The summer of my 10^th year, my parents took the family to Maui for two weeks. We stayed in a thatched-roof cottage, and explored the island in a topless Jeep. On the twisty road to Hana, we stopped, stood on the seats and picked wild breadfruit off the overhanging trees. Hawaii was a great adventure, in large part because we got to experience it from the seat of a topless Jeep. 

If you long for the thrills of top-down motoring and the freedom to go anywhere and do anything, consider a drop-top SUV. Not only are they versatile and fun, they're more affordable than convertible cars. Yes, the cheapest convertibles are actually SUVs. 

Granted, open-air "mini-utes" aren't for everyone. They're not as comfortable or practical as such mainstream, car-based SUVs as the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute, or Toyota RAV4.

"These are definite niche vehicles," says Tom Libby, director of Industry Analysis for J.D. Power and Associates, noting that drop-top sport-utes represent less than 5 percent of all SUVs sold. According to Libby, the average age for buyers of these products ranges from 39 to 47, "but this doesn't necessarily mean that this is the age of the primary user. Many times a parent will purchase the vehicle for a teenager or college student to use."

Drop-top SUVs are best for two things - urban cruising with the top down (think Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale) and rural off-road adventuring. You can even drive them on the beach, and you won't mind if the kids and dogs drag all that sand in with them. Best of all, they're cheap enough that you won't spend your days fretting about parking lot dings the way you would with a Porsche Boxster.  

Unless you're a zookeeper or Crocodile Dundee, these aren't practical commuter vehicles. Their soft-tops make them noisy and their truck frames make them bouncy, and no one takes you seriously when you pull up to the office in one. If you already own a practical commuter car, save your drop-top ute for weekends like you would a Harley Davidson or jet ski.

The five SUVs discussed on this page are two-doors with soft, removable tops. Unlike "car-like" SUVs, which are based on car chassis, all of these SUVs are built on truck frames. Hence, they ride and handle like trucks. All come with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive.  Later this year, Land Rover will introduce a two-door Freelander with a canvas roof, which ought to raise the prestige of this class several notches.