Chrysler took considerable pains to pick the right convertible top, rejecting nearly 20 designs before settling on the final product. The cloth lid is lined and well finished, and the rounded profile blends well with the body style, looking less like an afterthought than many ragtops.

Going from top up to top down takes 22 seconds (twice as long, oddly enough, as the PT Cruiser convertible). Once down, the lid is stowed beneath a hard tonneau. Wind noise and buffeting never become excessive, even at speed. Rear visibility when the top is up suffers the same fate as most convertibles; the big C-pillars create big blind spots. In this regard, the Crossfire roadster is no different than the coupe, and the same logic applies. If you like what you see, you overlook what you can't.

Photography: © Dan Lyons 2004