"Look, it's a chick version of the PT Cruiser," shouted one female parking attendant to another as we approached the parking garage's exit booth. "You've got that right," replied her coworker before turning toward the PT Cruiser convertible's driver side, and announcing, "I see the old PT come in and out of this garage all day long, but I've never seen this one before." After explaining that our "chick" car was a recent addition to the PT lineup, we accepted our parking receipt and headed off into the afternoon waving an arm toward the sunny California sky.
While the parking ladies were quick to dub the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible a "chick car," our week-long test-drive drew equal amounts of positive reaction from both men and women. From two thumbs-up to long, low whistles, bystanders were quick to appreciate the PT convertible's two-door look.
Based on the PT Cruiser wagon that made its debut in 2001, the all-new convertible version preserves the original car's popular retro styling cues. The convertible adds a color-keyed sport bar which is visible through the side windows, giving an interesting two-layered effect. Lowering the thick power top is as simple as twisting a handle located just above the windshield, and then holding down a button on the lower dash. The high-quality top powered up and down effortlessly with just one complaint — lack of an audible warning to signal that the top has completed either process.
We've raved about the unique, comfortable interior of the standard PT, and the new convertible is no exception. Inside, a circle motif is repeated throughout the cabin — with round indents encircling the center of the steering wheel, round vents with matching knob controls fitted along the dash and circular cut-outs on the side door bins. The PT's leather seating surfaces are soft and attractive, and dark semi-circle trim accentuates the seat bottoms and seat backs. Our test car arrived in Inferno Red Tinted Pearl paint (a $225 option), and the use of body-color panels along the dash gives the PT convertible's interior plenty of retro pizzazz.
But beyond being a good-looking set of wheels, the PT Cruiser convertible is a comfortable ride. Front occupants were plenty content on long drives, especially the driver, thanks to an adjustable lumbar support. In the past, we've complained about the PT wagon's unusual seating position which was too elevated for shorter drivers, but there didn't seem to be any problem when settling behind the wheel of our convertible, a GT model. In the rear, deep side bolstering provides a nicely sculpted feel to the seats, and there was plenty of room for big feet and knees, even behind front-seat occupants close to six feet in height. In comparison, the Volkswagen New Beetle and Ford Mustang convertibles offer 10 inches less legroom for their rear-seat occupants. And getting into the back of the PT is easy, too, with wide-opening doors and a front-passenger seat that flips forward to allow even an unwieldy toddler seat to be maneuvered in the back. Families should note that rear seating capacity goes from three in the wagon to two in the convertible.
But before tucking front and rear passengers into place, loading their belongings into the rear cargo area is liable to land you a trip to the local chiropractor's office. The load height is low to begin with, but combine stooping over with stooping under a trunk lid that hardly rises above a 90-degree angle, and even casual grocery shoppers will have their work cut out for them. The main cargo benefit, however, is the fold-and-tumble rear seats which, combined with a truck pass-through, offer just over 13 cubic feet of cargo capacity, and nine different seating configurations.
Take the PT convertible out for a spin down your favorite twisty road, and you'll experience the pleasure of wind in your hair combined with unparalleled driving characteristics from a sub-$30,000 convertible. Our GT test vehicle came with a turbocharged 2.4-liter, inline four-cylinder engine which produces 220 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque, and a four-speed automatic in place of the standard five-speed manual transmission. For buyers put off by the GT's $28K sticker price, we recommend the 180-hp turbo on the Touring model, which comes in under $26,000.
A communicative steering rack combined with a sport-tuned suspension made the topless PT fun to drive on twisty canyon roads and quite capable during our usual battery of instrumented testing. Test notes from the track remarked that the PT convertible was impressive during slalom exercises, with runs in the low 60-mph range — better than most cars in its class. Excellent feedback and a relatively fast steering ratio helped out here, and our expert driver reported that the body remained stable and well controlled through the exercise.
Braking tests were impressive as well; four-wheel antilock disc brakes are standard equipment on the GT. Test notes show that the PT convertible exhibited only average ABS vibration and not much noise, although it did pull to the left and shudder a bit during panic stops. However, there was less than a foot of variation in a series of three stops, and the third stop was actually shorter than the first, so fade was not an issue. With an excellent stopping distance of 123.5 feet from 60 to 0 mph, our only complaint is that the PT should have held a straighter line, especially with its 17-inch wheels and Goodyear performance tires.
But with all of the PT convertible's positive elements combined, it would be next to impossible not to be seriously impressed with the total package. Think about it — a convertible that looks this good, provides comfortable seating for four average-size adults, handles with confidence around twists and turns and offers standard safety features like side airbags and traction control. For $30,000, there's simply no better way to take the family cruisin' on a Sunday afternoon.
While the parking ladies were quick to dub the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible a "chick car," our week-long test-drive drew equal amounts of positive reaction from both men and women. From two thumbs-up to long, low whistles, bystanders were quick to appreciate the PT convertible's two-door look.
Based on the PT Cruiser wagon that made its debut in 2001, the all-new convertible version preserves the original car's popular retro styling cues. The convertible adds a color-keyed sport bar which is visible through the side windows, giving an interesting two-layered effect. Lowering the thick power top is as simple as twisting a handle located just above the windshield, and then holding down a button on the lower dash. The high-quality top powered up and down effortlessly with just one complaint — lack of an audible warning to signal that the top has completed either process.
We've raved about the unique, comfortable interior of the standard PT, and the new convertible is no exception. Inside, a circle motif is repeated throughout the cabin — with round indents encircling the center of the steering wheel, round vents with matching knob controls fitted along the dash and circular cut-outs on the side door bins. The PT's leather seating surfaces are soft and attractive, and dark semi-circle trim accentuates the seat bottoms and seat backs. Our test car arrived in Inferno Red Tinted Pearl paint (a $225 option), and the use of body-color panels along the dash gives the PT convertible's interior plenty of retro pizzazz.
But beyond being a good-looking set of wheels, the PT Cruiser convertible is a comfortable ride. Front occupants were plenty content on long drives, especially the driver, thanks to an adjustable lumbar support. In the past, we've complained about the PT wagon's unusual seating position which was too elevated for shorter drivers, but there didn't seem to be any problem when settling behind the wheel of our convertible, a GT model. In the rear, deep side bolstering provides a nicely sculpted feel to the seats, and there was plenty of room for big feet and knees, even behind front-seat occupants close to six feet in height. In comparison, the Volkswagen New Beetle and Ford Mustang convertibles offer 10 inches less legroom for their rear-seat occupants. And getting into the back of the PT is easy, too, with wide-opening doors and a front-passenger seat that flips forward to allow even an unwieldy toddler seat to be maneuvered in the back. Families should note that rear seating capacity goes from three in the wagon to two in the convertible.
But before tucking front and rear passengers into place, loading their belongings into the rear cargo area is liable to land you a trip to the local chiropractor's office. The load height is low to begin with, but combine stooping over with stooping under a trunk lid that hardly rises above a 90-degree angle, and even casual grocery shoppers will have their work cut out for them. The main cargo benefit, however, is the fold-and-tumble rear seats which, combined with a truck pass-through, offer just over 13 cubic feet of cargo capacity, and nine different seating configurations.
Take the PT convertible out for a spin down your favorite twisty road, and you'll experience the pleasure of wind in your hair combined with unparalleled driving characteristics from a sub-$30,000 convertible. Our GT test vehicle came with a turbocharged 2.4-liter, inline four-cylinder engine which produces 220 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque, and a four-speed automatic in place of the standard five-speed manual transmission. For buyers put off by the GT's $28K sticker price, we recommend the 180-hp turbo on the Touring model, which comes in under $26,000.
A communicative steering rack combined with a sport-tuned suspension made the topless PT fun to drive on twisty canyon roads and quite capable during our usual battery of instrumented testing. Test notes from the track remarked that the PT convertible was impressive during slalom exercises, with runs in the low 60-mph range — better than most cars in its class. Excellent feedback and a relatively fast steering ratio helped out here, and our expert driver reported that the body remained stable and well controlled through the exercise.
Braking tests were impressive as well; four-wheel antilock disc brakes are standard equipment on the GT. Test notes show that the PT convertible exhibited only average ABS vibration and not much noise, although it did pull to the left and shudder a bit during panic stops. However, there was less than a foot of variation in a series of three stops, and the third stop was actually shorter than the first, so fade was not an issue. With an excellent stopping distance of 123.5 feet from 60 to 0 mph, our only complaint is that the PT should have held a straighter line, especially with its 17-inch wheels and Goodyear performance tires.
But with all of the PT convertible's positive elements combined, it would be next to impossible not to be seriously impressed with the total package. Think about it — a convertible that looks this good, provides comfortable seating for four average-size adults, handles with confidence around twists and turns and offers standard safety features like side airbags and traction control. For $30,000, there's simply no better way to take the family cruisin' on a Sunday afternoon.
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