Whether fastened to an AutoStick or a conventional manual transmission, the auditory commotion of the feisty 2.4-liter

The feisty engine is a thrill whether fastened to an AutoStick or the conventional manual transmission. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

(148 cu in) mill surging toward redline is most pleasing. There is no thrashiness to spoil the overt harmony. Power is delivered smoothly, without any major peaks or valleys in its band. In fact it reminded me a great deal of Saab's highly praised Saab 2.0-liter (121 cu in) turbocharged 4-banger propelling the 9-3 Arc soft-top. Given the similarity in size and power, I would love to conduct a back-to-back comparison of both cars on a road track to determine if the Saab's performance really justifies nearly double the coin that Chrysler asks for its GT convertible. If, as I suspect, the difference would not be overly dramatic, one would have to question if the cachet of a Saab nameplate is worth the extra paychecks - and that's a personal thing. After all, the Saab is much more luxuriously equipped, features higher quality interior components and from a styling standpoint is pretty sexy, but I'd still take the PT and use the extra bucks to finance a lot more road trips. Like the Saab, the PT GT is quite a handler. I found its cornering ability to be well above what I expected, thanks in part to

Four pavement-hugging 205/50/R17 Goodyear Eagles increase the GT's road holding capabilities. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

its four road-hugging 205/50/R17 Goodyear Eagles and the "sport" calibration Chrysler applied to its fully independent coil spring suspension, which is aided front and rear by anti-roll bars. The setup nicely balances ride-quality with superior handling characteristics. Tossing the PT GT into a corner was an enjoyable event - but even more importantly a predictable event. Nothing untoward accompanied enthusiastic cornering or maneuvering. Slight, twitchiness devoid, understeer is the order of the day when the PT is pushed hard into a turn. Although some body lean reinforces the reality that the PT GT is not engineered to set track records.