German Car Zone

I seriously can't believe that the AM V8 is beating the turbo by that big margin? guys wake up!

I like the AM but we all know that the V8 can't touch the turbo on the streets and on a track plus the turbo looks better too.

I expected the results to be like this

1-SL63
2-Turbo
3-AM V8
4-M6

Weird results by u guys

Convertible is about class, style, showing off and crusing - Vantage is perfect for this task .

Ok, my vote goes for the SL... Hard choice...

I could happily live without the show off part. SL for me. I like 911 and M6 better as coupes and the Aston, meh..

Same tires on all these cars, the Turbo will have more grip. Snow tires on all cars, the Turbo will have more grip. Inclement conditions can mean merely damp uphill mountain twisties, in which the rear-engined AWD Turbo should have convincingly more grip.

What would be the point? Its a convertible. If you can't let the top down most owners of these cars would driver their sedan or SUV. I just don't see AWD being a plus on these convertibles beyond a "damp uphill mountain twisty" like you say. Most of the time it clearly isn't needed especially where most of these cars are sold in the U.S.

M

That has nothing to do with what I said. Whether most owners would choose another car given conditions is irrelevant; some in fact do drive their Turbos and C4's in all manner of inclement weather. The Porsche is more versatile in more conditions. Period.
Even in the dry, the Turbo will have more grip...

It has everything to do with what you said, otherwise buy a 911 Turbo Coupe, not a Convertible. A convertible is for summer driving and that is their appeal, not AWD traction in inclement weather hence the fact that most of them aren't AWD. And if it snows, the Porsche is just as useless as any other convertible AWD or not because it is still wearing summer tires. The Porsche is more versitale in more conditions that it isn't likely to be used in. Period. If the weather is bad, a convertible's main draw is useless. Other than your first example of a wet mountain road in which you might hit a wet spot or 2 (even on a great day) I'll pass on AWD for a convertible. The Porsche would be my second choice here, but not because its AWD.

M

Actually, it has nothing to do with what I said. The Porsche is more versatile, and that is beyond dispute. A Turbo on summer tires is still likely to be far more capable in adverse conditions than any of the cars in this list.
Like I said, even in the dry, the Porsche has more grip. It's not just in inclement weather that AWD has its advantages. Last I heard, convertibles aren't used only in perfect weather conditions. If that were true, then convertibles would never sell in anything but perfect weather climates. I've seen plenty of convertibles being driven in the rain.

Actually it has everything to do with it. No one is disputing that the Porsche is more versatile, but IMO it is matterless for a convertible. A convertible isn't about ultimate grip and it surely isn't like any other car here has a feeble grip on the road. People who prize ultimate grip buy 911 Turbo coupes, not convertibles. In the the U.S. convertibles do sell way better in great weather states than they do in states with more average inclement weather. Go to Minnesota and see how many convertibles you find vs California.

Last time I checked no one bought a convertible for AWD traction either, they buy them for top down perfect or near perfect day motoring.

I drive my convertible in the rain all the time and don't have a single problem with grip either. The tire I use (Michelin) is great in the rain. And if the weather conditions are that bad your best best is to drive more carefully anyway because AWD can't change the laws of physics. I see plenty of convertibles being driven the snow, this means what???? The point of having one is lost in such a condition, AWD of not. Otherwise we'd be talking about a 911 TT Coupe, not a Convertible.

M