Top 10 Convertibles for the Summer of 2019
An endless winter, you say? What better way to chase the blues away than to drop the top on our new convertible and soak in some sunlight! It’s time to visit the country’s dealerships which have stocked up on convertibles. Here are the most interesting ones for the 2019 summer season.
2019 Audi A5 and S5 Cabriolet
It picked up The Car Guide’s Best Buy title in the luxury convertible category, so this is a hard one to ignore during the compilation of this list. The Audi A5 Cabriolet boasts a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine good for 248 horsepower. Performance enthusiasts can also check out the Audi S5 Cabriolet and its 349-horsepower, turbocharged V6. In both cases, we get quattro all-wheel drive to enhance driving dynamics and get us through winter—because unfortunately, winter will return sooner or later.
Base price: $63,550 before freight and delivery charges
2019 BMW Z4
BMW’s little roadster is back with a vengeance this year, sporting new bodywork, new powertrains and resolutely enticing driving dynamics. The sDrive30i variant is equipped with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that develops 255 horsepower and a rear-wheel drivetrain, while the 2020 BMW M40i will soon arrive with a 382-horsepower, turbo six-cylinder mill. The new Z4 ditches the previous-generation’s power-folding hard top in favour of a cloth top, mechanically simpler and lighter.
Base price: $62,450 before freight and delivery charges
2019 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible
Affordable, muscular and sporty, the Camaro enters the new year with a very diversified choice of powertrains. Its turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder mill develops 275 horsepower, while its 3.6-litre V6 belts out 335 horses. However, for the full musclecar experience, we must forego the environmentally friendly aspect and choose the SS version with its 455-horsepower, 6.2-litre V8. Or the Camaro ZL1 and its 650-horsepower, supercharged V8.
Base price: $36,845 before freight and delivery charges
2019 Ford Mustang Convertible
Obviously, Ford’s musclecar is a must on this list. Available with a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine (310 horsepower) or a 5.0-litre V8 (460 horsepower), the Mustang is all about performance. But that doesn’t prevent us from enjoying a relaxed drive through the countryside or down a bustling city street.
Base price: $35,699 before freight and delivery charges
2020 Jeep Gladiator
Surprise! A convertible pickup truck is a pretty rare sight indeed. However, we can easily pull the top off the new Gladiator, and while we’re at it, remove the doors and fold down the windshield. This much-anticipated model is available with a 3.6-litre V6 and, soon, a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6. If we prefer an SUV over a pickup, we can also check out the Jeep Wrangler.
Base price: $45,495 before freight and delivery charges
2019 Mazda MX-5
Mazda’s little roadster continues to charm us with its superb handling, thrifty—yet lively—engine and resolutely sporty design, picking up The Car Guide’s Best Buy in the convertibles category. It’s worth nothing that for 2019, its output was revised to 181 horsepower, with more midrange torque, which is also nice. Available with a manual soft top that can be raised or lowered in just a few seconds, or a power-folding hard top, the MX-5 sticks wide smiles on the faces of its drivers, and it’s offered at a reasonable price.
Base price: $32,900 before freight and delivery charges
2019 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet
Ok, it’s far from being affordable, but the E-Class Cabriolet offers a comfortable cockpit for four occupants, who’ll enjoy the its refined ride and luxurious atmosphere. Aside from the E 450 Cabriolet and its 362-horsepower, twin-turbo V6 engine, we can opt for the AMG E 53 4MATIC+ that relies on a turbo six with EQ Boost hybrid assistance, good for 429 horsepower and a 0-100 km/h dash of 4.6 seconds.
Base price: $82,500 before freight and delivery charges
2019 MINI Convertible
Very few cars on the market have the MINIs’ joie de vivre. The Convertible variant serves up a power-folding soft top that can be fully lowered, or partially retracted to mimic a sunroof. Under the hood, there’s a turbo three-cylinder that produces 134 horsepower or a turbo four that dishes out 189 (Cooper S) or 228 (John Cooper Works) horsepower. Every version of the Convertible is immensely fun to drive.
Base price: $29,690 before freight and delivery charges
2020 Porsche 911 Cabriolet
Fully redesigned, but still unmistakably a 911, this new generation of Porsche’s grand touring car is quite scrumptious. Equipped with a twin-turbo, 3.0-litre flat-six that develops 443 horsepower, the 911 Carrera S Cabriolet can hit 100 km/h in as little as 3.7 seconds—while the Carrera 4S Cabriolet needs 3.6. Other versions of the new 911 (know internally as the 992) will be introduced in the coming months or years—including a hybrid variant. Sounds good to us.
Base price: $143,700 before freight and delivery charges
2019 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible
It’s the Beetle’s last lap, so now’s the time to check it out before it retires. It’s available in two versions, Wolfsburg Edition and Dune, both equipped with a turbo 2.0-litre four that produces 174 horsepower as well as a six-speed automatic transmission. And a power-folding soft top that can be raised or lowered in a matter of seconds. A convertible with an affordable price such as this one is pretty rare.
Base price: $28,475 before freight and delivery charges