CRUISE CONTROL; Now quirky Chrysler has a soft-top.Byline: By BRUCE BOOTH THE quirky Chrysler PT Cruiser The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a typically American "retro"-styled station wagon or hatchback built by Chrysler, launched in 2000 as the entry-level Chrysler. The PT Cruiser was on Car and Driver's certainly put a smile on many a face when it first appeared five years ago. With its Fifties, all-American retro [Latin, Back; backward; behind.] A prefix used to designate a prior condition or time. styling, it certainly stood out from the crowd. So it was not surprising when it quickly went go on to gain something of a cult status with owners. A soft-top model followed in early 2004, but it was available only in left-hand drive left-hand drive n → conducción f por la izquierda left-hand drive left n (Brit) → conduite f à gauche; (vehicle) → and so was imported here in relatively small numbers. But that's about to change, for the latest edition PT Cruiser Cabrio now comes in right-hand drive and that is going to make it lots of new friends in the UK. On the outside, the Cabrio takes its good looks from the new PT Hatchback which made its debut at the end of last year. It now comes with smoother front and rear fascias, new front grille with chrome accents and Chrysler winged badge and re-styled headlamps which feature a scallop scallop or pecten, marine bivalve mollusk. Like its close relative the oyster, the scallop has no siphons, the mantle being completely open, but it differs from other mollusks in that both mantle edges have a row of steely blue "eyes" and along the bottom edge. But that's only part of the story. For inside the cabin, the newcomer is now much quieter and also boasts a host of other improvements. Unusually for a convertible, the PT Cruiser Cabrio comes with a pretty large boot which will easily swallow a couple of sets of golf clubs for starters. And although a genuine four-seater, it also offers nine different seating combinations and comes with a tip-and-slide front passenger seat for easy access to the individually-styled 50/50 split twin rear seats. In the UK, the PT Cruiser Cabrio is powered by Chrysler's latest 2.4-litre, normally-aspirated petrol unit which delivers a hefty 141bhp. The test car came in top-of-the-range Limited specification with four-speed automatic transmission. It certainly looked the part touring up the side of Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (IPA pronunciation: ['lomənd]), (Scottish Gaelic Loch Laomainn) is a Scottish loch, located in both the western lowlands of Central Scotland and the southern Highlands. in last week's sunshine, turning heads all along the way. Chrysler engineers have done an excellent job in getting the aerodynamics aerodynamics, study of gases in motion. As the principal application of aerodynamics is the design of aircraft, air is the gas with which the science is most concerned. and chassis balance spot on and the Cabrio offers enough confidence to allow the driver to attack twisting back roads. On straighter sections and dual carriageways, the car turns into a competent, quiet and sophisticated cruiser. Taking the roof down is a simple matter, with no more effort than the push of a button needed to take care of the business. And should the weather quickly turn nasty on you, the same applies to get it back up. With the demand for wind-in-the-hair motoring growing and more manufacturers offering soft-top or CC models, there's plenty choice out there. But you'll be hard pressed to find a more user-friendly and versatile example than this quirky Chrysler. Chrysler PT Cruiser Cabrio PRICE: From pounds 16,650. DRIVETRAIN: 2429cc, 141bhp four-cylinder petrol engine coupled to five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox. TOP SPEED: 106mph. 0-62MPH: 11.3 seconds. ECONOMY: Combined 27.4 mpg. WARRANTY: Three years/60,000 miles. INSURANCE GROUP: 14. |
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