View Photos of the 1999 Euro Convertible Comparison Test
1999 Volvo C70, Saab 9-3 SE, Mercedes-Benz CLK320, and BMW 325i exterior and interior photos.
Four-seat convertibles aren't meant to be as high-strung as their two-seat counterparts. But we still expect some fun when the roads get twisty, so we took a quartet of European four-seaters to southern Ohio to see which one best delivers sun worship with a turn of speed.
Thankfully, the weather in Ohio cooperated with our plan to test the convertible versions of the Saab 9-3, Volvo C70, BMW 328i and Mercedes-Benz CLK 320.
This band does not travel by tour bus.
All four cars in the test featured a hard cover for the rear deck.
The 328i is the oldest car here, but still plenty tasty.
The BMW's plastic rear window was maybe its biggest demerit—it was already thoroughly scratched with 9000 miles on the car.
The BMW's dash looks dated and the steering wheel is fixed, but none of that stopped us from loving it.
BMW's inline six makes 190 extremely smooth horsepower.
The Volvo's wind blocker deliver's draft-free motoring, at the expense of rear-seat usefulness.
Volvo's turbo five sounds sweet but delivered the slowest 0-60 mph time of the test—8.0 seconds.
The 9-3 was good fun in the corners, hanging on for .80 g of grip.
This 9-3 had the 185-hp engine; a 200-hp version subsequently replaced it.
If you like to carry lumber in your expensive European convertible, Saab has some good news.
The 185-hp turbo four delivered a 7.8-second 0-60 mph time.
The CLK 320 replaces the E320 convertible and is in many ways a better car—for about half the price.
Benz's 18-valve V-6 makes 215 hp, helping offset the CLK320's 3646-pound weight.
Marcus demonstrates the Benz's "stash spot".
Not pictured: anybody having a bad day.
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