1997 Volkswagen Cabrio Review

The cute Volkswagen Beetle convertible was made from 1955 to 1979 and has become a collector's item. But it's an ancient warhorse, compared to the relatively new VW Cabrio soft top.

The Beetle convertible wheezed along with an underpowered air-cooled engine and had a 1930s design. It's safest today on empty two-lane country roads.

The Cabrio is quite modern. It's based on the same design as the VW Golf hatchback and can hold its own in the cut-and-thrust of modern traffic. The Cabrio arrived in early 1994 as a 1995 model and was quicker, stronger, roomier and sleeker than its boxy predecessor, the VW Rabbit convertible.

For 1997, the front-wheel-drive Cabrio comes as a $17,925 base model and as a new $21,675 Highline model, which I recently tested.

Only 5,828 Cabrios were sold last year, when the car was offered just as a $19,975 model. Volkswagen clearly is out to increase Cabrio sales with two models that are priced below and above the 1996 version.

No matter what model, the Cabrio is by far the lowest-priced European convertible sold in the United States. And it's the only soft top with a built-in roll bar.

Both Cabrios are virtually the same mechanically, but the Highline is loaded with equipment. Standard Highline items include a leather-swathed interior, adjustable front sport seats, air conditioning, premium sound system, cruise control, anti-lock brakes and power windows, locks and mirrors.

The Highline also has seven-spoke alloy wheels, body-color mirror housings, darkened taillights and front fog lights.

Anti-lock brakes aren't offered for the base model, but you can get it with popular items such as air conditioning ($860) and items like a $625 Convenience option group that contains cruise control, power windows and heated power mirrors.

Both Cabrio models are offered with a $250 cold-weather package that contains heated front seats, which are especially appreciated in winter.
The Highline has a cloth top, while the base model has a vinyl top. Although manually operated, both snug-fitting tops work like a dream and have a glass rear window with a defogger.

Winter driving is not uncomfortable with this car, although a convertible's interior always is noisier and less secure than that of a car with a metal roof. And the roof creates bad rear blind spots when raised.

The Cabrio is safe, with items such as dual air bags and the roll bar. It's very rigidly built, so only the roughest of roads elicit rattles--and they are minor.

The steering is precise and the capable brakes are easily modulated for fast stops. Handling is good, although the suspension is designed more for ride comfort than for fast driving.

Standard is a five-speed manual transmission, which shifts well and works with a nice clutch. Some 60 percent of the Cabrios are ordered with the manual, with remaining buyers opting for the $875 four-speed automatic transmission. The car attracts many young women who don't want to bother with a manual.

The most lively performance is obtained with the manual. So is the best economy: an EPA-estimated 24 m.p.g. in the city and 31 on highways. Still, figures with the efficient automatic aren't bad, at 22 and 29.

The Cabrio's sturdy, quiet four-cylinder pumps out 115 horsepower and a lot of torque. A new cylinder head has made it smoother for 1997. Response is good off the line, and a wide torque band allows good throttle response at normal driving speeds. But the car is no fireball, with 0 to 60 m.p.h. taking 10 seconds.

A Cabrio rival is the hotter-selling Japanese Mazda Miata, which is smaller, lighter and only has two seats. The Cabrio offers fairly comfortable seating for four tall adults. A small opening makes the marginally sized trunk hard to load, but the rear seatback flips forward for increased cargo space.

Everybody seems to have a Miata convertible, but the Cabrio still is fairly rare--and thus more distinctive. It's the kind of car you look forward to driving.