A class act

Having the metal folding roof, instead of canvas, allows the Eos to make inroads into the company car market as it is larger and for the added security the hard top brings to the vehicle.

Unlike the Beetle and Golfs, this is a purpose built four-seater coupe/cabriolet. It has a clean sheet' design. It is not a saloon or hatchback with the roof removed, so it has greater torsionally rigidity and strength. It is also not a simple derivative of the new Golf or Passat.

The Eos has a five-part electronic folding roof that takes 25 seconds to open or close. A unique feature is that it has a tilt-and-slide sunroof.

Using a five-part roof means the front pillars are kept fairly short and upright and the boot section, where the roof is stowed when down, does not encroach into the interior of the car, improving the interior space for rear seat passengers.

With the roof closed there is 380 litres of boot space; with it folded down the luggage capacity is 205 litres.

Two trim levels are available: standard and Sport and prices range from £19,370 to £28,095. All models feature ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme), and twin front and combined curtain and side impact airbags for front and rear passengers. Semi-automatic air conditioning, fog lights, electric windows, electric heated and adjustable wing mirrors, radio/CD player, 16-inch alloy wheels, parking sensors and lockable load through provision are also standard.

Moving up the range, Sport trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, upgraded audio player, aluminium-look pedals, decorative aluminium dash inserts and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Eos is offered with a choice of five engines: four petrol, including a turbocharged FSI direct injection unit, and one diesel. These are the 1.6-litre FSI 115 PS; 2.0-litre FSI 150 PS; 2.0-litre T-FSI 200 PS; 3.2-litre V6 250 PS; and 2.0-litre 140 PS TDI. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, while the 200 PS petrol and the TDI will be offered with Volkswagen's innovative DSG automatic gearbox; this 'box is standard with the V6 engine.

The Eos, named after the Greek goddess of the dawn, is built at Volkswagen's AutoEuropa factory in Setubal, Portugal. The UK is expected to be the third largest international market for this model behind Germany and the USA.

Overall the likely best-selling variants will be the 2.0-litre FSI 150PS models with manual transmission priced at £20,790, or £21,735 for the Sport specification version.

The only Eos versions available for a pre-launch test drive were the Sport 2.0-litre T-FSI models, (not the anticipated best seller) priced at £23,315. Of course the test car was fitted with a long list of additional extra cost options so the real price, if you choose to add from the long list of extra goodies, could set you back nearly a further £6,000. Then you are in Audi A4 cabriolet territory.

With its four-cylinder, turbocharged, direction injection petrol engine with 200PS of power and gutsy torque of 207 lbs ft from 1,800 to 5,000rpm, this particular Eos is a fast and very responsive vehicle. Top speed is 144mph and the 0-62mph time is just 7.8 seconds. These figures speak for themselves.

Average fuel economy should be around 33.6mpg and my test car over a 100 mile route of A, B roads and motorways returned a good 30.1mpg.

The refinement, responsiveness and in-town driving flexibility of this unit with its slick six-speed transmission is by far the most social' of all the go-faster engine options available in this sector. VW's view is that most customers will go for the 150PS FSI non-turbo engine and this will not disappoint owners either. Alternatively the 140PS turbocharged TDI diesel unit will provide good and economical motoring. You can see this is a very comprehensive and well thought out range that will have a broad appeal for all types of owners.

The handling of the Eos is also the most refined in the sector. There is virtually none of the body shake or wobble associated with these cars with the roof down. The suspension is very compliant but not too soft and wallowy. It has sharp handling, plenty of grip, little body roll and very stable.

There is a downside in the fact that the roof does take up considerable boot space because of its packaging when stowed. I would prefer to have space within the car and could live with the congested boot. To be honest, the car looks better proportioned from the outside than the Peugeot and Megane CCs that have huge rear ends.

Inside the Eos is a class act. Good specification as standard, but be aware of the expensive extra cost goodies. The quality is best in its class, no doubt about that, and the attention to detail of the switches and controls is good. Many of these details come directly from the Golf and Passat, so you expect the Eos to be a quality product.