The 3-Series saloon has a five-star Euro NCAP rating and, although the Convertible hasn’t been tested separately, it would be expected to perform similarly. The list of safety equipment is impressive. In addition to ABS, seatbelt pre-tensioners and driver, passenger and side airbags, it gets a list of high-tech features covered under the DSC+ name. These include stability control, brake pre-tensioning, cornering brake control, traction control, electronic brakeforce distribution and hill start assistance.

Security-wise, there’s an immobiliser and a Thatcham Category 1-rated alarm, as well as a glove box that locks with the remote central locking (to keep it secure when the roof is down).

BMW’s first ever folding hard top is very impressive. Not only does it look good whether it’s up or down but it operates quietly and smoothly. The roof itself lowers (or rises) in under 30 seconds and has an impressive feature called ‘convenient access’ that raises the folded roof in 10 seconds, so it’s easier to get bags into the boot. This can be done remotely, on the keyfob, from some distance away – so the boot’s ready to use by the time you get to the car with your shopping.

A neat feature is that the back of the rear seatbacks fold flat, so it’s possible to carry larger – and longer – items.