Top Five Reasons Why Not to Buy a Folding Hardtop Convertible

Top Five Reasons Why Not to Buy a Hardtop Convertible 

by James Hamel

Each year as summer arrives many people find themselves being overcome by the notion of owning a convertible. The purchase of a convertible car is the least practical automotive proposition bar perhaps a Lamborghini which in its defense also sells even less practical convertible versions of its cars.

While you buy an SUV for your family and your weekend hauling duties, you buy a convertible not thinking about its usefulness but rather the joy it will bring to the soul of the driver. Convertibles, like all sports cars really, are the purest form of the automotive art. If a convertible is no fun to drive and ugly—what is the point?

Sacrilegiously enough, some people are trying to turn convertibles into a quasi-rational proposition with highly technical hard tops that fold into the trunk. Or we should really say when the top is down, what is left of your trunk. Hardtop convertibles may look cool when the metal roof folds into little pieces of origami but it will still leave you with no trunk space during those times you desire driving al fresco. Essentially the only time you can use the trunk is when the top is up. And what fun is that?

So who do we have to blame for this? Well, in this country Mercedes started the trend anew (Lincoln used to sell a hardtop Continental in the 1950s) with the SLK but on the global stage it was Peugeot who took the lead. As the SLK is a pricey luxury car and not a low budget French compact, it took a while for competitors from BMW, Lexus, Infiniti and Volkswagen to follow suit with their inevitable copycats.

Currently selling a number of varieties of hardtop convertible around the world, the first Peugeot to use the technology was the low priced 206 hatchback. This regular version of the 206 that had a roof wasn’t very reliable or rigid in the first place so once they turned it into a hardtop convertible it turned out to be little more than a flaky, wobbly French tart.

But that didn’t stop Peugeot from selling these convertibles by the absolute boatload. The fact that the hardtops had a habit of getting stuck halfway closed as customers pulled off the dealer lot was beside the point.

Many buyers rationalize the purchase of a hardtop convertible by saying that it affords them the quietness and security of a coupe mixed with the fun of being able to put the top down. Well, if you haven’t driven a modern day soft-top then you would be shocked by how quiet they are at freeway speeds.

And if you are worried about car security, why aren’t you demanding shatter proof windows on your next car? A thief can put a hammer through a side window as easily as he or she can use a knife to cut open your soft top.

If you don’t believe that a cloth top convertible can be quiet then just mosey on down to any Audi dealer and test drive any of their convertibles. As one of the last luxury car makers to not buy into the hardtop convertible craze, this German automaker really has, along with Porsche, perfected the art.

We do not count the new Porsche Targa as its design is so mind blowingly cool that it has invented an entire genre unto itself. You go Porsche. Beyond this, here are five good reasons why NOT to buy a hardtop convertible this summer or for any other month for that matter.

Hardtop Convertibles are with few exceptions Uglier than regular convertibles—Due to the fact that hardtop convertibles need so much room to store that rigid roof, engineers are often forced to expand the dimensions of a vehicle’s rear end. Like a bored bon-bon eating housewife or househusband with too much time on their hands, most hardtop convertibles have too much junk in the trunk.

Although technology is improving to make hardtops more compact, you can see the problem most clearly in the Lexus IS folding hardtop. The only brand to really have avoided this malady frankly is Mazda whose Miata hardtop hardly looks any different from the soft top and it doesn’t gobble up what little trunk space there is in that perfectly proportioned sporty icon. Soft tops, on the other hand, hardly take up any room at all and require few engineering compromises to still look sexy.

You Cannot Carry Luggage or Groceries in the Trunk and Have the Top Down—What is the point of a convertible other than being able to take it out on weekends for a glorious trip to the desert, mountains or ocean with the top down? And what will you need for these trips? Clothes might be nice but hardtop convertibles force you to choose between having the top down and not getting arrested for public nakedness. Choices, choices.

Hardtop Convertibles Add Weight—Any automotive engineer knows that the enemy of any sports car is unnecessary weight. While the hardtop version of the Miata doesn’t add as much weight as many of its competitors, it is the exception to this concept not the rule. A Miata doesn’t have the benefit of a huge V8 under the hood so it must instead rely on its razor sharp handling and cheetah-like reflexes which somehow the hardtop version maintains.

By adding the weight of the hardtop, motors, sensors and sundry related items, not only will this dull most vehicle’s acceleration but it also alters the weight distribution and center of gravity negatively affecting handling.

Hardtop Convertibles Add Complexity—While recent hardtop convertible models have had far fewer incidents of breakdown when compared to their forebears, what happens when these cars are 10, 15 or 20 years old? No matter how well built, these hardtops are made up of countless motors, sensors and other breakables that folding soft tops do without.

The hardest thing to diagnose and fix is a sensor, electrical or shorted out motor issue in one of these vehicles because there are so many. Now, you could always lease the car for four years while it is under warranty and leave the problem to the next owner but we have driven more than one folding hardtop that was very new which had an issue with the top freezing up while opening or closing. The problem was fixed by turning the car off and then on again but that didn’t engender a lot of faith in the car.

Soft Top Convertibles Are Rich in History—Since its initial launch, the soft top Mazda Miata has been such a joy partially because you can put the top up or down with one arm so light and easy is its operation. It is the picture of simplicity and is probably part of why you see so many of them still on the road.

Even if you replace an entire soft-top it will still cost less than having to replace even half of the parts from a folding hardtop. And when we think of a traditional roadster our minds turn to the likes of classic Alfa Romeo Spiders, Ford Mustangs, Chevy Camaros, various classic Porsches, Ferraris as well as more modern classics like the Honda S2000.

This may just be opinion but we hope you are least consider these reasons before signing on the dotted line for your next convertible—and besides, no matter if you choose a soft top or hard top there are no reasons in the world convincing enough to mean that you won’t absolutely wind up loving your new toy on your favorite road as the sun is setting.

All Photos By Jon Gala