2010 Ford Mustang convertible

On smooth roads, at least, experts say the new Mustang feels much more capable in corners than older versions did. "Finally we have a Mustang that handles the way every 14-year-old assumes it does," says Lieberman at TheTruthAboutCars.com. Still, Edmunds.com says you "won't confuse this American throwback with high-tech handlers" like the BMW 1 Series convertible (*Est. $34,000 to $40,150) or 3 Series convertible (*Est. $44,550 to $50,700). Experts do detect cowl shake in the convertible, but Canadian reviewer Graeme Fletcher says it's worth the tradeoff to ditch the coupe's rigid roof. With the top down, "the sweet siren the V-8 sings takes on a new life," Fletcher says.

Reviews have nothing but praise for the V-8 engine that comes standard on the upper-level Ford Mustang GT convertible (*Est. $32,995 to $35,995) -- unless you're interested in fuel economy. The 315-horsepower, 4.6-liter engine roars its way to 60 in about five seconds in tests, but don't expect better than 19 mpg in combined driving (16 mpg city and 24 mpg highway with the six-speed manual transmission, 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway with the five-speed automatic). Ford also offers its ultimate Mustang, the supercharged Ford Shelby GT500 (*Est. $46,325 to $51,325), in both coupe and convertible form.

Critics don't completely despise the weaker V-6 engine you'll find on the base Ford Mustang convertible (*Est. $25,995 to $28,995). ConsumerGuide.com calls it "brisk," and Edmunds.com editors concede that the V-6 Mustang is "our rental ragtop of choice," considering that the other option at the rental counter is usually the "monumentally boring Chrysler Sebring" convertible (*Est. $27,790 to $35,125). Most professional reviewers skip the base Mustang altogether and move on to the Mustang GT. Fuel economy is no better for the base Mustang with the automatic transmission (16 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined), but it sips more slowly with the manual transmission (18 mpg city, 26 highway and 21 combined). Rumor has it that new engines will be available in both base and V-8-powered Mustangs for the 2011 model year.

The 2010 Mustang gets mostly good safety ratings, but the federal government issued a Safety Concern rating after a rear passenger dummy's head struck the C-pillar during a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) side crash test. Reliability has been average or below in recent years, according to major owner surveys. The Mustang carries a three-year, 36,000-mile basic warranty, with five years/60,000 miles for the powertrain.

Almost all major car-review sites have tested the 2010 Ford Mustang coupe, but few test the convertible. Two exceptions are a descriptive narrative review of the convertible by Canwest News Service (published in several Canadian newspapers, including The Vancouver Sun), a brief three-convertible shootout by Cars.com, and detailed numeric ratings of the Mustang convertible from ConsumerGuide.com. Edmunds.com provides pricing and specs, and its expert review touches on the convertible. MSNAutos.com's review concentrates on the convertible, but it's very brief. When experts at test the coupe, many of their findings apply to the convertible, too. We include Mustang coupe reviews from Car and Driver and TheTruthAboutCars.com, but there are plenty more. ConsumerReports.org had not tested the 2010 Mustang when we checked, basing its ratings on an old road test. We found important crash-test results for the convertible at the NHTSA's Safercar.gov and at the independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Official fuel-economy estimates are at the Environmental Protection Agency's FuelEconomy.gov.