Is one of the 'vert tops better than the other in terms of longevity, keeping clean, etc.

I'm sure people have aesthetic preferences, but leave that out if possible.

Are there reasons to disqualify either type ?

Do you get to choose, or does the package you choose dictate top material ?

 

Premium = cloth top, black only, with cloth inner liner
Non-Premium = vinyl top, no liner, a few color choices

The cloth top in the Premium is very nice, with a nice cloth liner on the inside. The whole thing is VERY good at blocking out noise. I like mine very much.

The reason I think black is the only color available on the cloth/premium top is that the inside liner is black, so it'd look weird if the outside top was a different color (say, in the rear window area where the is an area where you can see both inside & outside tops).

303 makes a nice 'vert top care kit, consisting of two components; one that gently cleans the cloth and the other which treats the fabric and restores the original water repellency.

I had a vinyl soft top on my erstwhile '72 'Vette convertible. I think the Mustang's cloth top is superior. I find I only need to wash it maybe 1/2 or 1/3 (or less) of the times I wash the rest of the car. Care is easy, and on the plus side, it's that much less surface area to have to clay bar and polish/wax.

 

Hmmm...even though I got a premium model (only one avail in Canada) I still had to pay an extra 200 for the cloth top...but it's awesome, the liner inside makes it feel like your not even in a convertible when the top is up

 

No idea of them anymore, don't have one. I saw a Grabber Blue Vert with a black felt top. Pretty awesome!! If I got a vert, I'd try & get a black w/black felt top. I was going to put felt on my 95 Vert.

 

That's on the GT... the V6 gets vinyl in both base and premium trims.

My stone vinyl top has a black liner and it isn't noticeable from outside.

Not that I had any choice... but I too am interested in the difference between vinyl and cloth for care and longevity. Last time I had a vinyl top was on my 63 Impala (many many years ago) and it seemed to hold up pretty well.

 

The cloth top, when up, is quieter on the road and I like the flat black look of it.
On the vinyl version, I have seen where if the top has been in the folded down position for weeks (like I do in the spring-summer, even parked in the garage) if you put the top up, there are some pretty nasty looking creases. the cloth version has this too, but to a far lesses extent. The good news is in both, they eventually stretch / work themselves out.

 

After washing my car today (after the dirtiest I've ever let it get), I can say unequivocally that the cloth top stays cleaner than the vinyl.

I didn't even have to wash the top. Most dirt just brushes away.

The vinyl soft top on my '72 'vette almost always needed washing whan I washed the rest of the car. Then again, that top was white....

I think there's also the mechanical give of the cloth, especially at lower temperatures, that probably gives it a lifespan advantage. If you keep folding plastic (which vinyl basically is) back-and-forth it's eventually going to crack. Of course this brings up an advantage of the vinyl - it's a little cheaper to replace.

 

Here in Canada it was a $300 option to get the cloth top.

I checked out both vinyl and cloth, and felt the cloth was definitely the way to go for the same reasons everybody else mentioned -- headliner makes it feel like a coupe, the cloth "wrinkles" less than vinyl after repeated use, and it's easier to keep clean (I only wash it every 3rd wash).