When the PT Cruiser first arrived on the scene in 2000 as a '01 model year vehicle, the sedan—or in Chrysler parlance "segment-buster"—was a sensation.  People—old and young—were taken with its retro design.  With the rounded fender forms that meet at the flared sill that resembles a running board.  With the tapered hood that actually appears to be covering an engine, not just a sheet metal surface that is there to be sculpted.  With the teardrop tail lamps that harken back to the blue-dot lenses of days gone by.  In Chrysler-speak it has "heritage" design cues.

Regardless of nomenclature, one thing is clear: It wasn't Neonland anymore.

There was nothing else like it out there.

But face it.  Vehicles like the PT Cruiser can essentially be perceived by the public as nothing more than novelties.  And the shelf lives of novelties are generally little to none (at least in typical automotive longevity measures: remember, vehicles are designed and engineered to have long, long runs in order to pay for all of the investment in tooling and equipment).  But the PT Cruiser has something else going for it beyond a novel appearance.  That something is usable space.  Utility.  This is a sedan that some say resembles a milk truck (that's a heritage reference for those who are Boomers or older; for those of you who are younger, just use your imagination or do a Google search).  And like a milk truck it actually provides the interior space to accommodate things, from people to gear.  It can be argued that the PT Cruiser is the vehicle that gave rise to the Honda Element and the Scion xB.

So the PT Cruiser had something else going for it: It was able to appeal to people who were looking for utility in a compact package.

But there is a long time between model year '01 and '05.  A period that is actually much longer than the chronological measure.  When the automotive world is as competitive as this one, clocks run at a different speed: Hellishly slowly for those who are waiting for something new; at hyperspeed for those who have to get something new out there.

All that said as prelude brings us to the '05 PT Cruiser Convertible.  First shown at the '01 New York Auto Show as a "styling study," it is now emerging as a bona fide product.

This isn't simply the sedan with the top chopped off and canvas in place of steel.  In fact, although the family resemblance is unmistakable, the convertible is plenty different from the sedan.  Listen to Larry Lyons, vp—Small Vehicle Product Team Engineering: "With more than half of its parts unique from the sedan, the new Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible represents a vehicle specifically engineered with convertible drivers in mind."

Now, when you hear phrases like "specifically engineered with convertible drivers in mind," the first thing that probably comes to mind is that the vehicle is significantly stiffened, given that the top is cropped.  And, yes, the engineers cranked up their CAE systems and created a body-in-white with a twist stiffness of 4,693 ft.-lb./deg. and a bend stiffness of 42,800 lb./in.  In addition to which, the front strut, rear Watt's linkage, rear shocks, and rear trailing arm mounting structures are stiffened.  Also, there's what's called a "sport bar" that appears to be a thick B-pillar from the side view, but the body-color component is actually a stand-alone roof segment in effect.  The underside of the bar has two courtesy lamps fitted into the polypropylene trim.  But the real story of the sport bar is that it is a hydroformed steel bar that contributes to body rigidity.  (Two other aspects of the sport bar: (1) when the top is down and the bar is exposed, it, as designer Brandon Faurote explains, helps balance the vehicle design because the center stack—a.k.a., the retracted convertible top—is so far back on the 103-in. wheelbase vehicle; (2) it is aerodynamically modeled to reduce wind turbulence in the rear seating area, thereby making top-down driving more pleasant for those in the back (not everyone longs for bad hair).)

Another thing that the "specifically engineered. . .convertible" undoubtedly evokes is a top that's easy to operate.  And that is most certainly the case here.  There is a centrally located D-ring handle where the header and the windshield meet.  When the handle is rotated, it releases latches at the A-pillars.  Then a button on the IP is pushed and the top retracts.  There are five high-strength roof bows utilized.  The fifth bow (the rear-most one) floats so that when the roof is retracted (an electric pump performs the task) the package is comparatively compact.  The boot which is manually snapped in place over the retracted roof was tested in the DaimlerChrysler wind tunnel in Auburn Hills at speeds up to 120 mph—to not only assure that it would stay snapped in place, but also to provide a more aerodynamic surface.

But there is another part of this story, one that's fundamental to the raison d'etre of the PT Cruiser: utility.  Remember, this is a vehicle that some people buy more for function than form, more for what they can do with it rather than for how it looks.  Convertibles tend not to be particularly utile.  But that's not the case here.  When the decklid is opened (a four-bar, gas-assist design is used to facilitate the opening of what is a rather large hatch), there is a pass-through space designed to accommodate (naturally) two full-size sets of golf clubs.  The convertible offers 13.3 ft3 of cargo room.  The second row of seats has a 50/50 split and can be folded flat or tumbled forward.  Utility is retained, albeit less than the sedan.  But this is a convertible.

The vehicle comes in three trim levels: the $19,995 (including $590 destination for this and for the following prices) base model equipped with a 150-hp 2.4-liter engine with a five-speed manual transmission; the $22,900 Touring model with the same power train setup and more amenities, as well as the availability of a 180-hp, 2.4-liter turbocharged engine and a four-speed automatic; the $27,565 GT model with a 220-hp, 2.4-liter turbocharged engine and a five-speed Getrag manual.

Having had the opportunity to drive the turbocharged Touring and the GT models, I can report that there is enough power under the hood for this hot rod to be more than something that looks like one.  (One of the issues with convertibles is that there is a tendency to make them a whole lot heavier than their sedan ancestors in order to achieve better stiffness; the Chrysler engineers did a remarkable job through the use of materials selection and process engineering to keep the added weight down to just 150 lb.)  The GT is certainly a whole lot more fun to drive than the automatic, and I found that the GT's clutch and short shift pattern to be a setup as good as any in this class of vehicle—and better than plenty.

All of the body stiffening works.  The bank vault metaphor comes to mind, but that really isn't fair because even with 220 hp, a bank vault wouldn't move out as smartly.  Just know that there isn't a whole lot of cowl shake and other NVH compromises with this convertible.

But what is most striking about the PT Cruiser convertible is how quiet the cabin is with the top up.  It's extraordinary.  I don't know whether it is the result of the three-layer top (outer fabric, insulating pad, cloth headliner), the overall reduction in structural NVH, the extensive use of weather stripping, thicker side glass, or, more likely, a combination of these, it is hard to believe that it is a ragtop—or even a vehicle in this segment.  (Quiet as the inside of a vault?)

For those who are looking for a convertible with some visual style that offers more functionality than, say, a Beetle but who don't want something as, well, mid-market staid as a Sebring convertible, the PT Cruiser convertible is a solid choice.