The start of fall temperatures along the east coast have been fairly mild in comparison, while the drought ridden west coast bakes by day, and chills by dusk—both of which set the stage to go topless. That leaves but one question: How much fun do you want to have, and at what price? Take your pick between the 2014 IS350 Convertible F Sport and the 2014 Volkswagen Eos Sport.

2014 IS350 Convertible F Sport

Out the gate, the rear-wheel drive Lexus IS350 2-Door Convertible is somewhat of a reminder of where the Lexus SC left off in 2010. Its body style definitely has a similar sleekness, but not quite those jowl dropping chiseled sidelines as the current generation IS sedan. Nevertheless, you need only be reminded of the 20-second time to drop the top, then throw-in the F Sport package to bring it back to jiggy.

308 horses under the hood, producing 277 lb-ft of torque within its 3.5 liter V-6 engine, are harnessed by an intelligent, smooth shifting, six-speed, electronically controlled automatic transmission. With it all comes a combined fuel efficiency rating of 22 miles per gallon, which breaks down to 19 in the city, 27 on the highway. For 15,000 miles driven annually, that’s about $2,550 a year in gas for a whip that offers responsive handling and the ability to dash at the tap of the gas pedal. Translation: fun!

As for the interior, come on, it’s a Lexus! That means tasteful appointments, quality instrumentation, and lots of quality craftsmanship creating luxe-life style. And although the seating is listed as for four, if they’re not two small children, you’ll look way cooler either solo or a plus one.

The IS350 Convertible has a base price of $47,140. But for an additional $2,550 comes the addition of the F Sport Package with its 18-inch dark graphite allow rims, a mesh-like sport grille and front lip spoiler, a much cooler sport steering wheel and shift knob, special F Sport suspension, sport pedals, aluminum scruff plates, with heated and ventilated front seats. Add another $2,500 for the navigation system and you’re at a low $50K for a head turning, fun to drive Lexus convertible.

For more information, visit www.lexus.com

2014 Volkswagen Eos Sport

Right out the gate, the first thing you should know about the VW Eos, is the fact that it’s 25-second to retract hard top convertible is also a combination tilt and slide sunroof. To the guy who is familiar with having a convertible, he knows there are times when you may want a little light or air from above without letting it all hang out. And that’s where VW soars in the hardtop convertible category!

In terms of power, Eos’s 2.0 liter four cylinder engine boasts 207 lb-ft of turbocharged preppy power managed by a six-cylinder automatic transmission with the added fun of sport driving mode.  With it we’re talking 25 miles per gallon combined, with 22 city and 30 highway for an annual fuel cost of $2,250 at the rate of 15,000 miles annually.

In terms of styling, the bodylines on Eos are somewhat indicative of the Lexus IS Convertible. Available in three trim levels (Komfort, Sport and Executive), the Sport and Executive each come standard with 18-inch rims to add a bit of high-end cache. And while Eos German handling makes it a real blast to drive in the city and on the highway brace yourself for the price. With the Komfort coming in at $35K, the Sport is just above at $38K.

Want to know more? Visit www.vw.com