Automotive Reviews
Posts tagged convertible
2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S cabriolet
Sep 25th
If there’s such a thing as an all-around supercar, the Porsche 911 has held that title for several decades running now. In production and constantly evolving since 1963, the 911 has become a rolling technological tour de force wrapped in a skin that most casual observers can recognize, even if the layperson doesn’t always appreciate what it means.
Hardly a year goes by without a round of updated and upgraded improvements to the 911, and 2009 is no exception. The current iteration was introduced in 2005, featuring Porsche’s usual round of comprehensive updates. The Porschephiles call this vehicle by its internal codename, “997,” but for the public at large it’s the latest and greatest 911. For 2009, Porsche has boosted the engine’s horsepower and added an all-new seven-speed double-clutch transmission.
The 911 is perhaps one of the most recognizable high-performance cars on the road, thanks to a design whose basic theme hasn’t changed in two generations. Each passing update makes it sleeker and more aerodynamic, but the 911’s silhouette is still vaguely froglike, with rounded headlamps sweeping back into a dramatically curved greenhouse. The tail is sloped as well, and the Carrera 4 S is slightly wider than the two-wheel drive model. With the roof removed, the 911 is a surprisingly elegant design, with a flush-fitting top stack that’s surprisingly light–at just 77 pounds, it doesn’t have a significant negative effect on performance. Even the ordinary parts are extraordinary on a 911–the headlights are fitted with standard Xenon units, and driving lights, brakelights and taillights are LEDs. Nineteen-inch wheels are standard on the 911 Carrera 4 S.
The cabin is snug, but much more comfortable than one might expect from a dedicated sports car. The 911 has always been the “supercar you could live with,” and the latest iteration is no exception. Ventilated seats are available for the first time, and combined with the available seat heaters mean that 911 passengers are more comfortable in all weather conditions. The available navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and iPod connections are handled through the 6.5-inch screen of the Porsche Communication Module. There’s even a chronometer on the dash. Why? For recording lap times, of course. The only thing you won’t haul much of in the 911 is luggage; the front trunk is less than five cubic feet, and the space behind the front seats (which is laughably occupied by seats) is only half a cubic foot larger.
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself behind the wheel of a 911, it’s a special experience. You don’t have to be an enthusiast to appreciate the flat-six engine under the rear deck. It does take a moment to get beyond the giddy, star-struck feeling of “Holy crap! I’m driving a 911!” Take a few deep breaths and get that out of your system, though, because there’s a lot to see and experience here, and you don’t want to miss any of it. The standard 911 gets a 345 horsepower 3.6 liter engine, while the Carrera 4 S cabriolet has a 3.8 liter powerplant making 385 horsepower. Fuel economy is also improved, to 18 in the city and 27 on the freeway. Porsche claims a 4.7-second 0-60 run with a manual transmission, and 4.5 seconds with the optional double-clutch automatic. To rein in that accelerative ability, Porsche’s Launch Control is included.
Forget anything you may have heard about this car being hard to drive. The 911 has endless grip and stability, especially in all-wheel drive format. It’s not as twitchy as a Corvette; power delivery is nice and progressive (though not slow by any means!) On the transmission front, the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (just call it “PDK”) replaces the Tiptronic selectable automatic in the Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S Cabriolet. The PDK is a seven-speed double-clutch automatic transmission that offers lightning-fast shifts. It’s also lighter than the Tiptronic, for that all-important weight savings. With the PDK transmission in Sport mode, it’s right at home on the track. The PDK transmission is a double-clutch system that actually engages two gears simultaneously. This makes shifts quicker, with no lag while the revs are matched to the next gear. All-wheel drive is handled by the electronic Porsche Traction Management system, borrowed from the 911 Turbo. It replaces a hydraulically-operated system used previously, and helps to increase reaction time and sure-footedness.
The handling is in its own league. The 911 cabriolet is strongly reinforced to give it the same body rigidity as the track-bred hardtop, and the cars are equally adept when the going gets twisty. The suspension is fully independent, and not easily summed up. Up front, a spring strut axle is used, with each wheel individually coil-sprung and mounted on a track arm. The rear uses independent control-track arms for each wheel. The mechanics are complicated, but the results are obvious: the 911 grips the road with unmatched tenacity. It’s not immediately obvious from the styling, but the 911 is blessed with an extremely wide track, which helps to keep it planted as firmly as if it were riding on rails. Porsches have always been known for good braking, but that didn’t stop the engineers from improving the 911’s brakes for 2009. Discs at all four corners measure 12.99 inches, and the four-piston calipers are shared with the 911 Turbo.
The Porsche 911 is a constantly evolving yet approachable supercar. As a measure of how far this car has come, consider the Gemballa Avalanche of the 1980s. This radically-modified 911 was one of the legends of its day, reportedly so powerful it was almost undriveable. The new 911 Carrera 4S has about fifty horsepower more than the Gemballa Avalanche did, yet it’s docile enough to be easily driven on city streets. The Porsche mystique is backed up by real performance, and that makes the $102,900 base price of the Carrera 4 S cabriolet a bit easier to swallow. The PDK transmission adds another $4050 to the bottom line; fully optioned, my tester stickered for $120,100. It’s rare that I say this about any six-figure automobile, but: this one’s worth it.
Specifications: All specs are for the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S Cabriolet
Length: 175.8 in.
Width: 72.9 in.
Height: 52.6 in.
Wheelbase: 92.5 in.
Curb weight: 3516 lb.
Cargo space: 4.4 cu.ft.
Base price: $102,900
Price as tested: $120,100
Engine: 3.8 liter horizontally-opposed six-cylinder
Drivetrain: seven-speed double-clutch automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
Horsepower: 385 @ 6500
Torque: 310 @ 4400
Fuel capacity: 17.7 gal.
Fuel economy: 18/27
2003 Volvo C70 convertible
Sep 15th
If Volvo keeps cranking out beautifully sculpted cars like the C70 convertible, its reputation as a provider of frumpy but safe sedans is going to be in serious jeopardy. Our lovely Swedish test car was mistaken for a BMW or an Audi on more than one occasion during its stay with us.
2004 model pictured; courtesy of NetCarShow
The C70 was introduced in 1996, and was a surprising addition to the lineup, coming as it did from a brand better known for bank vaults on wheels. The C70 has kept the same basic design since then, and for 2003 it’s freshened with a minor horsepower bump and subtle but effective exterior shufflings. The hardtop version has left us thanks to poor sales, but the more popular convertible is sticking around for a while longer.
Although it’s less radical than the new S60 sedan, the C70′s sheetmetal is a thing of subtle beauty. The car’s rounded curves and new, blacked-out eggcrate grille have nothing in common with the Swedish boxes of the 1970s and 1980s. Very few onlookers recognized this car as a Volvo, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Like the four-place droptops from Audi and BMW, the C70′s top is fully automatic, and disappears beneath a rigid metal tonneau cover. Perhaps owing to the relative age of the design, the C70′s top seemed slower to cycle than the Audi’s. Our test car featured lovely 17″ wheels (Volvo has named them “Cratos” but we don’t know what that means) and pearlescent paint.
Inside the C70 looks closely related to Volvo’s S40 (it’s not). Light colors and comfortable leather chairs project a much less somber interior mood than the C70′s monochromatic stablemates. On a long afternoon drive, we found ourselves wishing for more storage cubbies, though; with the top down, small objects tend to blow around the cabin (and sometimes out of it) and the C70 doesn’t always have safe places for them all. Still, it was a comfortable executive cabriolet for four, and that’s what it’s supposed to be. Top-up, we noticed just a hint of cowl shake, and some wind leaks from the top under heavy crosswinds. And one last ergonomic quibble; the killer, 400-watt Pro Logic sound system’s door-mounted speakers force the power window switches to be mounted about six inches farther back than ideal. It’s hard to open a window without taking your eyes off the road to check the switches. Road-trippers, be forewarned; the C70 is a wonderful highway car, but the top takes up the entire trunk when it’s folded.
The 2.3 liter five-cylinder’s voice takes some getting used to. The DOHC, turbocharged engine produces 197 horsepower in “light-pressure” format and 242 in its “high-pressure” guise. We drove a light-pressure model, and 197 horses is adequate for the C70. Don’t mistake it for a sports car; even with the more powerful engine, the C70 is a better cruiser than a racer. The five-speed automatic transmission is solid and uncomplaining (as well as being standard equipment in “light-pressure” models). Curiously, Volvo says the front-wheel drive C70 is capable of towing up to 3300 pounds, which is more than some small SUVs can pull. We didn’t have a chance to test this rating.
Sports car or not, the C70′s suspension is a letdown. The car is balanced strangely, and the suspension is only compliant within a relatively narrow range of reactions. Volvo uses MacPherson struts in the front and a coil-sprung, “delta-link” rear that’s only semi-independent, but that doesn’t excuse its behavior on rough roads. The C70 is smooth and collected most of the time, but large bumps reveal a crashing, unyielding nature that’s very much at odds with a $40,000 convertible.
Under the attractive skin, of course, it’s still a Volvo, and safety is king. Front and side airbags are standard, as is a rollover protection system which pretensions the seatbelts and deploys rollbars if the C70 turns turtle. The solid structure provides plenty of confidence to drive top-down in a world full of giant SUVs. Anti-lock brakes are standard equipment, of course.
Volvo’s literature urges you to buy the C70 “because you’ve earned it,” and it seems that they think you’ve been very good indeed. C70 pricing starts at $39,880 for the LT (light-pressure turbo) model. That price includes heated leather seats and a host of power options, so there’s no such thing as a stripped-out C70. Add another $2000 for the more powerful HT (high-pressure turbo). Our test car was a C70 LT with “Cratos” wheels, Pro Logic sound system and a wood-trim package, and represented about $42,000 worth of goodness.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2003 Volvo C70 convertible, which we tested.
Length: 185.7 in.
Width: 71.5 in.
Height: 56.3 in.
Wheelbase: 104.9 in.
Curb weight: 3450 lb.
Cargo space: 8.1 cu.ft.
Base price: $39,880
Price as tested: $42,265 (est.)
Engine: 2.3 liter DOHC turbocharged five-cylinder
Drivetrain: five-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Horsepower: 197 @ 5700
Torque: 210 @ 1800
Fuel capacity: 18 gal.
Fuel economy: 20/26
2003 Maserati Spyder
Aug 31st
The Maserati name is so legendary and recognized, even among non-car people, that you wouldn’t know they hadn’t sold any cars in the United States in over a decade. The Italian sports car maker’s claim to fame is its long history of racing success, dating to the 1930s. Grand Prix heroes like the A6GCM and the 250F were followed by road-going sports cars like the Mistral and unforgettable Ghibli of 1966. These quintessentially Italian cars were memorable enough to firmly entrench the name “Maserati” in the ranks of the automotive elite. Even a string of less-than-memorable cars in the Eighties and a quiet withdrawal from the US market (not counting an ill-advised, Chrysler-based bit of badge-engineering) couldn’t sully the great name.
Of course, that’s all changed for 2003. The Maserati trident is once again prowling American freeways, with the introduction of the 2003 Maserati Coupe and Spyder. These cars are grand tourers in the traditional sense, combining athletic maneuverability with long-legged freeway manners and luxurious appointments. Of course, plenty of cars offer that these days, as Mercedes’ SL-class convertible and Lexus’ SC430 will quickly assert. That means there’s just one question to be answered: does the new Maserati live up to its famous name?
The Spyder is the better looking of the two. Compared to the Jaguar and Mercedes, the Maserati Spyder looks a bit stubbier and taller, and the Spyder’s topless aspect minimizes that. The car is proportioned like a miniature speedboat, with a classic long hood, short-deck car, with perhaps a hint of Ferrari in the glass-covered headlamps and wide, low grille. The chrome trim gives the Spyder a distinctly Italian look. 18″ wheels dominate the side view. Exposed rollbars ride behind the seats and are painted body-color, enhancing the sporty look. The rear end is a bit abrupt, and the wedge-shaped taillights lack the elegance of the Spyder’s face.
Unlike Maseratis of yore, the Spyder is no stripped-down road racer inside. The interior is much prettier than the exterior, in fact, with a gullwing-shaped dash and elegant instrumentation. A “Maserati Information Center” with a 5.8-inch display carries controls for the stereo, climate control and trip computer. GPS satellite navigation is also available. Interiors are endlessly customizable, with ten different leather colors available to choose from. Even the color of the stitching can be selected.
High-speed cruising should be no problem with a 4.2 liter V8 under the hood. The Maserati Spyder’s 390-horsepower powerplant compares favorably with the Lexus SC430 (300 horses) and the Jaguar XKR (390 also). Maserati claims a 176-mph top speed. It’s not obvious from the outside, but the transmission is at the back of the car. It’s integrated with the rear differential for improved weight distribution. Maserati offers a six-speed manual and a six-speed, Formula One-style clutchless “Cambiocorsa” transmission borrowed similar to that used by corporate partner Ferrari.
A fully independent suspension uses double wishbones at all four corners. Large Brembo brakes with ABS are standard equipment, and coupled with those big wheels the Spyder will be a tenacious roadholder.
The Maserati is on sale now, with a starting price of $83,865. Maserati offers two models; the GT and Cambiocorsa; the primary difference is the Cambiocorsa clutchless transmission. The Maserati Spyder looks like it’ll be a worthy bearer of the proud Maserati name.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2003 Maserati Spyder.
Length: 169.4 in.
Width: 71.7 in.
Height: 51.4 in.
Wheelbase: 96.1 in.
Curb weight: 3792 lb.
Cargo space: 10.6 cu.ft.
Engine: 4.2 liter V8
Drivetrain: six-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive
Horsepower: 390 @ 7000
Torque: 330 @ 4500
Fuel capacity: 23 gal.