Almost no overpayment: new convertibles out of the luxury tax

A convertible, especially a new one, cannot be called a pragmatic purchase – it is in any case a toy. However, the so-called luxury tax does not want to pay everyone, so today we choose convertibles, which you can own without overpaying – or almost without it. Briefly understand taxation and see how much money you need to cook.

With what cars are considered luxury in 2019, we figured out quite recently, and the updated list of cars on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Trade will appear the other day. However, even without it, it is clear what it is worth preparing for – after all, it will be based on retail prices when it is compiled, and it is no secret to anyone. And now, in the first days of spring, some lucky ones have already begun to choose a new gig for the season. What can you buy if you do not want to overpay for the transport tax?

Before you start to choose, you have something to make a reservation. Five years ago, models without a roof that do not fall into the list of “luxurious” were more than a dozen, but now there is almost no choice in the “preferential” category of up to 3 million: this is either conditionally convertible smart, or a Mini with a soft top. However, the current luxury tax rates for cars worth from 3 to 5 million rubles suggest a multiplying factor of 1.1 – in other words, an overpayment for the transport tax for such cars will be only 10%. Such a “luxury” can afford, perhaps, anyone who found 3-5 million for a new convertible, so we will expand the price corridor to 5 million rubles as part of this material.

Smart is not only the smallest car on the market, but also the cheapest convertible in combination. Technically, the open-top version is identical to the usual fortwo: 2.7 meters long, two seats and a three-cylinder engine located at the back. True, the claimed luggage space here is even more than that of the closed version: 260 liters versus 190. But if we consider the smart exactly as a convertible, then its openness is, of course, conditional: the power capsule of the body remained in place and the rear pillars still protect passengers, and the open top is in a soft tent that slides back.

And the cabrio as an option is more expensive, it is offered exclusively with a more powerful version of the engine and an automated transmission. Atmospheric performance of the engine M281 volume of 1 liter and 71 hp left modest initial versions of the smart fortwo, and here, under the floor of the luggage compartment, there can only be a 0.9-liter turbo version of this 90-hp unit. A pair of him is a Twinamic twin clutch gearbox developed by Getrag.
A regular hard-top smart can be bought for 910,000 – but a cabriolet is one and a half times more expensive: the basic version on stamped wheels, but with a set of airbags, including a knee, and cruise control, costs 1,420,000 rubles.

This price, however, should be taken as a starting price – hardly anyone will buy a white convertible without individualization and on stamped wheels. A heated seat and does appear only in the “top” configuration prime, the price of which the dealers is selected to 1.8 million rubles.

Created on the basis of the three-door hatchback Mini Cabrio has the same overall dimensions: 3 821 mm length and slightly less than 2.5 meters of the wheelbase. And the Mini is already a “full-fledged” convertible with a soft top, which is electrically driven in 18 seconds at speeds up to 30 km / h. This folding top itself, by the way, does not fit in the trunk, but in an old school manner it remains to lie on the stern. The decision is partly forced: even with the top lifted, the luggage compartment volume, according to the manufacturer’s self-ironic statement, is “solid 215 liters”, and when the roof is folded, it remains at all 160. But the possibilities for individualization are not limited to body painting, but also apply to the roof: soft top can be applied drawing of the British flag.

The convertible Mini is also not offered in the basic power version: only the Cooper S version is available. This means that there is a BMW B48 family engine under the hood: the four-in-turbocharged four produces 194 hp. A seven-speed robotic transmission of Steptronic works in tandem with it – but there is also an opportunity to purchase a car with six-speed mechanics.

Like the smart, Mini hit our list of the most compact cars on the Russian market, taking the position of the most expensive car up to 4 meters long. And although on the list it is on the contrary, among the cheapest, the price move from a conditional gig in the face of smart to the present is palpable: 800 thousand at once. The execution of the Cooper S Cabrio is estimated to be at least 2,220,000 rubles – but this, of course, is only a guideline.