​The funky Daihatsu Copen offers a folding metal roof and open-air, two-seater, fun at a bargain price. Phil Vaughan gets behind the wheel of the latest model, which boasts an uprated powerplant . . .

Daihatsu Copen

Three into two won’t go, and it’s heartening to see that Daihatsu eventually realised this with its endearingly cute little Copen.The firm’s engineering equation of a three-cylinder engine for the two-door convertible was a nice try, but it didn’t work.

The rowdy 660cc powerplant, turbocharged to produce 67bhp, simply didn’t fit this otherwise excellent-for-the-money two-seater, but it took the Japanese maker a few years to see sense and shoehorn in the new 1,298cc, four-cylinder 87bhp unit.

I well remember the terror of motorway trips in that earlier Copen – gripping the wheel, with thoughts behind the rictus-locked face centred around where the extra power was going to come from – at the first sign of trouble in all the high-speed hassle.

It cowered and cringed between thundering HGVs and sneaky fast saloons, was pretty gutless and often left you looking gormless (sit down at the back, there – no need to expand on that) when trying to match the big guys.

And feeling gullible, even, for getting into one in the first place.

Well, that’s history – just look at the Copen now. Still brimfull of charm, but with the under-bonnet confidence to match, and well capable of strutting its stuff out there on the faster stretches of Tarmac.

The hard-top, powered-roof convertible has visibly grown in stature, even though its dimensions remain pocket-sized at just 3.44m long and 1.47m wide.

Clever cabin design produces enough space and comfort for two six-footers, and with the top in place, there’s a handy 210 litres of luggage space in the boot.

Top speed is 112mph, and 9.5 seconds might well be the 0-to-62mph time, but it truly does feel much faster.  The closely-gated five-speed manual transmission is just great for weaving through traffic or whipping up and down through the gears on corners.

The bigger engine hasn’t harmed the mpg much either – it’s 47.1 overall – but it has broadened the gender appeal, taking it out of the beauty parlour and into the realms of the building site. So, then, a great little drive, really one of the best, and most exhilarating in this bracket, and it is decently attired on the inside.

That quickly-folded top isn’t the only push-button operation in the Copen, though – it also gets powered windows and door mirrors, air-conditioning and a decent radio CD that does get drowned out by the classic roadster attributes of engine and road noise.

Central locking is standard, but you get only front airbags, and nothing at the side, and electronic stability isn’t on the safety roster, either.

The options are limited to two. There’s smart leather seating (which looks terrific in red – be bullish with the Daihatsu dealer and get this £490 fit thrown in with the Copen’s £11,745 asking price, if it isn’t already included as a promotional offer) and metallic paintwork, costing another £345.