Going topless

You either love convertibles, or you hate them. An experienced and talented motoring journalist I know more or less refuses to drive convertibles, citing lack of structural rigidity and, I think, girlyness as the reasons.

I love them, and will happily drive around in moderate rain with the roof off just because I can. Whatever your thoughts, it’s not a bad way to travel on a sunny day.

Despite the vagaries of the English climate, we’re really quite fond of convertibles in this country. And it’s not just showing off – with the exception of almost all Saab drivers, we’re not bad at taking the roof of and enjoying some wind in the hair motoring.

A bargain from the French
When the Peugeot 206 CC (Coupe/Convertible) was launched in 2001, it was the first time folding hard top technology had filtered down to the ‘affordable’ cars. At the time, Mercedes would happily sell you an SLK with the same type of roof, but it was considerably more expensive and since then, most big-name manufacturers have had a bash at the convertible hard top.

We’ve got two of the newest for you here, both in slightly different price ranges and aimed at slightly different markets, but both still eminently affordable and, at their hearts, good, fun cars.

First up, the Peugeot 207 CC. This model’s predecessor was a little – how to put this – feminine in it’s styling, and any self-respecting male would need a cap pulled low to drive one through town with the roof lowered. Indeed, less than 15 per cent of 206 CC buyers were male.

No matter, though, because the new one is here, and, starting at just more than £14,000, it’s more aggressive and better looking than the outgoing model. A wide mesh grille and a purposeful stance make it look less like a fashion accessory, but ladies – don’t panic, it is French and therefore easily chic enough to cut the mustard on the high street.

No comic
Unusually for coupe/cabriolets, the back end of the car doesn’t finish in a comical high tail; instead it’s actually quite nicely proportioned, unlike the retrospectively engineered attempts from some of its rivals. Hiding an almost-full length metal roof in the boot isn’t easy without making the rear of the car look extremely awkward, but Peugeot have managed it – Renault, take note. Overall, it’s a neat little package.

Inside, life isn’t bad either. There are some comedy rear seats, but it’s a handy space for luggage if you’re going away for the week. Opt for one of the sport models, and you get electric windows all round, air con, front fogs, remote central locking and a CD player.

For an extra £1,200 the GT spec will add stability control, ESP, directional headlights, 17 inch alloys, a leather steering wheel a few other toys as well. The usual leather, Bluetooth and sat nav are also options.

From the driver’s seat, it’s all fairly smart. You sit lower in the CC than you do in the standard car, presumably to afford taller drivers a bit of headroom, and it’s finished to a high standard for its class.

Assuming it’s stopped raining for a few minutes, a small button by the handbrake will turn your smart coupe into a convertible in 25 seconds, folding the metal roof into a space above the boot. With the roof off, you realise how far back the windscreen curves – almost over your head. As in most CC cars, this is to shorten the length of the roof panel so it will fit in the boot, but while it is a necessary evil, it does spoil the convertible experience somewhat.

It’s French and therefore easily chic enough to cut the mustard on the high street

Lower all four windows (come on – you didn’t buy a convertible to keep the air out), and it’s surprisingly refined on the move. It’s good and civilised, so you can still hear the radio and your passenger’s banter at motorway speeds, with no more than a light buffeting to upset your barnet.

Pull off the motorway and onto a B road, and the Peugeot really comes into it’s own. It’s a nippy little handler; stable and responsive with a good, precise short-throw gearbox, it encourages the hooligan in you to have some fun with it. The firm suspension gives you the confidence to push it through corners, too.

You’d expect, being Peugeot, that there would be a GTi version of this along soon, with a rev-happy engine and a slippery rear end. Sorry to disappoint - there won’t be – the warmest you’ll get with the 207 is the 1.6 THP turbo. It’s not all doom and gloom though; the 150bhp unit will push you to 60mph in 8.6 seconds and on to a shade under 130mph, but in real life it doesn’t feel this quick until the turbo comes on boost.

As always, there is the diesel option, but as 60 will take you nearly 11 seconds and you need to spend a lot of time and effort planning your gear changes, it’s not worth the saving in fuel costs if you want something a bit fun to chuck around.

Good fun then. But maybe you’ve grown up a little and chuckability isn’t your primary concert. Enter the Ford Focus CC.

Ford has been extremely tardy in developing a CC model, but the benefit is that it has been able to draw upon the experience of its rivals and, as such, there really shouldn’t be much wrong with it.

Certainly there isn’t a lot wrong with the car on which its based, the standard Focus, so it’s a good start. Designed and built in Italy by Pininfarina, the Focus CC uses the floorpan of the four-door saloon, and borrows some suspension components from its slightly eccentric brother, the ST. Exterior paint colours are unique to the CC, as are some of the interior trim options; already it feels more special than some of it’s rivals.

Spiritual successor
The spiritual successor to the much-loved but heavily-stereotyped Escort cabriolet, I’m pleased to report that things have improved vastly since those dark days.

Roof up, it’s a reasonably well-proportioned coupe, but 29 seconds of button holding later, and the weight over your head has vanished under the rear deck. Without the roof in place to balance it out it looks rear heavy, but that’s the price you pay for sacrificing style for substance. On the whole, though, it’s a smart-looking car.

As with the Peugeot, you sit lower in the Focus CC than you do in the in the saloon, but it’s more grown-up nature focuses on comfort, not out-and-out sportiness. Being a bigger car than the 207, its rear seats are just about habitable for humans, but only ones with small legs. Kids will be alright, too.

29 seconds of button holding and the weight over your head vanishes under the rear deck

The lowest spec, after parting with just under £17,000 of your hard earned, will still endow you with alloys, a CD player, air con and electric windows and mirrors. This is, however, only available with the 1.6 petrol, and if you want something that’s going to be able to outrun your family pet, you’ll be wanting either the 2.0 litre petrol or the diesel, and these come with sports suspension, leather steering wheel and fog lights. These will set you back nearer £19,000, but a further option pack will push you over the £20,000 mark. Heated front seats are also a recommended option – they’ll make a crisp winter drive a good deal more comfortable if you’re brave enough to have the roof down.

Dynamically, the Focus has been a star performer since it was launched. Chopping the roof off a car though, is going to have the inevitable and unfortunate result of making the structure less rigid, and while Ford’s finest spanner-wielders have added a vast amount of extra bracing to combat this, it’s still not quite as composed over bumps and in corners as its tin top relative.

Again though, this isn’t a car designed for performance; rather comfort, and as such, there are no complaints. It’s agile enough to be fun on a B road, but planted enough to give you confidence in its touring abilities.

With the roof up, a sensible 534 litres of boot space is class leading, but it does become a surprisingly small 248 litres with the roof folded on top of it – you’ll need to pack fairly light for a sunny break away.

Overall, the Focus CC is a very complete car, and looks and feels much more expensive than it really is - something Ford have been getting really quite good at over the last few years.

The verdict
So, what’s the verdict? Undoubtedly, the CC-style car offers the best of both worlds. Increased security plus better sound and weather insulation mean both cars are a great real-world option, and the opportunity to go topless in summer sunshine at the touch of a button is irresistible. It does come at a cost though – the extra weight means the drive is compromised and the styling can be dubious. Get past this, though, and the Pug is small, nippy and a lot of fun. If anyone can make a small, front-wheel drive car handle properly, it’s Peugeot and it’s succeeded with the 207 CC. Although not as fast as we’d like, for everyday use there’s more than enough power, style, boot space and grin-inducing sportiness to keep more or less anyone happy.

The Focus CC is a more grown-up affair. More expensive than the Peugeot, it’s bigger, more comfortable and better suited to refined cruising, and its unique paint colours and trim will help it stand out from the crowd.

What better way to enjoy the English summer than knowing, at the touch of a button, you can have a solid metal roof over your head seconds after the rain starts to fall.

Peugeot 207 CC

ENGINE: 1.6 Diesel

PERFORMANCE: 0-60: 10.9sec, 120mph

ECONOMY: 54.3mpg (average)

PRICE: From £14,795

OUR PICK: The 1.6 THP

VERDICT: Eminently chuckable and fun to drive. Fairly practical as well.

 

Ford Focus CC

ENGINE: 2.0 Petrol

PERFORMANCE: 0-60: 10.2sec, 129mph

ECONOMY: 37.7mpg

PRICE: from £16,795

OUR PICK: The 2.0 TDCi

VERDICT: A bit more grown up, looks and feels more expensive than it is

SHOOT LOCATION: Deal seafront, Kent

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