Press the button, conveniently mounted on the windscreen surround, and the frameless side windows drop a couple of millimetres. The boot lid then lifts upwards towards the rear of the car, while the front roof elements lifts upwards. Then comes the clever part - the three roof sections all roll backwards and shuffle themselves into position, before disappearing out of sight as the windows return to their original positions.

What's more, the roof mechanism can be deployed at speeds of up to 18mph, so if you want to drop the top in slow moving traffic, or it suddenly starts to rain, you can raise the lid again without interrupting your journey. On Sport and Design models, the roof can even be raised and lowered using the remote keyfob, meaning you don't even need to be in the car to operate the top.

Luggage capacity is a mighty 440-litres with the roof raised, and with it lowered there's still a very useful 205-litres of usable boot space - more than enough for a couple of full-size suitcases. TwinTop also features an innovative new system called EasyLoad. To improve access to the luggage area beneath the divider that protects the roof, simply press a button and the rear deck will lift by 25 centimetres, allowing easier access to the remaining space for loading and unloading.

The boot floor itself is three centimetres lower than on a standard Vauxhall Astra to further optimise luggage capacity, while neat features such as a folding ski-flap and a recessed spare wheel housing make the load bay even more practical.

The roof was designed and developed by CarTopSystems of Germany (CTS), and was brought from concept to production reality in less than two years, with CTS employees working alongside the GM manufacturing team on the production line in Antwerp, Belgium. The clever stowing mechanism means that Vauxhall Astra TwinTop enjoys best-in-class leg, shoulder and kneeroom for rear-seat passengers, meaning that the rear seat can be used by adults as well as children. That makes Vauxhall Astra TwinTop a no-compromise car - you can still enjoy all the benefits of a four-seater coupe, but with the style and grace of a convertible.


Vauxhall Astra TwinTop - Safety

Astra TwinTop builds on the high levels of safety found in other Vauxhall models, with both passive and active safety features fitted to all models to offer the best in both crash performance and avoidance.

The dynamic chassis means Vauxhall Astra TwinTop offers exceptional roadholding and agility, along with ABS, brake assist and optional ESP-plus combining to give the car exceptional active safety.

AFL Adaptive Forward Lighting is also available, with bi-xenon headlamps that react to speed, steering angle and road camber to deliver optimum visibility at night. The clever system effectively allows the car to 'see' round corners, while additional lamps in the side of the headlight clusters illuminate at low speeds to assist at junctions or when parking.

Should the worst happen, Astra TwinTop's designers have ensured the car meets the exacting standards of other models in the Vauxhall range. The body is already 30 per cent stiffer than that of the outgoing Astra Convertible, and that strength is further enhanced by a strengthened screen surround. The A-pillars and windscreen rail are reinforced with hydroformed steel, eliminating the need for a clumsy roll bar.

On all models, yaw sensors in the airbag control system sense when a rollover is likely to occur, and activates seatbelt tensioners. On models equipped with pop-up roll over bars rather than the standard fixed hoops, two solid aluminium safety bars deploy upwards from behind the seat and lock tight within 0.2 seconds. The safety bars also activate in a severe front or side impact occurs, meaning they are in place if the vehicle is immobile and is subsequently struck by another vehicle, causing it to roll. The pop-up hoops are standard on the Design and optional on the other models in the range.

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