Cars.com Faceoff: Retractable-Hardtop Convertibles

Summer is almost over, and that usually means putting the convertible away for the winter. That’s why many automakers have added retractable-hardtop versions to their lineups. This design allows for all-season driving, and it also makes for a good Faceoff. This year we tackled three cars with vastly different demographics: the Volkswagen Eos, Chrysler Sebring and Mazda MX-5 Miata. It was a tough call because all three cars have such different characteristics, but a clear winner did arise.

Cars.comparison: Retractable-Hardtop Convertibles

Friday Fleet Notes: 8.17.07

A few of us got in the last of our summer vacation this week, so the notes aren't as extensive as usual. Luckily, we got quite a few impressions on one, joyous driving in another and some awkward moments in a new convertible.

Mitsubishi Outlander XLS 4WD

The Outlander turned out to be an awfully fun SUV to drive, but if Mitsubishi wants to move a ton of them, it’s going to have to improve the look and feel of the interior. For as strong as the engine was (and as good as the gas mileage was, for this class), the cheap plastic feel of the dash and doors was off-putting. There's a cubbyhole on the top of the dash, which is a great place to stash stuff, but the plastic top was curling down a bit at the corners, cheapening the feel of the car.

Head to Head: 2007 Volvo C70 vs. 2007 Volkswagen Eos

Head to head. Hardtop convertible versus hardtop convertible with sunroof. A couple of years ago, this blog post wouldn’t have even existed. Now there are quite a few of these convertibles on the market, and many of them are affordable machines. Two of the big players are the new Volvo C70 and the yet-to-go-on-sale VW Eos. David Thomas and Mike Hanley took them both out in sunny suburbia last week for an open-air shootout.