Top convertibles for 2013

Price: $127,700
One of the great sports cars of our age, Audi's scintillating R8 Spyder combines a drop-top, a deluxe interior, midengine V8 or V10 power and all-wheel drive into a unique, 3,600-pound package. A wonderful, new 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission puts the one old R8 complaint — balky shifting — to bed, plus there is a fresh grille and LED lighting all around.

2012 Audi R8

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Price: $43,350
The Audi A5 is best known as a premium midsize sedan; the A5 convertible retains the sedan's understated up-market goodness and asks nothing in styling or reduced space for the Cabriolet trim. Freshened for 2013 with a new grille, wheels, lights and electrically assisted steering, the A5 drop-top is available in front- or all-wheel-drive versions. Both are classy, if not particularly speedy, open-air cruisers.

2013 Audi A5

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Price: $36,900
BMW's compact convertible is available in two distinct versions. The base 128i with a 3.0-liter 230-horsepower inline 6-cylinder engine is wonderfully smooth and has adequate power, while the new-for-2013 135is turbo version puts out 320 horses worth of fun for $11,000 more. Inherently zippy thanks to its compact size, the 1-Series is understandably a little cramped in back.

2013 BMW 1-Series

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Price: $47,600
Here's an entry-level luxury car with open-air panache and BMW's legendary superb driving dynamics. The only red flag about the 3-Series convertible: It's a pricey number, and options quickly make it more so. Also, there's a new 4-Series lineup coming later in 2013, which will become BMW's new name for the current 3-Series coupes and convertibles (sedans remain 3-Series).

2013 BMW 3-Series

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Price: $47,350
BMW's pure sports car has softened lately, adding a retractable hardtop and a turbocharged 4-cylinder as its base engine for fuel economy. But the twin-turbo 6-cylinder options remain, and few will fault the bones of the long-hood, short-deck sportster. As with all BMWs, there's price premium, but for a stylish sports car perfect for touring, the Z4 is tough to beat.

2013 BMW Z4

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Price: $61,000 (estimated)
The world is agog over the all-new 2014 Corvette Stingray coupe scheduled to arrive in the last quarter of 2013. We must wait until very late in 2013 — or early 2014 — for the convertible version, but it'll surely be worth it, with its massively powerful 6.2-liter V8 engine, vastly upgraded interior and latest performance and technology features.

2013 Chevrolet Corvette

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Price: $59,545
With 580 horsepower and 556 lb-ft of supercharged V8 power under the hood, the top-dog Camaro ZL1 can power any daydream. It also offers an automatic transmission, which its more powerful arch rival Shelby GT500 convertible doesn't. Decent ride quality helps give this hyperdriven Camaro a high-end "touring" quality, while the boy-racer plasticky interior takes it away.

2013 Chevrolet Camaro

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Price: $257,000 (estimated)
Ferrari fans can chose between the more traditionally statuesque California sports tourer for a mere $200,000 or opt for the snarling midengine 458 Spider. Its two-piece aluminum roof electrically folds and stows in just 14 seconds — about the longest it takes this pure sports car to do anything.

2012 Ferrari 458

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Price: $24,500 (estimated)
New this spring, the fabric-topped version of the Fiat Abarth is exactly what it sounds like, a Fiat 500 with the 160-horsepower Abarth engine and a ragtop that folds back to let you feel the sun and hear the exhaust note. In other words, it's the same quirky Fiat runabout, but with a little more flair for clement climates.

2013 Fiat 500

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Price: $27,200
We selected the power-drunk ZL1 Camaro to represent the Bow Tie pony car drop-tops, and we're picking the entry-level Mustang V6 to represent the Mustang corral of three convertibles (in V6, GT and GT500 trims). It's affordable and fuel-efficient, and it boasts an excellent 307-horsepower V6 engine. Daily driving and weekend romps are all fun in this one.

2013 Ford Mustang

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Price: $70,000-plus (estimated)
Jaguar is revisiting its sports-car roots with the all-new F-Type. Designed for serious drivers, the classy throwback packs either a V6, supercharged V6 or supercharged V8 engine into an aluminum, rear-drive chassis. Pricing enters hot, upper-end Porsche territory with the big engines, but so does the performance. Look for it this summer.

Price: $22,195
Is the elemental Jeep Wrangler a convertible? Of course! Sure, there's no power-top option, but the Wrangler is a topless vehicle at heart, with the option of adding a soft- or hardtop cap. This means that totally open-air beach, city, mountain and desert driving is always available, either on the road or in the dirt, with two or four doors.

2013 Jeep Wrangler

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Price: $65,000 (estimated)
From the rumor files is the long-awaited IS-F convertible. It's said to be coming in 2013, possibly this summer, and the pundits forecast an otherwise unchanged folding hardtop version of the IS-F sedan. That means at least a 5.0-liter 416-horsepower V8 engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission. The drop-top should inject more excitement into this capable if somewhat sterile sport coupe.

2013 Lexus IS F

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Price: $23,720
If there is a poster child for the modern convertible, Mazda's Miata is it. Perky, fuel-efficient, nicely if not lavishly appointed, the Miata is all about rear-drive fun and affordability. There's a new-generation Miata coming in 2014, so the current car gets minor upgrades for 2013, but in its price class it's still the leader.

2013 Mazda MX-5 Miata

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Price: $52,000 to $67,000 (estimated)
Coming soon to your Mercedes-Benz dealer is the moderately upgraded 2014 E-Class line, including the sophisticated 2-door Cabriolet. A convertible for the discerning driver needing room for at least four, the E-Cab gains a new fascia and lighting, a new shifter and freshened interior, but retains the existing powertrain. Essentially a refined coupe, the cab is a sunny-day treat.

2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

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Price: $105,500
Mercedes offers an amazing array of drop-top 2-seaters, from the entry-level SLK to the über-premium SLS. In between is the SL-Class, which has been thoroughly updated for 2013. Boasting twin-turbo V8 power, the muscular SL line is jammed with technology and has a power-folding hardtop, of course. If you have the means, this is how to put the grand in grand touring.

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

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Price: $41,470
Nissan's pure 2-seat sportster hit the powder room for a 2013 face lift. The results are a few fashion tweaks and a return of the familiar 3.7-liter 332-horsepower V6 powertrain. Stepping up to the even sportier Nismo iterations gains 18 horsepower and a few more accents; an all-new 370Z is due later next year as a 2015 model.

2012 Nissan Z

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Price: $108,000
Porsche offers 12 versions of its iconic rear-engine 911, half of them convertibles and all of them sports cars with a bent for luxury. There's something here for everyone with at least $100,000 to blow on a pure sportster, including all-wheel drive and 500 turbocharged horses. Our favorite is the Carrera S Cabriolet.

2013 Porsche 911

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Price: $49,500
Call us purists, but the essence of Porsche's exhilaratingly light and spare sports-car persona is best exemplified by the midengine Boxster. That it is also the least expensive Porsche only enhances our enjoyment of the Boxster's corner-happy athleticism, 164-mph top speed and reasonable 30-mpg highway mileage. Pony up $10,000 for the S version to get an additional 50 horsepower.

2013 Porsche Boxster

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Price: $27,895
Volkswagen chopped the cutesy New Beetle's top in 2012, and now the 2013 convertible gets the same — welcome — treatment. For once the fashion statement is functional. Unused front headroom was traded for needed rear noggin space — and the power top is one of the speediest to stow. The diesel option makes big sense, too.

2013 Volkswagen Beetle

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For more information on the vehicles in this slideshow, click the links below:

-Audi R8
-Audi A5
-BMW 1-Series
-BMW 3-Series
-BMW Z4
-Chevrolet Corvette
-Chevrolet Camaro
-Ferrari 458
-Fiat 500
-Ford Mustang
-Jeep Wrangler
-Lexus IS-F
-Mazda MX-5 Miata
-Mercedes-Benz E-Class
-Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
-Nissan 370Z
-Porsche 911
-Porsche Boxster
-Volkswagen Beetle

Longtime Road & Track contributor Tom Wilson's credits include local racing championships, three technical engine books and hundreds of freelance articles.