you have a cabriolet or convertible (call it what you like) you would open the roof and let the natural air cool you down.

So what’s on the market?  There are varying sizes and budgets – for open-top solutions to beat the heat, let’s stick below the million-Rand mark… so it doesn’t melt your wallet (too much).

The cheapest way to enter the glamorous cabriolet lifestyle is through 2 cars which are, well, not actually full cabriolets:  the Fiat 500C and Citroën DS3 Cabrio offer sub-R250k pricing, but they do not open fully, instead using metal side profiles wherein the soft-top slides back (rather than fold away completely).  Still, you get to experience the thrills of having no roof above you, so you can better enjoy the trees and the sky, uninterrupted.  Also, the solid sides are actually an advantage to some, as you still feel enclosed/protected from the side, which you don’t in a fully open car.

The winner as cheapest cabriolet is also a cheerful one – the Fiat 500C 1.2 Pop currently costs R 216 400, and is also available in an automated model at R 225 400.  A new Citroën DS3 Cabrio VTi 82 Design, as 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine, costs R 245 900.

If you like the design of the Fiat 500, but need it a bit more powerful and also more macho, look at the Abarth 500C, starting at R 316 900 – clearly the same body design as the Fiat 500, but with the addition of a 1.4 turbo-charged engine.  With the Dualogic MTA automated gearshift it comes complete with joystick-like gear selector, and Ferrari-style gear selection “buttons”.  You also get some beefy-looking aerodynamic add-ons, and a scorpion badge instead of the Fiat logo.  Go for the spicy “esseesse” upgrade kit (it is actually shipped in a wooden crate to the dealer – very cool!) which ups power to 118kW and is renamed 500C esseesse, with everything from wheels (some white rally-style wheels are available) to suspension and exhaust upgrades… you also get a cool cursive-font esseesse badge on the short rear deck.

BMW 2 Series convertible – this is replacement for the 1 Series convertible, in the same way the 1 Series coupé metamorphosed into the 2 Series coupé.  It is arriving in sunny South Africa in the not-too-distant future, with pricing kick-off at R 490 500 for the 220i in Luxury line, the 228i convertible costing R 529 000, or the high-performance 6-cylinder M235i convertible tagged at R 651 600.

For something from Jaguar, the F-Type convertible is available as a contemporary version of the British performance open-roof sports car.  Choose from a range of 3 Supercharger engines, in V6, V6 S or V8 S – each with an extrovert voice – to meet our million-Rand criteria, only the R 905 000 F-Type convertible V6 matches (with S just over, and the V8 S at almost R1.5m) which means you can buy a Jaguar at roughly the same price as other premium roadsters, being top-of-the-range BMW Z4 sDrive35is, mid-range Mercedes-Benz SLK350, or the Porsche Boxster GTS.

MINI is unique in offering 2 open cars in the compact segment:  MINI Convertible and MINI Roadster.  So why both these cars?  The Convertible is based on the MINI Hatch, is slightly higher, and can seat 4 people, whereas the MINI Roadster follows its brother, the MINI Coupé, in having 2 seats, with a lower stance and roof, and sportier more go-kart driving feel.  Choose from Cooper, Cooper S or John Cooper Works flavours for both Convertible and Roadster styles – Cooper Convertible manual is priced at R 331 250, stretching to R 490 250 for the John Cooper Works Roadster automatic.

The Convertible is about to be replaced by a new car based on the MINI launched here last year as 3-door and 5-door, with Convertible due next.  They have a special edition of the current MINI Convertible called Highgate, which comes in Iced Chocolate metallic (how cool is that!?) with Dark Truffle (dark brown) leather and turquoise piping.  The MINI Roadster, it has been announced, will stop production soon, after a short run of just 3 years.  We’re hoping for an exciting replacement.

For a 2-seater roadster experience, the GTS model has been added as the sportiest of the Porsche Boxster line-up, above the standard Boxster and the Boxster S.  It is the first time the Porsche-traditional “GTS” letters are deemed fit to be applied to the company’s roadster – proof of its sporty intentions is in standard-fitted Sport Chrono package and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as well as the Alcantara suede-cloth upholstery and trim (which Porsche reserves for its sportier models).  Black exhausts, black badges and black trim on the headlight surrounds complemented by the dark-smoked taillights distinguish this as the GTS.  R 928 000 is the current price, with a 3-year Driveplan maintenance plan.

Volkswagen Golf cabriolet… but not any Golf cabriolet.  There are 1.4TSI versions of the latest Golf cabriolet available, the Golf GTI cabriolet is a rare sight.  Such is the popularity of the Golf GTI hatch that the Golf GTI cabriolet (although the Golf 7 hatch has been around, the cabriolet is based on Golf 6).  At R 452 000 it is one of the often-overlooked cabriolet options which deserve consideration (it costs about the same as an Audi A3 cabriolet 1.4TSI or MINI John Cooper Works Convertible).  It is a Golf, a GTI, and a cabriolet all-in-one… and that has to be a cool car.

The heat is on… so its time to take the roof off.

 

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