The 200 convertible weighs about 425 pounds more than the sedan — no small amount — and it shows. Our test car's V-6, which Chrysler expects to power some 90 percent of convertibles, pulled well from a stop, but with two occupants it needed its full reserves to climb mountain roads. This is no V-6 Mustang.

The 200 convertible fares better as a straight-line cruiser. The body flexes a bit over bumps, but it feels as composed as a comfort-oriented $30,000 convertible should. One caveat: I drove only the soft-top 200 convertible. The Limited has an optional folding hardtop, which, in the outgoing hardtop Sebring convertible, proved a creaky bedfellow.

Against a backdrop of other affordable convertibles, backseat legroom and headroom in the droptop 200 are entirely acceptable. Unlike the sedan, it has more than enough seat travel up front. Trunk volume is 13.1 cubic feet with the top up, which is good: The Mustang and Camaro convertibles have less than 11 cubic feet.