After returning from our trip it was wonderful to be able to hop in Vanessa again and tool around the neighborhood with her. This morning, I found more evidence of the attractiveness of the PT Cruiser. The Marion Star reports on a recent head-to-head comparison between the PT Cruiser Convertible and the VW Beetle Convertible. The PT smoked the competition (naturally) with 7 of the 10 panelists preferring it to the Beetle...

...The PT Cruiser convertible won over seven of the 10 panelists, who range in age from 21 to 58. For many, the choice boiled down to looks.

The majority of the panelists said they were turned off by the "hippie" connotations of the Beetle with its array of psychedelic exterior colors and turned on by the classic "Bonnie-and-Clyde" proportions of the PT Cruiser, especially the sculpted fenders and simulated running boards.

The group used the convertibles for a variety of activities, from work commutes to Fourth of July picnics. Some strayed far from home, making "chocolate runs" to Hershey, Pa., or using the vehicles for romantic weekends in Niagara Falls.

Practicality was a big consideration in this comparison, too. Panelist Bob Kazanowski, the 58-year-old owner of Mason's Bar & Grille in Livonia, Mich., praised the ability of the PT Cruiser convertible's trunk to easily hold "40 pounds of kielbasa plus trays of stuffed cabbage." ...

40 pounds of kielbasa plus cabbage... now there's an endorsement!

...The most "rational" panelist proved to be 21-year-old Jiyan Karlo Cadiz, a Michigan State University senior majoring in engineering.

He picked the PT Cruiser convertible, noting it had "lots of torque, no turbo lag, a smooth five-speed and good handling."

He drove a GT Turbo version of the car, with a 220-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and raved about being able to "smoke the competition."

"The week that I had it, I blew away two Mustang GT convertibles, kept up with a brand new CTS-V Cadillac and tangoed with a Porsche Boxster S," he wrote in his diary...

Whether you're pushing 60 and 40 pounds of kielbasa, or just past 20 dragging a lead foot, the PT Cruiser is clearly the car of choice.  Cruisers are sleek, sexy, and a blast to drive.

Yeah, I'm biased, but it's my blog, so tough winkies.