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" Oxfordshire, England\u2014Fiat&amp;#039;s retro success story turned another page this month with the launch of the latest version of the two-door  500, the 500 Cabriolet. Known as the 500C, this is, in effect, a fabric roll-back roof convertible in the style of the first Dante Giacosa designed Fiat 500 Nuova in 1957, or the Citro&amp;#039;n 2CV of the same era. With the dust from the Chrysler merger still settling, even Fiat admits that it&amp;#039;s isn&amp;#039;t exactly sure which cars will be coming to the U.S. But while talks are taking place over the next couple of months, it would be difficult to imagine this charming drophead failing to make it over to America.  The Specs  Fiat studied the feasibility of offering full cabriolet versions of the 500, but in the end cost considerations limited the choice to the roll-down roof. The top is electrically powered and can be partially retracted as a small sunroof, rolled further back as a full-length sunroof or furled down on top of the trunk in complete al fresco mode.   The 500 is based on the same B-class chassis floorpan as the utilitarian Fiat Panda and Ford Ka, which are all built at the same plant in Tychy, Poland. The suspension remains the same as the hardtop model, with MacPherson struts at the front and a twist beam at the rear. The engine choices are also carried over from the closed-roof model, with three four-cylinder units. The 68-hp 1.2-liter, the 99-hp 1.4-liter and Fiat&amp;#039;s Multijet turbodiesel, which displaces 1.3-liters and delivers 74 hp and 107 lb-ft of torque. The 1.2-liter gas models, as well as the diesel, get five-speed transmissions. But step up to the 1.4-liter and you&amp;#039;ll have a six-speed manual, with the option of a Dualogic semi-automatic, clutchless five speed.   The roll-back roof means that this tiny Fiat doesn&amp;#039;t suffer an undue loss of space inside. The trunk is only marginally smaller than the hard-top car&amp;#039;s, although the trunk lid doesn&amp;#039;t seem to lift quite as high. There&amp;#039;s the same adequate storage around the driver, and the rear seats stay in the same position and fold just as they do in the standard car. The cabrio also boasts a bit more headroom in the rear seats.   The roof is controlled with a couple of buttons above the windscreen; it takes about 18 seconds to travel from the closed position to fully open. It can be opened and shut at speeds of up to 37 mph. We found the fit and finish of the interior lining as good as anything you&amp;#039;ll find in much swankier convertibles.   The cabin is much like the standard Fiat 500. It&amp;#039;s a fabulous mix of vintage-looking plastics, chrome highlights and a confusing but slick concentric speedometer and tach. As might be expected, the detailing is superb, from the bare painted retro dashboard, to the tiny Italian flags on the footwell carpets. You need to be careful, however, as the options list is long and can become very expensive.  The Drive  The raw figures don&amp;#039;t quite do the engine on this six-speed manual justice. It feels brisker than its claimed 113 mph top speed and 0 to 60 mph in 10.5 seconds performance might indicate. There&amp;#039;s enough torque to ensure you don&amp;#039;t have to row the car along with the gear lever. But that wouldn&amp;#039;t necessarily be a hardship, as the ratios slot with precision and ease. As befits an Italian, the engine likes to rev, and it sounds eager without straining, even at the redline. Economy is a claimed 37.3 mpg (2.68 gallons per 100 miles) in the Combined cycle, although we saw 33.5 mpg (2.99 g/100m)\u2014still quite good\u2014in our own testing while using the engine hard.   The steering and handling have been reworked for the cabriolet, with new settings for the electric power steering and a rear anti-sway bar that runs down the center of the twist beam. The steering still feels fairly artificial, especially just off the center position. The handling, however is just as chuckable as before, with surprising amounts of grip given the 195/45R16 tires. The ride is the biggest failing of the tin-top 500, and in that respect the Cabrio is marginally better. Perhaps this comes from the extra twist in the bodyshell, although its rigidity is impressive. Still, the 500 rode along uneven British roads with ease. The secondary ride characteristics are harsh over concrete surfaces and expansion joints, but the Cabrio is a lot better in these conditions than the hard-top. The disc brakes at each corner are powerful and largely fade-free, with a sensitive, progressive pedal action.   The cabin is impressively calm with the roof down, and while the heater is noisy, it does warm the front-seat passengers in cool conditions. One fault we found: The rear-view mirror is heavily obscured with the roof down, which means you&amp;#039;ll miss the Highway Patrol closing in on you. And reversing is a bit of a judgement call.  The Bottom Line   With prices starting around $22,000 (\u00A313,905), the 1.4-liter version is cheaper than the equivalent Mini, but it&amp;#039;s still more than Fiat first promised, partly because of the Euro&amp;#039;s high value at present. There&amp;#039;s a $4925 (\u00A33,000) difference between the hard-top and cabrio, and that might make a few think twice about selecting the open-air model. But Fiat is aiming high with this car, and has specified the 500C with standard air conditioning, which is (amazingly, to those in the US) an optional extra on the equivalent metal roof 500. Once you are behind the wheel, the lack of a full convertible matters less than you think. This configuration suits the 500&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;everyman&amp;quot; image, and frankly it&amp;#039;s so lovable that it&amp;#039;s hard to wipe the smile off your face. Let&amp;#039;s hope Fiat brings it to the States. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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