THE British love affair with cabriolets and drop tops is an ongoing phenomenon, given our inconsistent weather.

But there's nothing better on a sunny day than getting your top off and enjoying those fleeting moments.

The British buy more cabriolets than any of the Mediterranean countries in Europe.

Drop tops have come a long way over the years, from canvas hoods, to full folding metal monsters, which put you in mind of the Transformers toys.

Renault's panoramic glass panel convertible is a classy piece of work, having recently undergone a facelift and gives genuine open top fun.

The construction allows light to flood the cabin with the roof in place. It is now larger with gloss black pillars and a satin chrome windscreen surround setting off the dark-tinted glass.

This is also one of the classiest looking convertibles around, with elegant lines and curves. The slim grille which features the large Renault logo, now common across the range, bisects two large headlamp clusters.

It sits on on stylish alloy wheels to give the car a more expensive look than it actually is.

The bumper design is shared with the coupé, while the  bootlid incorporates the upper section of the new-look light clusters.

Like many cabriolets, the roof folding into the boot compromises both passenger and luggage space.

Renault says clever packaging ensures generous boot space, with room enough for three cabin cases to be carried when roof is stowed. They're right.

It is cleverly designed, with 417 litres of space with the roof in place and 211 with the roof folded away. The first figure is generous while the second figure gives more room than you would think at first sight.

Nominally a four-seater, the rear two are really only for children, although we did manage to get two adults squeezed into the back on a run to the airport and then back again, comfortably squeezing the luggage into the boot.

The roof itself folds away in about 21 seconds, not the quickest, but it is a smooth operation which attracts plenty of attention.

For the complete top-down experience, a second press on the roof button, or a single touch on the "Grand Air" switch on the driver's door lowers all four windows simultaneously.

With the top down, the vehicle ensures a different open-air experience with the standard fixed glass wind deflector cutting wind turbulence  at speeds of up to 55mph.

However, this becomes increasingly more uncomfortable at higher speeds though, so motorway driving can be an unpleasant experience.

Conversely, the make up of the roof with all the soundproofing materials means passengers are well insulated from wind, tyre and engine noise, even at higher speeds.

The icing on the cake on this model is the refined diesel engine. Official figures claim more than 62mpg and with low emissions, so it is an attractive company car option and trips to the filling station will be much less painful.

Mated to a smooth six-speed gearbox it has plenty of pace, and if not super quick from 0-60mph, it has plenty of torque and accelerates well.

The interior is well fitted and sturdy with instrumentation well logically placed. Renault R-Link multimedia system is now standard on CC model.

The fully-connected system comes with a smart, chrome-trimmed seven-inch display which also controls the TomTom navigation, probably the simplest and easiest to use of the lot.

Listing what is not available as standard kit, particularly on this range topper GT Line would be easier than spelling out the whole list. But some excellent features like 17-inch ‘Celsium' alloy wheels, aluminium pedals, dark chrome-finish trim and windscreen surrounds, bespoke GT exterior and interior badging, dark chrome electric folding door mirrors and rear parking sensors.

GT Line TomTom TCe 180 and dCi 160 add 18-inch dark-finish 'Jetow' alloy wheels and Renaultsport 250-style leather-trimmed steering wheel.

All Renaults are packed with safety kit and the CC is no exception with a full range of active and passive devies.

Nine versions are offered in all, with a high equipment. They all look the part and offers real value for money in one our favourite types of car.