Economy and style

BMW has a strong track record when it comes to desirable drop tops and the latest 2 Series Convertible looks set to keep that streak going.

With an economical diesel and punchy petrol powerplants that are also strong on efficiency, this Convertible looks good and poses a challenge its rivals will find very hard to level with.

The engines available in the Convertible are a direct carry over from the coupe range and this, as anyone who’s ever driven the two-door tin top will tell you, is a very good thing. Proceedings open with the 184hp petrol powerplant used in the 220i variant.

This version will record 7.5 seconds for the sprint to 62mph and hit 144mph. Drive is directed to the back wheels and you get to choose between a six-speed manual gearbox or the quite brilliant eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

Diesel options include the 150bhp 218d, the 190bhp 220d and the 224bhp 225d.

If you’re of the belief that a BMW sounds best with six cylinders, you’ll probably gravitate to the M235i Convertible. With 326bhp, this one has some senior performance credentials. If you specify it with the eight speed automatic transmission, it’ll get to 62mph in a mere 5.2 seconds.

The electrically operated folding soft top lowers or raises in just 20 seconds at the touch of a button and can be carried out at speeds of just over 30mph. Once folded, the soft top disappears fully into the boot and luggage capacity is rated at a fairly generous 335-litres, making it the largest boot in its class. A throughloading system is optionally available to increase versatility.

The rear-wheel drive bias of this car is emphasised by the fact that the widest part of the design is the rear wheel arch area: the track widths of the 2 Series Convertible are larger than those of its predecessor by 41mm at the front and 43mm at the rear.

Inside, it’s much as you’d expect, with improved build quality, with more substantial plastics used throughout. BMW’s much-improved iDrive system