I'm not sure
if Americans like retro-styled new cars as much as they used
to. But if you're a convertible buyer, don't let the looks of
the retro-styled, 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible stop
you from checking out this car. It's the lowest-priced drop-top
auto on the market with a starting manufacturer's suggested
retail price, including destination charge, of $19,995 at its
introduction.
The PT convertible also comes with four usable seats that sit
up a bit from the floor, allowing passengers to enter and exit
more easily than they can in many other convertibles where riders
sit close to the floor. And the PT convertible's "sport bar"
- a metal structure behind the front seats that helps provide
a solid, rigid ride - adds a stylish touch when the fabric top
is down.
The next lowest-priced, four-seat convertible is the 2004
Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible, which starts at more than
$21,000, and the two-seat Mazda Miata roadster starting at over
$22,000. Granted, the PT Cruiser, which debuted as a four-door
hatchback with retro looks, has lost its luster. Sales of 107,759
in calendar 2003, for example, were off 25.5 percent from the
peak 144,717 sales in 2001.
But there's much to like in this drop-top PT, whose looks
belie the extensive engineering that was needed to create a
solid-riding, shake-resistant convertible. The PT convertible
"is not a coupe with a top chopped off," said Larry Lyons, vice
president of small vehicle product team engineering.
To make the convertible, officials said they changed the PT
hatchback from the windshield pillars and back. They added new
"smart glass" windows that automatically lower and rise back
up when the doors are opened in order to retain good sealing
against the fabric top. These windows first debuted years ago
on some of the luxury convertibles. Engineers took away two
of the PT hatchback's doors, leaving the convertible with two
long doors, instead. 
They strengthened the rear seat structure, re-tuned suspension
components and designed the novel sport bar that extends, wing-like,
above the rear seat area. Besides contributing to the car's
rigidity, this bar also serves to direct air over and beyond
the rear seat for less wind buffeting for passengers.
But the PT convertible does share the same engines and transmissions,
as well as the basic suspension setup - MacPherson struts in
front and twist axle beam with Watt's linkage in back - of the
PT hatchback. It has the same platform and overall size, too.
In fact, during the test drive, the PT convertible - with
an almost-bustled-at-the-back fabric top - didn't draw attention,
except from people driving PT hatchbacks. Other drivers paid
no mind.
