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| The A4 Cabrio will have a makeover near the end of summer. |
The convertible is one of the most sought after symbols of luxury, as well as the best way to soak up the summer sun. The number of convertibles in Turkey has risen sharply in recent years and buyers have a wide range of options to chose from: you can have a soft top or hardtop, an economic 1.6 litre engines or an 8 cylinder power factory, a two-seater roadster or a four-seater cabrio. Although most cabrios have limited legroom in the back seats, they are more popular than roadsters.
Eye catching cabrios
Although rarely seen on the streets of Turkey, the Audi A4 Cabrio is one of the most comfortable. The axle has been lengthened by 100 mm, adding 66 mm of legroom for the passengers in the back seat. The cabrio has 33 mm more shoulder space in the front and 52 mm in the back, making this one of the roomiest cabrios on the market.The Audi TT Roadster was launched in 1999 and is now nearing the end of its run. The convertible top is manually operated. Although the interior space is a bit cramped with the roof down, this is still one of the more comfortable two-seaters. The Quattro version is front wheel drive with optional 50/50 front/rear drive.
One of the most popular roadsters in recent years is the new Opel Tigra Twintop. With its sporty appearance and the muscular lines of its bumpers, mudguards and doors, the Tigra Twintop will be in direct competition with the small class Peugeot 206 CC.. Its retractable metal roof was created in partnership with the French Heuliez company. The electro-hydraulic roof is operated by a single switch on the dashboard. When the convertible top is closed, the Tigra Twintop has a loading space measuring 440 litres, which fallls to 250 when the top is open.
New generation cabrios
For many years, Porsche-famous for making fast cars-conversely followed a rather conservative marketing strategy. However, Porsche has revved up its marketing since the turn of the century, for example with the Cayenne and Carrera GTI. The classic 911 series has also been affected by this changing mentality. After it was launched at the Detroit Motor Show, the new generation GTI was available on the North American market in March, followed by Europe in April. The 911 will be available in Turkey in July-August. The power operated soft top is opened and closed using a single switch. The top folds into a Z shape in around 20 seconds and retracts into a special compartment. The top can be opened and closed at speeds up to 50 km/hr. The drag coefficient on the two 911 convertibles has been lowered to 0.29 Cd.
