Saab 9-3 Convertible.

There is a consensus of opinion that Saab can’t match the sporty prestige of a BMW. That might be true enough of saloons but not when you consider soft tops.

For the last few years, the Saab 9-3 Convertible has been Britain’s best-selling premium brand for four-seater soft-tops and after spending a week with one recently, I know why.

Saab has the kind of owner profile other marques would die for – affluent, progressive people who appreciate fine design but who don’t want to be associated with conventional status symbols.

The current Saab 9-3 Convertible ragtop probably represents the most significant advance Saab has made in two decades of designing and building fourseater, four-season soft-tops.

A problem with many convertibles revolves around body stiffness. Take a roof off a saloon and it loses structural integrity. What is left needs to be reinforced, for the sake of safety and handling. The resulting structure is heavier but still inclinedto shudder and shake on a bumpy road. Older Saab 9-3 Convertibles shuddered a lot but the latest model, which has been around for about 18 months now, is three times stiffer. As a result the suspension works better, making the car more responsive and more comfortable.

It also looks better, as if it was designed to go topless rather than some soft-tops that seemed embarrassed to be seen without their top.

Raising and lowering the roof is a touch-button affair. In seconds it latches itself to the windscreen frame or automatically tucks itself neatly away under a flush cover above the boot.

With the roof up, some convertibles can be a bit gloomy and tight in the back for passengers. Not so the Saab. The glass rear window is large and the rear seats are very comfortable. Rear legroom is the same as in the saloon but the cabin is narrower.

Access to the back is simple as the front seatbelts are integral with the seats, which motor forward when they are tipped.

Like their Swedish rivals Volvo, Saab is big on safety and the 9-3 Convertible is the first soft-top to gain the coveted five-star NCAP rating.

The open car’s special features include two pop-up hoops that deploy if sensors decide the car is in danger of rolling, and double-chamber side airbags that protect chests and heads.

Roof down, side windows up and wind blocker in place, the car is quiet and almost draught-free, even at speed. Roof in place, the loudest noise comes from the tyres.

All versions of the 9-3 Convertible have the same twolitre turbocharged engine although the 150bhp model I had is confusingly badged the 1.8t. The others develop 175 and 210bhp. Top speed in the five-speed manual transmission test car was 127mph.