Chrysler lifts the lid on new Cruiser

Chrysler has added to its PT Cruiser range with the new 'topless' PT Cruiser Cabrio.

The four-seater soft-top was launched to the Australian media yesterday (fittingly) on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Two spec levels are offered, Touring and Limited. The former kicks off the range priced from $35,890 with a five-speed manual transmission. Both Touring and Limited versions featured a power-folding soft top as well as a high level of standard equipment including aircon, power windows, six-disc MP3 compatible sound system and alloy wheels.

The Limited (pictured and priced from $38,490) gets extra goodies including leather trim, heated seats and unique alloys.

A four-speed auto version is offered on both Touring and Limited at a $2000 premium.

The PT Cruiser Cabrio benefits from the upgrades Chrysler wrought on the standard Cruiser hatch in late 2005 (for more details click here). At this time much attention was paid to the retro-styled five-door’s refinement and noise attenuation.

The cheekily-styled two-door Cabrio grabbed it’s fair share of attention at the launch this week. The car maker expects to sell around 250 Cabrios between now and the end of 2006.

Undercutting the VW Beetle Cabrio 2.0L ($36,990), Holden Astra Convertible ($43,990) and Renault Megane ($49,280), Chrysler says the PT Cruiser Cabrio is the most affordable four-place soft top available in the segment.

Said Gerry Jenkins, managing director, Chrysler Group Australia: “The PT Cruiser Cabrio challenges convention and offers customers a different kind of convertible – it’s a genuine four-seater convertible and the engineers have put a lot of thought into making this one of the quietest soft-tops around.

"Nearly all PT Cruiser customers tell us that one of the key reasons they buy a PT is the design, so our designers have made sure that we haven’t lost the car’s unique looks," he said.

CarPoint’s launch review of the PT Cruiser will be published early next week.