What blew me away was Chrysler's inclusion of 50/50 split folding rear seatbacks. Really! Not only do the rear seats fold forward to increase the 377 L (13.3 cu-ft) trunk's already sizable capacity, but there's a fairly large pass-through opening as well. Such functional flexibility is unusual for the convertible segment, but then again the PT has always been a wonderfully peculiar vehicle.

The standard PT Cruiser Convertible gets Chrysler's tried and true 150-hp 2.4-L 4-cylinder engine. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada)

"Our engineers wanted to make the PT Cruiser Convertible a convertible that you can actually do things with," stated Larry Lyons, Vice President-Small Vehicle Product Team Engineering. "Nine different seat configurations and a pass-through trunk opening with enough room to store two golf bags make the car more versatile than its competitors."

Chrysler's Lyons is also touting the car's refinement, stating it is one of the quietest convertibles on the market.

"The combination of the sport bar design and position, together with enhancements to the body structure results in an exceptionally quiet ride," commented Lyons. "While on-the-road experience is what ultimately matters, we performed extensive wind tunnel testing to assure our customers a quiet ride, top up or top down."

Chrysler will offer three trim levels, Standard, Touring and GT. The standard car gets the automaker's tried and true 150-hp 2.4-L 4-cylinder driving the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. Other standard features are a power convertible soft top, overhead dome lamps (integrated into the sport bar), solar-tinted "Smart" glass, a glass rear window with electric defroster, cloth sport seats with driver manual lumbar adjuster, those rear split-folding seats and pass-through cargo area, power exterior mirrors, a touring-tuned suspension and the previously mentioned body-color fascias and body side moldings. And all this comes at a base price of USD$19,995, plus a USD$590 destination charge in the states. Canadian specifics are not yet known.