2000 Volkswagen Cabrio
Looking for Rays!
by Eric Schofield

My heart felt heavy as I looked out onto the horizon. Sigh.  Depression and sadness welled up deep within my chest as the water beads dripped down the slope of the windshield.  The soft pitter patter of a light afternoon shower spraying over the cloth top brought numbness to my mind as I sat in despair.

Is there anything more sad than having a beautiful convertible to sling around for a week only to be faced with 5 straight days of rain? Double sigh!!  Well all was not lost, we managed to find a few moments of exhilaration between the downpours.  It was a little wet and humid but with the muggy wind blowing through your hair, you could "almost" imagine the joy of pushing the VW Cabrio through winding roads on a gorgeous fall afternoon.

The first thing that came to mind when we first climbed into the Cabrio was that this automobile happened to be the most desired convertible by most women back when we were in school.  As a matter of fact, we couldn't remember the last time we saw a man in the driver's seat of one of these babies but hell, if women like Cabrios, then that was fine by most of the male staffers at Auto Insight.

The look is very familiar. Short body, chopped off rear, and a compact design.  Yet the new smooth lines are refreshing.  The revised headlamp cluster is modern with a very cool lamp cluster.  The new Cabrio is essentially a VW Golf that has been converted to a rag top.  Based on our review of the Golf earlier this year, you'll find that we were rather enthusiastic about VW's entry level automobile.

The Cabrio's powerplant is "adequate" but lacked the oomph one would love to have in a drop top roadster. It appeared slower than the Golf though the powerplant is the same.  The 2.0 liter 16-valve DOHC inline 4 produces 115 horsepower with 122 of torque at 3200 RPM.  One can get a little bit of neck straining fun by riding the RPM's heavily but alas... fun shouldn't require so much effort!

The Cabrio's steering was precise and provided good feedback from the road.  Handling was firm yet comfortable for every day driving.  The 5 speed tranny was a joy to use as the gear shift fits easily into your hand and the short precise throws instill driver confidence.

Fit and finish are excellent.  The photo to the left shows the lengths that VW has gone through to provide a car with high build quality.  Notice the rubber strip on the steering column below the ignition which is designed to absorb the scratches from keychains which normally scuff up the plastic housing.

Dropping the convertible top is a piece of cake.  Put on the parking brake, undo the latches and press the button and you can go from coupe to convertible in a mere 12 seconds.  Reversing the process takes a little longer at 16 seconds but is quite painless.  

Logical controls for all major functions, a great sounding stereo system, power everything and a real glass rear window makes this Cabrio fully decked out!

As with most convertibles, rear seat and trunk space are severely compromised to make room for the fold away top.  The Cabrio is no different as trunk space is nearly non-existent failing our 2 golf-bag and 2 drink cooler requirement miserably.  Rear leg room is a little cramped but compared to many roadsters such as the Miata or Z3 which offer no back seat at all, the Cabrio must seem cavernous by comparison.

Wind buffering is excellent in the Cabrio as long as the rear windows are UP.  Minor shimmying was experienced at high way speeds with the top down.  All in all, despite our horrible weather conditions, our time with the Cabrio was more fun than it was melancholy. 

The Cabrio delivers competent ride quality, outstanding fit and finish, and a long list of standard features.  A little more power would be nice but overall, the Cabrio delivers the goods.

Very cool guage cluster!		Tight on storage.		As with most convertibles, rear leg room is a little cramped.

Styling	Amenities	Ergonomics	Power	Handling	Comfort	Roominess	Cargo Space	Fun to Drive	Bang for Buck	TOTAL
7.5	9	8	7	8	8	7	6.5	8	8	77