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Renault ma­­­­rketed their 2003 Megane using Groove Armada’s chart hit, I See You Baby, which compared a woman’s shapely backside to the car’s similarly pert posterior.

Now if a similar strategy was employed for the Megane Coupe Cabriolet, the tune would have to change and, due to its more than ample derierre, Twerk It by Busta Rhymes would perhaps be better suited.

This particular enhancement (to maintain the analogy) is not for aesthetic reasons, but a purely practical one as the big, panoramic, two-piece folding glass roof has to be safely stowed to allow the driver the joys of open-air driving.

It’s not just the rear which has been tweaked though, Renault has balanced things nicely at the other end with some neat and tidy touches to come up with a bit of a looker which is high on comfort and full of useful and easy to use gadgets.

The car I tested has GTLine sound system, standard on all cars, along with a straightforward TomTom sat nat and cruise control all operated using buttons on the steering-wheel. It also includes Bluetooth Radio phone connectivity and a USB connection.

While there are two comfortable seats in the rear, minimal leg-room makes it a tight fit, but with ISOFIX rear child seat fittings they would be ideal for toddlers, so long as your back can take lifting them in out over the folded front seats.

On a sunny, warm day it comes into its own at the flick of a switch and within 21 seconds the roof is stowed and you are enjoying the delights of open-air driving and, thanks to a wind deflector between the rear seats and with the windows up, it’s comfortable for everyone up to the speed of 55mph, says the handbook. But so long as you don’t want much in the way of conversation you can happily motor along up to 65mph without too much in the way of disturbance.

With the roof down the storage space suffers in the boot, despite its size, but I still managed to fit two medium-sized golf bags with just enough room for two pairs of shoes. When the roof is up, however, the space doubles to an adequate 417 litres.

As far as power goes, the 1.5dCi 110 diesel engine with 130horsepower, generates more than enough zip, although don’t expect too many thrills as it takes 10.8 seconds to reach 62mph from a standing start. Despite this, handling is good and the car feels solid on the road, unlike some converted saloons on the market. Fuel consumption is impressive with a combination of dual carriageway and motorway driving a full tank of 60 litres of diesel gave me around 780 carefree miles.

With a Megane Coupe Cabriolet you get a convertible without the noise and draughts you suffer with soft-tops as the folding glass roof provides thermal and acoustic comfort comparable to a saloon. And even with the roof up you get the benefit of maximum light thanks to what seems to be acres of glass.

All in all, a comfortable and highly enjoyable drive and, even with its larger than average rear end, is a lovely looking car.

To find out more about the Cabriolet Coupe go to www.renault.co.uk

DETAILS

PRICE FROM: £26,545

ENGINE: 1,598cc

TRANSMISSION: Six manual gears

ACCELERATION: 0-62 in 10.8 seconds

MAXIMUM SPEED: 127

ECONOMY: Combined 64.2 mpg; Urban 53.3mpg; Extra Urban 72.4mpg.

CO2: 115g/km