This Smart Is The Cheapest Convertible In The US

Can you buy a brand-new, rear-wheel drive convertible in the US for under $20,000? That may sound unlikely, but city car company Smart has priced up the new 2017 ForTwo Cabriolet and, while the size and style might be controversial still, you can get a soft-top for less than $19k.

$18,900 gets you the manual version, with a five-speed transmission hooked up to the turbocharged three-cylinder engine. Fuel economy is 32 mpg in the city, 39 mpg on the highway, and 35 mpg combined.

If you want Smart's "twinamic" dual-clutch six-speed automatic, meanwhile, it'll cost you $19,890. Both versions have a $750 destination charge. Economy figures for the auto come in at 34 mpg, 39 mpg, and 36 mpg for city, highway, and finally combined, respectively.

The ForTwo's roof itself is canvas, and can optionally be opened up like a panoramic sunroof rather than dropped completely. It takes about twelve seconds to retract.

To go the whole hog, it drops down at the back of the car, and then the side roof bars can be optionally removed – they stow in the tailgate – to go full-cabrio.

Unlike the old model, Smart is offering a variety of customization options for the ForTwo's colors, too. There are now three "tridion" cell colors to choose between and two soft top colors, and they can be interchanged as well as the grille finish.

NOW READ: 2017 Smart ForTwo Cabriolet first-drive

As we found when we drove the 2017 ForTwo Cabriolet back in February, it's a perky little city car that punches above its weight. Ride comfort is improved over the previous model, and the automatic gearbox is no longer a jerky frustration.

However, it's still impressively compact – at 8.8 feet long and just over 5 feet wide – and, though you only get 89 HP, the low curb weight means it's not too wheezy on the highway.

If you can do without the fabric roof, mind, Smart ownership comes even cheaper: the regular ForTwo starts at $14,650. That gets eight airbags, versus the convertible's six.

Though the distinctive styling and the tiny footprint might not be to everybody's taste, you can't really argue with the ForTwo Cabriolet's price. The company says it will begin to show up in US dealerships this fall.