QUICK spin in the new Renault Megane Coupe Cabriolet.

What is it? The Renault Megane Coupe Cabriolet 1.9D Privilege dCI 130 Automatic. It's Renault's medium-sized, clever, folding hard-top, for days when the sun shines and you want to feel the wind in your hair. The electrically operated roof, which stows itself in the boot, means an end to fiddling with folding hoods.

What's new? Renault has beefed up the whole Megane range, and the Coupe Cabriolet is no exception, receiving, along with the four other versions - hatch, sport hatch, sport saloon and sport tourer, a racier front end, featuring elegant tapering headlamps and revised grilles.

What are the options? There's a wide choice of engines available, with three petrol engines, a 1.6litre, 2litre and 2litre turbo, and three diesels, a 1.5litre, 1.9litre and 2litre. Gearboxes are five and six speed manuals and four speed auto, as tested in this Quick Spin. There are three levels of trim and equipment.

Who is it for? Style aficionados who also like the practicality of the hard-top in our rainy climes.

What's it like to drive? Motoring writers love to pipe on about de-lidded cars handling less well than the fixed-roof models which spawned them. But I reckon the Coupe Cabriolet is the equal of the hatchback with the same engine for driving satisfaction. Cornering at speed feels safe, steering is responsive and mid-range acceleration, from the turbo-diesel engine, is excellent. The only disappointment was the auto-gearbox. I enjoyed the six-speed manual more in other versions of the car, but the semi-automatic mode was a treat.

What else do I need to know? The hard-top has a large glass panel, giving the car a light and airy feel. Given the cussedness of our weather, my week with the car obviously had to bring incessant rain. And so it came to pass, offering only time to try out the roof mechanism, which was smooth-operating.

What would make you buy one? The chance to enjoy al fresco motoring in a car with delightfully clean lines and none of the fuss of manually operated fabric-tops. Prices are from é17,810 on the road.

Marks out of 10? Eight.

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