Convertibles occupy a special place in the motoring consciousness.
Who doesn't love the sun in their face and the wind in their hair as they zoom down a curvy country road in search of adventure and freedom?
But not all convertibles are created equal.
In fact, most of the convertibles currently on the market aim at very different personality types. Some are peppy, some are stylish, and some want to go very, very fast. There are drop-tops for introverts, extroverts, and those who might fall somewhere in between.
We decided to compare and contrast three cabrios that we've sampled: the $31,000 Mazda MX-5 Miata, the $38,000 MINI Cooper S Convertible, and the $80,000 BMW M4 Convertible. All have two doors, one has two seats, and each can retract its roof.
Read on to find out which might be right for you, if you're in a top-down frame of mind.
Heading into autumn in much of the US, you should be. It's actually prime drop-top season, with cooler temperatures removing that baked-in-the-summer-sun aspect that sometimes causes some ragtop enthusiasts to sour on their rides.
1. A classic roadster reboot, the Mazda MX-5 Miata was redesigned for 2015 to return to its peppy roots. Mazda has built a million of these adorable little fun machines. That's two million seats, if you're doing the math!!
We tested the car in the middle of a snowy East Coast winter. Not exactly ideal, but as you can see, we weren't NOT gonna drop the top — which is easier now than ever with the Miata, thanks to a single, simple latch.
Seat heaters and heater at full blast, suitably bundled up, off I went for some old-school roadstering. The Miata is, has been, and always will be a smile-making machine. If joy is what you're after, this is your convertible. Over the decades, it's been steadily improved, too, and the current generation is equipped with all the tech you're going to want in a two-seater sports car. The whole Miata thing is quite personal, making it a good introvert's ragtop.
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