The smallest and cutest of the new crop of convertibles won’t be available here until November — so it is just as well that it has a retractable hard top. The Daihatsu Copen, which looks like a scaled-down Audi TT, will be priced around £12,500 and is aimed at the same audience as the Ford Streetka and Smart Roadster.

Daihatsu didn’t mean to miss the summer, it just worked out that way. The Copen (there is a Japanese logic to the name — coupé/open) was never intended for export but the British importer was keen and displayed a car at the motor show in Birmingham last October.

After 10 days of (trouble-free) demonstrations of the origami roof, Daihatsu UK had a list of 1,500 potential customers. The factory agreed to supply but the business of modification and certification for European sale takes nearly a year.

The Copen that I drove here was to Japanese specification but cars for the UK market will not differ in the essentials. This is a “K car”, restricted in dimensions, engine size and power to qualify for lower taxes in Japan. Daihatsu specialises in these minicars, some of which are given bigger engines for sale overseas. Not the Copen, which will come here with the same 660cc turbocharged four-cylinder engine as it has in Japan. It develops 64bhp and drives the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

That’s a lot of power for 660cc, though less than the convertible competition. But the Copen weighs only 1,850lb and it feels bright and lively in and around town; its 0-60mph time of 9.5sec beats the 94bhp Streetka and the 80bhp Smart Roadster.

It will do just about 100mph. On the motorway the tiny engine is annoyingly buzzy, but the higher top gear that will be fitted to UK versions should quieten it down.

The surprising thing is that it is comfortable and pleasing to drive. The two-seater cockpit would be a tight fit for a voluminous person but there is enough legroom and headroom with the roof in place for the long and tall. Well-shaped sports seats and a little leather-covered steering wheel make for a good driving position. The electric power steering is light but accurate and the short gearlever works with a nice snick-snick action.

Like most convertibles, the Copen shudders over broken road surfaces, but its bodyshell feels stiffer than most and contributes to the car’s tidy handling. It’s no sports car but neither is it a sloppy hatchback.

The importer has yet to finalise the price of the Copen and what equipment it will include. The Japanese version I tried had a number of options, including stiffer sports suspension, a limited-slip differential, heated seats and air-conditioning. Antilock braking is likely to be standard in the UK along with two airbags, electric windows, central locking, and a radio/cassette/CD player. The rivals from Ford and Smart are priced between £12,500 and £13,500 but neither of those has such a fancy roof arrangement. The least expensive car with a retractable hardtop is the Peugeot 206 Coupé Cabriolet at £14,700.

Readers complained when I described the Peugeot 206CC as a girlie car but there is no doubt that the Copen also especially appeals to women. The little Daihatsu is fun to drive and to be in, easy to park, and a reassuring combination of open-air convertible and secure metal-roofed coupé.

The Copen’s roof is similar to the Peugeot’s (and the Mercedes SLK’s, which started the idea). There are two latches at the top of the windscreen but otherwise putting the roof up or down is a 20-second automatic procedure activated by a button between the seats. The boot lid opens at its forward edge to accommodate the folded aluminium-and-glass roof. The snag, inevitably, is that the retracted roof fills the boot, leaving scarcely enough space for a lady’s handbag.

And because this is such a small car there is precious little room inside to stow anything — just rather crude nylon nets on the doors and behind the seats. With the roof up, boot space is quite generous (and there is a system to prevent the hard top being retracted into a boot full of luggage . . .) It is also as cosy as a coupé — which should please the first buyers who take delivery in depths of winter.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Daihatsu Copen
Engine type Four cylinders, turbocharged, 659cc
Power/Torque 64bhp @ 6000 rpm / 81 lb ft @ 3,200rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Tyres 165/50 R15
Fuel/CO2 55mpg (combined) / n/a
Acceleration 0 to 60mph: 9.5sec
Top speed 105mph (approx)
Price £12,500 (approx)
Verdict An open-and-shut case. Tiny but snazzy runabout offers fresh air motoring with the comfort and security of coupe. Just don't try to carry a lot.