The sun-reflective technology uses special pigments in the upholstery which reflect infra-red radiation ensuring areas exposed to sunlight remain up to 20 degrees cooler than untreated leather. The days of singeing on seats are over.

The convertible will be with us early next year and is brimming with new ideas.

It is the fourth generation of BMW's open-top fourseater models and has an electrically operated threestage roof that folds away in 22 seconds. The benefits are added security and 38 per cent better visibility over previous soft-top models with a rear glass window.

The unique way in which the roof folds allows for golf clubs to be stowed out of sight even when it's down.

With the roof up there is 350 litres of boot space . . . when down, 210 litres, with the design even allowing for long objects to be carried, as the rear of the passenger seats can be folded.

Engines are at the heart of every BMW and the convertible gets new highprecision direct injection engines that give improved performance and economy.

The 325i convertible gets an all new 218 bhp six-cylinder engine with 270 Nm torque, a 0-100 km performance of 7.6 seconds and a top speed of 245km/h capable of delivering up to 7.9l/100km in mixed driving.

The flagship of the range is the 335i which has lag-free forced-induction technology that develops 306 bhp, 400 Nm or torque at 1300 rpm, sprints to 100 kms in 5.8 seconds and has a top speed controlled to 250 km/h. The fuel consumption is 9.9l/100km in mixed driving which is very reasonable for such an engine. These models have price tags of 66,600 and 74,850.

For those who want the buzz of open-air driving but also want to keep costs down, there is good news.

Three further engines are to be introduced, a 320i allnew 170 bhp 4-cylinder engine with 0-100km in 9.2 seconds and a top speed of 219km/h and a 6.7l/100km fuel consumption return.

And a 330i version gets a 3litre engine with 272 bhp output, with 0-100km capability of 6.7 seconds, a top speed of 250km/h and a fuel consumption of 8.1l/100km. For the diesel fans who want further economy there is a secondgeneration 330d which puts out 231 bhp, has 500Nm of torque, sprints from 0100kms in 7.1 seconds, has a top speed of 245km/h and an average fuel consumption of 6.9l/100km.

The new convertible will go on sale here in March.