BMW Z4 Cabriolet

The BMW Z4 is a roadster built the traditional way: engine at the front, drive at the rear, two seats, a fabric roof and nothing in between you and the road. The 2.0-litre turbocharged four produces 258 hp and 400 Nm, which arrives low and stays flat, so the car pulls cleanly out of a hairpin without needing to be revved. The eight-speed automatic shifts quickly enough to be left alone and has paddles when you want them.

The fabric top is the right choice for this island: it folds into the body in about ten seconds and can be opened or closed while rolling at town speed, so a cloud over Teide does not end the drive. Because the roof stacks flat, the 281-litre boot stays the same size open or closed - two cabin bags or one large suitcase, which is the honest measure of a two-seat roadster.

The cabin is tight in the way a roadster should be: a digital cockpit behind the wheel, the iDrive screen on the dash, light leather upholstery against the dark trim, a short automatic selector on the console and LED headlights outside. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connect for navigation and music, and the seats sit low between high sills so the car feels planted even at modest speed.

It suits couples, a honeymoon week, a birthday or an anniversary, and anyone who wants the open-air feeling without the running costs and the size of a supercar. In the MandryCabrio fleet it sits between the comfortable four-seat cabriolets and the loud V8s - more involving than a C-Class Cabrio, far easier to live with than a Corvette. This is a partner car, so dates have to be confirmed before a booking is final.

Our Tenerife guide points it at the roads where a light rear-drive roadster is at its best: the TF-21 climb from Vilaflor to the Teide caldera, the TF-28 running through the inland villages above the southern resorts, and the long coastal stretch from Los Gigantes to Santiago del Teide with the ocean on one side and rock on the other.