The benefit to the long wheelbase is rear seat legroom, which must be among the best in its class. Head and shoulder
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| The benefit of a long wheelbase is an increase in rear set legroom, which the Solara has plenty of. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
room is pretty decent back there too, a commodity that is usually severely compromised in this class of car. The trunk is also quite large for a convertible, with a full-size alloy spare hidden under the cargo floor as standard equipment. Incidentally, Toyota has added a new tire pressure warning system as well. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the most important aspect of this model, its convertible top. It's nicely lined fabric top with excellent insulation and a defog-equipped glass rear window. The top lowers and rises quickly, but I can't say I was impressed with the latching mechanisms. Unlike the majority of luxury convertibles that either feature fully automatic operation or the need to twist and pull a centrally-mounted lever, the Solara incorporates two levers on either side of the windshield surround. This means it's
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| Due to the difficulty of putting it on, the awkward tonneau cover will probably spend most of its time filling the trunk or taking up the backseat when the top is down. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
extremely difficult to drop the top without bending and stretching over the center console, if your body so permits, or getting out and unclipping it from the passenger's seat. In other words, the convenience of not being able to retract the softtop at an intersection negates its speedy power mechanism. What's even clumsier is the massive, plastic tonneau cover. Modern day convertibles are mostly doing away with such inconveniences, as owners tend not to be bothered with them resulting premature wear of exposed mechanical hardware. When the top is up the tonneau takes up half of the trunk, and when down it ended up consuming the entire rear seat, as I got frustrated trying to snap it into place and left it back there. Needless to say, while the top looks to be well made its operation is anything but convenient.
