Muggy heat roasts the morning traffic, you’re sweating in your best suit and tie, and the air conditioning is having trouble erasing the combined effect of the baking sun and the suffocating humidity. The drudgery of the daily commute in your sauna-on-wheels builds resentment while weaving your way through traffic – and then a sleek new convertible slides up beside you at the next light, driven by someone who clearly has no particular place to be except behind the wheel and having fun. Envy and imagination are sparked, and it’s easy to picture yourself swapping business attire for shorts and sandals, cruising a coastal highway and looking good with the top down and the tunes playing. Then a sharp horn blast snaps you back to reality and you continue the tedious journey to work, wallowing in your jealousy while weighing the possibility of trading in your plain-Jane sedan for one of those sporty topless beauties.

With the onset of summer, the desire to drive a convertible can cause irrational thinking. Convertibles are impractical and expensive, yet the desire to break out of our everyday routines and let loose can get the best of us after a long, gray winter yields to sunny blue skies and warm summer temperatures. To help sate this desire, Mitsubishi adds another option to the pool of available convertibles for 2007 by way of the redesigned Eclipse Spyder. Better yet, this car is within financial grasp, and is more practical than any roadster on the market thanks to its rear seat, which doubles as a cargo area when necessary. That makes the 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder a viable option with which to enjoy the endless days of summer driving with the top down and the wind in your hair.

To create the Spyder, Mitsubishi chops the top off the ever-popular Eclipse coupe, long a favorite of the Mitsubishi model line-up. The Spyder is available in two models, the GS and the GT. The big difference between the models is the engine and drivetrain – though on the GT you also get automatic climate control, a center display that shows audio, outside temperature and compass direction, and a stainless-steel exhaust tip.

Select the GS and you get a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 162 horsepower and either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic. Step up to the GT and you get a 3.8-liter V6 that produces 260 horsepower as well as your choice of a six-speed manual or a Sportronic five-speed automatic with sequential manual shift control. Our test car was a GT dressed in Liquid Silver Metallic paint with a Medium Gray leather interior and a six-speed manual transmission for $33,075.

Every 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder comes with an electric soft top; a nine-speaker, 650-watt six-disc CD and MP3 compatible stereo system with an integrated eight-inch subwoofer; steering wheel-mounted audio controls; and 17-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels. Mitsubishi also includes a front strut tower brace, a theft immobilizer, antilock brakes, front and side airbags, and an integrated rear spoiler. Other standard features include power windows, locks and mirrors; air conditioning; and a six-way adjustable front driver’s seat and a four-way adjustable front passenger’s seat.

Two main option packages are available for both versions of the 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. The deluxe leather package for the GS gets you heated leather front seating, heated power side mirrors, and a center LCD display which shows time, audio selections, outside temperature, and compass. The premium Sport Package for the GT upgrades you to heated leather front seats, eight-way adjustable driver’s seat, 18-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels, alloy pedals, automatic climate control, heated side mirrors, and a wind deflector.

Is the new 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder good, bad or indifferent? That depends on your personal take, but read on for a little insight from our editors.