Prepare to be converted

Convertibles. They look great, but they are just so impractical. Right? Well, not for much longer. BMW has announced details of the new 3 series Convertible and as well as ticking the “looks great” box, this is one convertible that meets the requirements of being a “sensible car”. A decent 350-litre luggage capacity with the roof up is cut to (a still acceptable) 210 litres with the electronic hard roof stowed away. That the roof can disappear in a smidgen over 20 seconds is impressive enough, but thanks to a new folding design, a through loading system can be added, which allows you to store larger items, even with the roof down. The other problem with convertibles is that they tend to be sluggish compared to their tin-tops. This is certainly not so, at least with the flagship 335i, which is fitted with BMW’s new High-Precision Direct Injection system and can jump from 0 to 62mph in under six seconds, with a top speed limited at 155mph. Two petrol models will be launched at the Detroit Motor Show in January next year, with three more (including a diesel version) due to follow. The new 3 series Convertible will be on the roads in the UK in March, just in time for those April showers.