What is the best four-seater convertible for the true classic convertible fan?

Until about ten years ago you could get open cars in every conceivable taste, in almost every price category and suitable for almost every driveway. But the true enthusiast of open-top driving looks at these high-tech creations scornfully: what good is an open car in which you can drive 140 km / h on the highway without your hair getting out of curls? In those newfangled image models with their low seat, high sides, protectively tilted windscreens and thick rear parts in which all too often entire metal roof constructions are hidden, you hardly notice what open-top driving really is. Like putting on a wetsuit in the shower.

Real convertible fans

Real convertible fans want flat carriages, steep windscreens and the wind in their hair, at any speed. And that means that those who don’t care about peeling crowns and premature hair loss should soon find out about the suppliers of one of the three classic convertibles that we present on this page.

These four-seater convertibles were developed in the mid-1980s

In the mid-1980s, both Saab and BMW developed a four-seater convertible based on the 900 and E30 series respectively. And, so to speak, seconds after unveiling their models, the Swedes and Germans discovered they had stumbled upon a market segment begging to be reclaimed. No wonder: those who wanted to drive open at an affordable price at the time could choose between compact homeless people such as the VW Golf, the Fiat Ritmo and the Ford Escort, all especially suitable for two. At the other end of the spectrum were giants like the Rolls-Royce Corniche – not accessible to everyone. No wonder that the convertibles from BMW and Saab are still incredibly popular almost forty years later. Just like the Mercedes E-class Cabriolet
of course, which only came in 1991 on the basis of what was then still called the 200/300 class, five years after the Saab and the BMW. Despite this, he quickly became as much of an icon as the other two.

Mercedes E 220 Cabriolet – old school Benz

Despite its age, the youngest of our convertibles is a typical old school Mercedes. Classically lined, technically advanced and perfectly finished. Such a Benz gives you the feeling that you are special. Seated in a sumptuously padded seat behind the enormous airbag steering wheel, in a creak and rattle-free interior brimming with solid materials and with a view of that shiny three-pointed star in the bow. The Mercedes is the only car of this trio in which you think within fifteen minutes of purchasing: this convertible will remain in the family for the next five generations.

E-class also very tight as a Cabriolet

Mercedes’ former design boss Bruno Sacco drew a sleek body without a single superfluous line for this convertible. An almost hypothermic statement in metal. And then of course there are the perfectionist details in which Mercedes is always so good. Like the little plastic arms that hold the belts as soon as you’ve taken a seat. The automatic locking of the backrests when you drive away. The rear headrests, which you can raise electrically via a button, and which shoot up within a second when a rollover threatens to serve as a roll bar.

The latter will only happen if you give the Benz a terrible beating – and no sane person will ever do that. Mercedes-Benz has completely tuned this convertible to comfort and has succeeded wonderfully well. As in the Saab, you have to abandon sporty ambitions, if only because any steering feel is conspicuous by its absence. Moreover, the 2.2-liter four-cylinder is not really an alert power source (before the facelift you could only get it as a 300 24-valve, then as 200, 220, 320 and even as 36 AMG).

It has been cultivated: it runs quietly and vibration-free and, if desired, can be boosted to fast sprints without a murmur. Unfortunately, the four-speed automatic transmission (an expensive option at the time) does not switch smoothly even at higher speeds, and the sound of the four-cylinder is not necessarily a reason to open the hood – especially when you pull a little harder, the engine sounds as if it has been wronged. Whatever it is.

BMW 325i Cabriolet – it’s all about the engine

The Baur Cabrio based on the E12 was not a topper, but the E30 Cabrio was the basis of a successful series of open 3-series in 1986. The 325i Convertible is still a very nice car.
As so often with BMWs, everything stands or falls with the engine. And that in this 325i is the legendary M20 2.5-liter six-in-line with 170 hp. Driving open in a BMW would never be the same without this beautiful engine. No wonder there was no radio on board as standard; the sublime six-seater already provides enough sound enjoyment. Vibration-free, murmuring softly at low revs, gleefully grunting when the accelerator pedal is floored, always responsive to every command of the right foot. You just have to be prepared to forgive him that little spectacle is to be expected below 4,000 rpm. But that also means that you can use the feather-light lever extra often to boost the revs and catapult the BMW quickly past slower road users.

Convertible 200 kilos heavier than 3-series sedan

The BMW is also a jewel dynamically. Although it is 200 kilos heavier than the sedan thanks to extensive reinforcements of the body, this convertible proves like no other that comfort and sportiness do not have to be each other’s enemies. You can steer the very neutral-driving 325i into corners quite squarely without it getting flustered. The perfectly working, bite-like brakes and the excellent sports seats give an extra dose of confidence. Those chairs also have a disadvantage, which is that they are rather cumbersome to adjust. Moreover, they are cut so tightly that drivers with a somewhat wider stature do not want to spend too long in them.

The BMW 3-series Cabriolet was launched as a 325i, later followed by the 320i and eventually also four-cylinder.

E30 was very austere

The E30 was soberly equipped, as was usual at the time. The option list was therefore long and in the first years even included power steering, a catalytic converter and ABS. An airbag and electric operation of the thin convertible roof with its fragile plastic rear window were not even available until the end of the 325i’s production cycle. But who needs such modern antics when you have such a wonderful six-cylinder in-line engine at your disposal? Indeed. No one.

Look here for the used BMW 3-series Cabriolet E30.

Saab 900 Cabriolet Turbo 16 – quite American

The Saab 900 Turbo seems heavier than it is. His domain is the boulevard, his goal is to stroll. Sporting exercises are not spent on the good-natured Swede. Although Swedish summers are nicer and longer than you think, the open 900 was not developed with touring through the country’s vast forests in mind. In the 1980s, Saab sold most cars in the US, and there, in hot and status-hungry California, convertibles had long been popular.

Saab added a number of brand-typical elements to the open top: good build quality, a – at the time unique – heated glass rear window and safety items such as the dashboard covered from below and reinforcement bars in the doors, and a sympathetic, nice and stubborn appearance. The Saab has a fairly stiff body, the fabric hood is thick and solid and is easy to operate. Just flip two levers above the windscreen and after pressing the button you can let the hood disappear fully automatically in its storage compartment behind the rear seat.

Our Monte Carlo yellow Saab has a 160 hp two-liter engine on board, which doesn’t like to be rushed, turbo or not. The four-cylinder can be whipped up to 6,000 rpm, but why would you? All 255 newton meters are ready from 2,800 rpm, around 3,500 rpm it is wonderfully quiet in the 900. It is perfect for that. The engine sounds like a purring cat under a duvet, but if you give it a little blip, the exhaust produces a beautiful roar. It never gets very exciting, but the Saab has plenty of other talents.

The driver’s seat is electrically adjustable and sits wonderfully, although a little more lateral support would be welcome. Going wild is not recommended; the long gear lever is unsuitable for fast gear changes and the steering is not too direct. If you dive into a corner too quickly, the Saab will inform you understeer that it is not an outspoken sportsman. You can also tell by the brakes: the braking distance is by far the longest of the three cars. But if you take it easy, the Swedish convertible will drive quietly, comfortably and stable over the worst roads. Exactly what this stylish Swede was made for.

Look here for the used Saab 900 Cabriolet offer.