2017 smart fortwo cabrio Is the Cheapest Convertible You Can Buy In the U.S.

Let’s start with the Mazda. Without delivery and destination, the MX-5 Miata starts from $26,395. The Fiat 500C is six grand cheaper than that. Now try to guess how much smart wants for a fortwo cabrio? Indeed, it is priced at under twenty grand, as in $19,650 ($18,900 plus $750 destination).

"Our new smart cabrio really exudes the 'joy of life' in the city – which is what our brand stands for," declared Dr. Annette Winkler, the chief exec of Daimler AG-owned smart. "I am sure that we will delight our present 220,000 cabrio customers and win lots of new fans with this successful lifestyle icon."

The central piece of the 2017 smart fortwo cabrio is, of course, the soft top. In comparison to other convertibles, the top can be retracted at any speed, even at 96 mph (155 km/h). I’m afraid that’s a yes, the smart can’t hit triple-digit speeds. Acceleration is similarly unimpressive: 10.7 seconds to 60 mph (96 km/h) with the manual, 11.6 seconds with the twinamic auto.

Be that as it may, the fortwo cabrio isn’t a sports car. It’s a fun car, a car to be seen in by the sun and by envious onlookers. It’s also a pretty damn safe. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has yet to crash test the fortwo cabrio, but the regular fortwo aced the moderate overlap front and side tests. But then again, if you want a good fortwo cabrio, prepare to pony up top dollar.

The twinamic transmission, for example, is $990. The intermediate grade, dubbed prime cabrio, costs $1,000 more than the base passion cabrio. The range-topping proxy cabrio, on the other hand, is $2,000 more. But on the upside, it’s easy to park this thing in places regular cars don’t fit. After all, you’re looking at a car that measures 106.10 inches front to rear and 65.47 inches in width, including the Shrek ears-like side mirrors.