An amphibian or a car with water-wings would have been perfect for this summer but, short of that ideal, the BMW 3 Series Convertible might be the next best thing.
No folding roof could ever be guaranteed watertight for ever; but the folding metal roof on this car operates with such overpoweringly Teutonic zeal and salute-snapping, heel-clicking vim that if an errant droplet were to seep through the seams, you imagine that it might result in a court martial and firing squad for some wretched engineer. Of all the many convertibles that have been produced with folding steel roofs since the Mercedes SLK first appeared more than 10 years ago, none has felt more like a car with a permanently fixed roof than this one when its hood is closed.
It can also perform a stunt deliberately that other folding steel roofs lay on by misadventure. If you walk towards the 3 Series Convertible with your fingertip held down on the boot-release switch on the key fob, the boot automatically opens and the folded roof in the boot space half raises and then stays in that position.
If this happens in other convertibles with steel roofs, it means that the roof mechanism has stuck and - once you have stilled your thudding heart and quelled your fury - you will have to try to wind it into place with a manual jack. In the BMW, however, this faintly saucy manoeuvre is fully intended and it allows you to put parcels in the boot space beneath the roof without raising it completely. When you have deposited your load, you can lower the roof again and drive the car.
Very, very brainy touches abound throughout this car, especially in the £45,000 335i SE version I borrowed. The air-conditioning system has a special setting for top-down driving. The wind deflector can be opened from the driver’s seat to allow you to get at bags or packages on the back seat. The audio system features a bank of pre-programmable short-cut buttons which will flag up one of a number of frequently visited sectors of the entertainment and navigation systems if you simply allow your fingertip to hover over the button.
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Few purchasers in this sodden season might feel that the optional SunReflective technology in the leather seats was a wise or necessary buy at £1,365 but, if you took it abroad, you might be grateful for the ‘cool pigments’ that are embedded in the upholstery to reflect infra-red radiation in direct sunlight. This innovation allows you to leave the car with the roof down on hot days and not find that the leather sears your skin when you get back into the seats.
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