Drive this car in dreary weather, as I did, and it seems like a rip-off. For $40,000 you get a svelte European coupe–refined, certainly, but not as opulent as the sticker suggests. Other vehicles in the same price range offer better performance, more features, and a higher status factor.

Once you put the top down, however, the story changes. The one-touch operation of the top itself is a thing of elegance, as a storage compartment in the back opens itself up and the roof folds in, with no human effort required beyond holding down a button. Suddenly, the inflated sticker price makes more sense, since that bit of fancy machinery probably tacks on a couple thousand bucks. Plus, the car's personality flowers in the open air. Its curves seem more svelte without a roof to interrupt the contours of its body, and you are quickly transformed from a plain old motorist into somebody to be people-watched. I'd like to say I experienced nirvana as I raced down some oceanside highway, the wind flowing through my nostrils like an opiate. But the best I could do was imagine such glories as I dodged intermittent November raindrops for a few topless miles.

The rest of the time, I was terrorizing my passengers by demonstrating just how nimble and easy to control the 9-3 is. On the backcountry roads of Pennsylvania's Bucks County, I accelerated into rustic curves and zoomed past scenic farmland, explaining all the while that the 9-3 wasn't about to fly off the road as they seemed to think. Like many convertibles–which lack the structural rigidity of vehicles with metal roofs–the 9-3's handling isn't quite up to sports-car standards. But firm steering, sizable 16-inch tires, and an optional performance package produce a sure-footed grip, even on curvy roads. A 210-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder engine adds to the fun–although I admit that the driver is a greater beneficiary than the passengers.

The 9-3 ragtop also claims luxury status, courtesy of standard leather upholstery, a few bits of elegant wood trim, and a cabinful of gizmos. But the flimsy feel of a few components, like an ashtray that repeatedly got stuck on the test car I drove, leaves you wondering if Saab is cutting corners a little too abruptly for such a pricey car. One other thing Saab could work a little harder on: reducing clutter on the dashboard. There are dozens of buttons, while three separate lcd display screens for the climate system, the radio, and vehicle information keep your eye darting distractedly about the dash. Competitors like Volvo, Lexus, and Acura have found clever ways to consolidate lots of features into a single information screen or a few multifunction buttons. If Saab's engineers spend some extra time driving the 9-3 with the roof up–when you're not blissed out by the topless experience–I'm sure they'll come up with some nifty solutions.