Despite the fun-in-the-sun lifestyle afforded by convertible ownership, there are a few points that new owners suddenly find themselves dealing with – cowl shake and poor visibility. Cowl shake, best evidenced by a jittery windshield frame and most prevalent with the top down, is inherent to most convertibles, though stiffer modern-day rides suffer less from this malady. But the best option for keeping the structure tight is to offer a retractable hard top like that found on the 2007 Pontiac G6 Convertible. Push the overhead button for 33 seconds while the windows drop, the deck lid rises, and the multi-panel roof stacks and stows in the trunk. With the bright sun filling the G6’s cabin, head on down the road only to notice much less shake than exhibited by a traditional rag top, but more than a 2006 Volvo C70. Drivers’ eyes will be on the road, but front passengers will catch a glimpse of the dash shimmying back and forth, and all riders will feel a little vibration through the seat.

Otherwise, travel in the G6 Convertible is similar to that of the coupe version, with steering that offers little road feel and a dead spot on-center, a steering wheel too large to be sporty, and a competent yet average engine mated to an old-school four-speed automatic transmission. Handling, while perfectly acceptable for any mainstream family car, is too soft and relaxed to qualify for Pontiac executives’ “seductive performance” tagline. A particularly curvy stretch of mountain road demonstrated the G6 Convertible’s fancy for understeer and side-to-side weight transfer, though our 50-mile route also revealed responsive brakes. A new 250-horsepower V6 and six-speed automatic transmission combo is expected later in the year.

Driving with the top up, which requires 37 seconds of roof and window raising, is arguably better than in the G6 Coupe. Visibility is aided by relatively thin rear pillars, and because the side windows aren’t separated by a plastic B-pillar, over-the-shoulder visibility is excellent. However, the integrated rear headrests take away from the rear view, and the high beltline makes backing up a bit of a challenge. Interior noise is kept to a minimum on the highway, while the roof panels and interior panels pipe up when dodging potholes in the city.