It's an open-top car with the security of a hard top. It's built in Japan but has a Spanish name. It's styled for fun, though it's not quite a sports car.
And, with a starting price of $15,080, the 1996 Honda del Sol is the lowest-priced open-top car on the market.Intrigued? Confused?
The del Sol - "of the sun" in Spanish - has been hard to label since it came to these shores in 1993 stuffed with a Honda Civic engine.
It's a two-seater, low to the ground, with a cute look. But it's a bit heavy for its size - 2,522 pounds - and not so nimble as performance drivers may want.
Fortunately, Honda has made steady improvements in the del Sol over the years, and 1996 is no exception.
The midrange Si model gets a sportier suspension and a couple more horses under the hood, at 127 horsepower and 6,600 rpm.
The base S model gets a whole new engine - the 106-horsepower, 1.6-liter four that's in the newly redesigned Civic. Besides being a bit peppier, the new engine is the first gasoline powerplant to meet California Low Emission Vehicle standards. Fuel economy ratings are up, too.
The top of the line del Sol VTEC remains in the lineup. It has a 1.6-liter four with Honda's Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control to help get the most power out of four cylinders. It provides up to 160 horsepower, though I'd prefer improved torque. At 111 foot-pounds at 7,000 rpm, there's a bit of ruckus when the engine hits the high rpms.
In horsepower, the del Sol VTEC leads both the 133-horsepower Mazda Miata and the 150-horsepower Chevrolet Cavalier LS convertible with optional 2.4-liter, twin-cam four. But both competitors have better low-end oomph. Torque in the lighter-weight Miata is 114 foot-pounds at 5,500 rpm; in the heavier Cavalier it's 150 foot-pounds at 4,400 rpm.
And while Honda recommends unleaded premium for the VTEC, unleaded regular is the recommended fuel for the Miata and Cavalier.
But the Miata, which starts at $18,750, and the Cavalier, with a $17,500 starting price, are traditional convertibles with soft tops. So they don't offer the security of the del Sol's hard top, which can be removed and stowed in a nifty rack in the trunk.
The del Sol roof panel can be handled by one person, but it can be tricky if the car has been in the sun and the metal is blazing. A pair of work gloves may be in order.
Even with the roof panel stowed in the trunk, there's 8.3 cubic feet of storage room back there. That's more than twice as much as in the two-seat Miata.
Inside, the del Sol has jazzy fabrics, sculpted seats and straightforward instrumentation. It's a bit confining, in traditional two-seater style. When I positioned the driver seat for my comfort, for example, the locking center storage area was awkward to reach, quite a bit behind me.
Riders also can bounce a bit on expansion cracks, thanks to the del Sol's short wheelbase.
Standard equipment on all del Sols includes two airbags, power windows, tilt steering wheel, tachometer and rear-window defroster. The rear window is powered and can be opened for circulation even when the roof panel is on.