For some fresh-air motoring fans – and some very upmarket manufacturers – only the humble cloth drop-top will do.

Despite the popularity of complicated, and incredibly clever, folding metal roofs, for some manufacturers only the simplest fabric roof conveys the true spirit of cool convertible cruising.

So Volkswagen obviously decided that what is good enough for Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin is good enough for them.

After a nine-year break, the soft-top Golf is back, and it looks better than ever. The new two-door, four-seater, front-engined soft top’s electrically-powered fabric roof can be lowered in just 9½ seconds, revealing a long and elegant vehicle.

It will also manage this piece of open-top origami on the move, at speeds up to about 18mph.

No separate roof cover is needed, which means that even with the roof down, there is a decent amount of boot space.

Room inside the car is also plentiful for all four passengers as the convertible has the same wheelbase as the Golf hatchback.

And it is a practical car too, thanks to a 50:50 split/folding rear seat and front seats that whizz forward to allow rear seat passengers easy access.

From the front, this is unmistakably a Golf but from the steeply-raked windscreen back, it delivers a sportier look and at the rear, new lights and a deep crease in the bootlid make a distinctive mark.

Sporty looks are reflected in sporty ride and handling and the fabric roof, while naturally allowing in more outside noise than the folding metal variety, has an additional exterior skin, as well as new window and door seals, keeping things remarkably muted with surprisingly low wind noise.

Safety is a priority with any convertible and Volkswagen has built in an active rollover protection system, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability programme and front and side head/thorax airbags are also all standard.

There is a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines and three trim levels.

The SE test model came with top-level equipment ranging from twin-zone climate control and cruise control, to parking sensors and automatic headlight main beam.

The test model also came with a very welcome £380 winter pack, comprising headlight washers, heated front seats, heated windscreen washer jets and low washer fluid warning light.

Volkswagen has a long and successful history of producing convertibles, none more so than with the Golf Cabriolet, with more than 684,000 built between 1979 and 2002.

The arrival of the latest soft-top Golf does not mean the end of the slick Eos hard-top convertible, which remains for those who prefer engineering complexity over a rather simpler way of motoring life.