It's a funny, perverse business that the people who buy cabriolet-type cars have created. They mostly don't live in sun-soaked countries such as Spain or Italy but under the dark and broody skies of Ireland or Britain. Andrew Hamilton reports.
Cabriolets bring a touch of exotica to those everyday chores of getting around, especially when in topless mode. Even if the sun doesn't shine, there are admiring glances to be lapped up. It's no surprise that the cabriolet customer base is largely feminine.
Since women are also the majority of buyers of cult cars such as the new Beetle, they now have the additional option of Beetling around and getting even more attention.
When we took the new Beetle Cabrio for a recent test, luck wasn't on our side. On at least three occasions, the sun shone and the top came down. But then the rain came with menacing suddenness and we had to cover up again.
In the old days, putting the roof up or down would have meant a tedious amount of fiddling and those of us not manually dexterous might be in trouble. Not any more. On virtually all thoroughly modern cabriolets, it's done electrically. On the Beetle it's a simple matter of twisting the handle mounted above the rear view mirror and, after holding a switch for 12 seconds, the roof is down. Covers then snap on behind the rear seats. It's a surprise, however, to find that the electric automated roof that was fitted to our 1.6 litre 102bhp car, is in fact a €1,633 option. The driving experience is pure Golf. The chassis feels solid and composed, even on rough terrain.
Mostly we drove with the electric hood in place - it was that kind of weather - and there was hardly any wind noise. With the hood down, the Beetle Cabrio does seem an alluring and very stylish proposition.
Less alluring maybe is the price. Our 1.6 car had an ex works price of €28,290, considerably more than its 1.6-litre Peugeot 206CC counterpart at €23,850. The 206CC incidentally has been the runaway success of the smart cabriolet set because of its relative affordability. VW says cabriolet supply is very limited which could be an apologia for the pricing.