WHATEVER you may think of our German cousins, they do know how to build a car. Mercedes, Porsche, Volkswagen; all make iconic models.

But I’m not ashamed to admit I have my own favourite marque. Audi sent me a sporty little A3 last year, which is right up there at the top of my list of favourite cars I have had the pleasure to test drive.

A couple of days at the wheel of its bigger cousin, the A4 Cabriolet 1.8T, merely confirmed the quality of brand.

And there is an important added bonus to consider, especially when you buy a soft top, a breed of car guaranteed to draw attention. Park a Mercedes or Porsche convertible on a side street and there’s always a risk you will return to find a jealous low-life has performed an act of spite to the bodywork or roof.

Volkswagen? Well I’m sorry - and this comes from someone who drives a VW saloon daily and loves it - but its drop top Golf still makes me think of boy racers while that ultra trendy Beetle irritates the hell out of me.

The A4, on the other hand, looks classy without being flash. It has beautiful lines that are understated but still make you itch to jump behind the wheel.

And a lovely drive it is too. The engine packs a punch when needed and the handling is precise.

Even with the top down, cruising on the motorway in sixth is a pleasure and wind noise at speed is surprisingly low, so the radio needn’t be at Glastonbury levels!

But it’s on the B roads in the countryside the A4 comes into its own. Through the curves and hollows, the car is responsive, assured and plain good fun.

As with all convertibles, the body needs to be stiffer to compensate for the lack of solid structure above. The A4 is re-assuringly robust without losing the sporty stability and feel.

Cornering is precise and drop it into third for an incline and you feel that exciting little push in the back as the turbo-charged engine responds.

If you want to show off to your mates, the space in the rear is generous for a soft top, although I personally would only volunteer to be a back seat passenger if the roof was down.

Talking of which, remember those convertibles of your teenage years? The ones which resulted in broken nails, cuts, bruises and language to make a navvy blush? A thing of the past, my friends. One button pushed, and 24 seconds later your roof is down and safely tucked away inside the aluminium bodywork. Same button, another 24 seconds, and it’s up, locked in place and the air-conditioning is on at your pre-chosen level. Sadly, of course, the English weather dictates that the roof-up option is used frequently, but that really doesn’t take anything away from this car.

There’s none of the rattle and wind noise you would expect and you can take up the optional hard-top for the worst the winter has to offer.

The leather interior, with touches of chrome and teak, make the inside as classy in looks as the outside. The essential switches and levers are sensibly placed and every control you touch clicks effortlessly into place.

For that perfect combination of style, class and performance, the A4 looks like the convertibles the others have to match.

Factfile:

Audi A4 Cabriolet 1.8T

Price: £24,615-£26,015 on the road.

Insurance group: 15

Performance: 0-60mph 9.2secs/top speed 140mph.

Fuel consumption: 24.4mpg (urban), 42.1mpg (extra urban) 33.2mpg (combined).

Supplied by: East Kent Audi, Stour Valley Business Park, Ashford Road, Chartham, CT4 7HF. Telephone: 01227 732700