Top five prestige convertibles with room for kids

Don't let 'La Nina' put you off. Summer is here and there will be warm days in the months ahead.

It's time to take to the road and enjoy the warm breezes and the 'IMAX-in-real-life' sight seeing that goes with day trips in a convertible.

But what do you do about the kids?

The short answer is this: There are many cars that will deliver that wind-in-the-hair feeling that you loved when you were a carefree twenty-something, and you don't need to find a babysitter for the kids.

They can come along for the drive as well, provided you buy a convertible with seating in the rear.

We're not talking about 2+2 models either. These are cars that will seat four adults – adults that don't have to fold up like an origami swan.

As a bonus, furthermore, you can buy a car wearing a prestige badge for under $50,000 without it having travelled the equivalent of a NASA moon shot. Here are some examples to choose from…

Up to a decade old, the previous generation of Audi A5 Cabriolet is one convertible that offers a lot of variation.

It's not impossible to track down diesel A5s, if you're patient, but most of them are petrol-engined, quite a few of them with quattro all-wheel drive as well.

You won't find any with a manual transmission, but these are vehicles designed for cruising down to the beach rather than hammering along tight and twisty mountain passes.

The point is this: the Audi A5 provides lavish comfort, stylish presentation and low kilometres for up to $50,000.

Search for an Audi A5 convertible

Not as affordable, and without the all-wheel drive of the Audi A5, the BMW 4 Series nonetheless can be had with a diesel powertrain, if that should take your fancy.

But the true appeal of the BMW rests with its rear-wheel drive underpinnings and its timeless style. Again though, it will be hard to lay hands on a manual version.

The previous generation (F33) 4 Series shared its platform with the very taut architecture of the F30 generation of 3 Series sedan and wagon, so this is one convertible you can be assured will not disappoint you with any significant scuttle shake.

Prices are higher than the A5, overall, but that indicates the BMW does hold its value pretty well, so it will still be worth something – a substantial component of the sum you paid for it – when you come to sell in four or five years' time.

Search for an BMW 4 Series convertible

It's an orphan model from a now defunct brand, but the Infiniti Q60 is worth considering if you like the idea of an affordable, well-equipped prestige convertible that's built to last.

Following on from the Infiniti G37, the drop-top Q60 features a 3.7-litre V6 driving the rear wheels. It's not ultimately as much fun to drive as the BMW, but it is sporty. It's certainly solid too and performs well, what's more.

Although the Infiniti brand no longer exists, Nissan Australia is still providing parts and service support, so it's not as if you're left holding the baby when things go wrong – although there's not that much to go wrong with this car.

As long as you can live with what promises to be undeservedly dodgy brand image, horrendous resale value, and you can actually find a Q60 up for sale in the first place, there's no reason to cross the Infiniti off your list of convertibles to consider.

Search for an Infiniti Q60 convertible

A little more of a known quantity than the Infiniti is the Lexus IS 250C. Like the Q60, the Lexus is powered by a naturally-aspirated petrol V6, driving the rear wheels.

Where the Lexus struggles a little, however, is its lower displacement – just 2.5 litres, as opposed to the 3.7-litre engine of the Infiniti. There's a gulf of nearly 80kW and over 100Nm between the two cars.

But the Lexus IS 250C is a comfortable and quiet cruiser for touring through the countryside or just dawdling around town – down to the beach or the marina in the company of friends or family.

As with other prestige four-seat convertibles, the Lexus in this price range is only available in the previous generation of IS. The difference is that Lexus didn't persist with a convertible in its mid-size passenger-car range, whereas Audi and BMW did.

One definite positive going for the Lexus is that it can be used on a daily basis in the general-purpose role that we expect our passenger cars to fill. It's dependable and safe, and reasonably cost-effective to own.

And people do recognise the badge…

Search for a Lexus IS 250C convertible

The very pinnacle of folding-roof prestige is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Forget your other prestige brands (and CLKs and C-Class convertibles); even the S-Class doesn't have quite that same balance of presence, comfort and dynamic agility.

There are six-cylinder and turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine options available, plus diesel. Automatic transmission is de rigeur and the powertrain channels torque to the rear wheels. So the Mercedes provides what most buyers want from their carefully-maintained prestige convertible.

There's something about the three-pointed star on the bonnet of a sensibly-sized car with the classiness and stature to out-shine the rest – even if the cars in question were built on a stretched C-Class floorpan rather than the full-size architecture of the W212 sedan.

In its day, the Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet was one of the rare convertibles to come with its own climate control switchgear for the rear-seat occupants, which opens up an opportunity for the little devils in the back to turn the car into a Swedish sauna on the move. You have been warned…

Search for a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet

And that's it for our five affordable prestige convertibles with seating for four. If the prestige badge matters less to you, there are other convertibles in the market to suit your needs for space and open-air motoring.

These include the Ford Mustang, Holden Cascada, Peugeot 308 CC, Renault Megane, Saab 9-3 and Volvo C70.