2016 Smart Fortwo Cabrio 90 Twinamic first drive

It's the roofless version of the unique Smart ForTwo two-seat city car, which like its solid-roofed Coupe stablemate, is still built in Hambach, France rather than in Slovenia together with the Forfour and that car's chassis-sharing cousin the Renault Twingo. Importantly, the Coupé's iconic length, width and height are retained, but the Cabrio is £2140 more expensive across the range.

Smart is launching the Cabrio on the back of 120,000 sales globally last year and 100% growth in the UK. Some 200,000 Cabrios have been sold since 2000, but the model still only contributes to around 15% of total Smart sales.

The Cabrio is offered with the same engine choices as the Coupe: a 70bhp naturally aspirated 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit or an 89bhp turbocharged 0.9-litre triple. At launch, a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox will be the only option, but in March a £995 cheaper five-speed manual will also become available.

As with the standard Fortwo, there are three trim levels to choose between: entry-level Passion, and higher-specced Prime and Proxy versions that both command the same £695 price hike. The former focuses more on the luxury, the latter on 'performance'. Smart says there are more than 100 body colour and roof combinations, although the fabric roof is only offered in black as standard or red or blue for £115. 

Here we drive the 89bhp Proxy with Smart's Twinamic auto 'box, which forgoes the Prime's standard leather seats, but instead gets range-largest 16in alloy wheels, a sports steering wheel with paddles (for auto models), a chrome tailpipe and a 10mm-lower sports suspension set-up. 

Let's start with the talking point: the roof. Pressing a switch next to the gearlever or on the keyfob begins a 12-second opening sequence that can be initiated at any speed.

Smart is also proud of the fact that you can now choose more than just having the roof open or closed. One push of the switch gives a partial roof opening that's essentially an extended sunroof, and a second push wraps the roof over the B-pillar and bunches it behind, together with its integrated glass rear screen. Finally, for the full open-top experience, with the roof in this second position, the Fortwo's roof bars pop out and have a dedicated storage solution in the bootlid.

Roof down and side windows up, only the very tip of your barnet is ruffled, even at motorway speeds. With the roof up at these higher speeds, however, there's quite a bit of road noise that makes holding a conversation hard work. The turbocharger does a good impression of a (very) mini 911 Turbo on-boost, too, but both it and the engine settle down nicely at a cruise.

This engine and gearbox combination work well together. There's decent low-down pull and intelligent enough gearbox software to ensure well-timed self-downshifts in both Normal and the quicker Sport mode. Progress is surprisingly eager even with two adults onboard, even though this is the heaviest of the Cabrios, which, at 995kg, are between 40-55kg heavier than the standard Fortwo.

That said, driving the Fortwo quickly still requires commitment. Manual gear changes via the paddles are quick, but a combination of the Fortwo's very short wheelbase and its relatively quick steering make it feel nervous. There's never enough meat or communication felt through the wheel to build confidence, either.