There’s no permanently fixed rollover protection bar to clutter the A3 Cabriolet’s lines. Instead there are two spring-loaded plates that spring upwards automatically in the event of the car turning over.

Electronic stability control (ESC) is standard, along with an electronic differential which helps to keep the car on a tight line should the driver get carried away.

There are plenty of optional active safety systems on offer. These include Audi pre sense, which pretensions the front seat belts and closes the windows if the ESC system detects that the car has begun to skid. Furthermore, the pre sense system can perform an emergency stop if necessary automatically at speeds below 18mph should the driver fail to react to a stationary vehicle in front.

There’s also a blind-spot warning system, which can be useful when changing lanes, and a lane assist system can apply slight inputs to the steering to keep the car in the correct lane automatically at speeds above 40mph.

There are two front head/thorax airbags and a driver’s knee airbag.

Although Audi A3 Cabriolet safety hasn’t been tested specifically by Euro NCAP, the regular A3 hatchback has scored a five star rating in crash testing.

Basing the car on the longer-wheelbase saloon derivative has made Audi A3 Cabriolet practicality much improved over the previous model.

Commendably, there really is enough space inside for four average-sized adults without the two rear passengers struggling for leg room.

Audi has managed to design the roof in such a way that it doesn’t take up a huge amount of space at the top of the boot. Nevertheless, with the luggage separator folded down to allow the roof to be lowered you’ll struggle to fit in more than a couple of medium sized bags and coats.

With the roof down there’s 287 litres of luggage space. This increases to 320 litres with the roof closed and 678 litres when the rear seat backs are folded down.

The soft top itself opens and closes in 18 seconds and can be operated while the car’s moving at speeds of up to 31mph. Helpfully, the glass rear window is heated.