THE latest BMW Z4 has been around since 2009 - a very long time for BMW - but is still an excellent sports car in every way.

A folding metal roof means that it's refined and quiet at speed compared to most soft tops, and this helps make it very easy to live with.

But always beware with coupe/convertibles like this, that the folding roof takes up about a third of the boot, meaning that if you want to take a holiday with the top down, you have to travel light!

The cabin is a marvellous cocoon, even on cold days, which means you can leave the roof down when the sun is out all year round.

The heater is excellent and all you need is a hat, scarf and gloves to be completely comfortable.

It's a great car to drive, with sharp handling and a good ride along with the exhilarating performance you would expect from BMW.

Engines are 2.0-litre turbos with either 153, 181 or 241bhp, or a 3.0-litre six with 254 to 335. But unlike competitor Mercedes similar models, there are no diesels in the range.

All are smooth and powerful in the BMW tradition, but if you can run to the six cylinder models, you have more performance and a wonderful sound.

However, even the least powerful 18i will reach 60 from rest in 6.7 seconds - which is not to be sneezed at - and can still manage 41 miles per gallon.

The power steering is direct and responsive, roadholding is marvellously sticky and the whole car feels predictable and safe through corners at speed.

This is perfect if you like twisty roads but the Z4 is also very calm and composed on motorways.

M-sport models have lowered and stiffened suspension and this affects the ride quite badly making them less comfortable, with very little gain over the standard system in terms of handling.

The boot is surprisingly big and even lower order models come with a decent amount of standard equipment.

This includes big alloys, part-leather seats, air con, adjustable throttle and steering responsiveness, hill start assist, alarm, xenon headlights, multi-function steering wheel, trip computer, traction control and a CD stereo with aux input.

Pay about £11,000 for a '12 12-reg sDrive manual, or £20,350 for a '15 15-reg 28i M Sport automatic.