New BMW 3 Series Cabrio becomes a Coupé-Cabrio

Well its official, the new BMW 3 Series Cabriolet gets a folding steel roof similar to that found in the Volvo C70, Volkswagen Eos, Peugeot 307 CC and Renault Mégane. This ends the long rumoured argument between BMW’s marketing and engineering departments. Marketing of course finds the trendy folding metal roof easier to sell, and it is probably seen as being very progressive. On the other hand, BMW engineers and purists, who are justifiably proud of making fine handling and perfectly balanced cars with 50:50 weight distribution between the front and rear axles, would probably have preferred to stick to a fabric roof as it is lighter and more compact. It seems as if marketing has won out over engineering as this metallic roof structure most definitely means that the 3 Series Coupé-Cabriolet can no longer claim to be perfectly balanced. There will most certainly be a difference in weight distribution from the roof being up to it being collapsed in the boot, no matter how light BMW has managed to make the 3-piece folding hard-top roof structure. For a start, the range for the new Convertible consists of the 325i and 335i, the latter being a 306bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre direct-injection unit. Most certainly, other engine variants will follow. The 3-piece folding hard top takes just 22 seconds to deploy, and to encourage owners to keep the roof down, BMW has developed the world’s first ‘sun-reflective’ leather upholstery. As for appearances, credit must be given to BMW for developing a Coupé-Cabriolet that looks good both with the roof deployed as well as collapsed, with none of the awkwardness that affects other cars with a folding hard-top structure. Pity about losing the weight balance, though. Do you think BMW made the right decision about the new Cabrio's roof?