Home - Automobile Reviews - 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible vs. Volkswagen New Beetle 2.5L Convertible Comparison Test


2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible vs. Volkswagen New Beetle 2.5L Convertible Comparison Test



It's finally summer time. Now that the mercury has emerged from hibernatingin the depths of its bulb, it's time to celebrate, and there's no better way to welcome the warmer months and clear blue skies than with a convertible. While we've been out testing the latest drop tops, almost all of which feature a retractable hard top roof, there's nothing at all wrong with going back to the (more affordable) basics. It wasn't too long ago that the market was filled with compact drop-tops that made open-air motoring fun and attainable, with cars like the VW Cabrio, Pontiac Sunfire and Toyota Celica. The market instead has shrunken – there isn't much with four seats under twenty-three grand short of the Volkswagen New Beetle 2.5 and the Chrysler PT Cruiser, and MINI didn't have a Cooper Convertible on hand to test, so it was reluctantly excluded from the comparison. Although Ford did have a V6-powered Mustang Convertible available to us, it didn't fit into our price category.

Put nose to nose, spreadsheet to spreadsheet, the Bug and the PTare remarkably similar. They're both retro-styled machines, based on compact-sized cars that have traditional cloth-and-bow roofs that neatly pile right atop their decklids. Both cars have engines with near
Let the battle of the retro, four-seat, budget convertibles begin! (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)
identical horsepower and torque ratings, and both of the cars we've rounded up would have had easy, breezy automatic transmissions (more on that later). Both cars also come well equipped with toys and goodies such as power windows (including one-touch down for all windows), keyless entry, and a CD player with an auxiliary input. They're both pretty similar in terms of pricing too, with the PT starting at $20,605, with an as-tested price of $21,060 excluding four-speed automatic and chrome-plated wheels (again, more on that later). Our Beetle started at $22,240, and with a power-operated top, alloy wheels and automatic bumped the price up to a still affordable $25,838.

But despite these similarities, on the road these two vehicles have two distinct personalities and characteristics. Read on to find out which should earn a spot in your driveway as your new summertime belle.

The sun's out, so it's time to hit the road... and the beach. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)
Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible
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