ONE of the smartest advances in motoring in recent years has been the one-touch, folding hard-top roof.

And one of the smartest one-touch folding hard-top roofs is that fitted to the Volkswagen Eos.

The car’s name comes from the Greek goddess of the dawn and when the sun comes out there is no better place to enjoy a little piece of motoring heaven.

When the clouds gather it is a stylish hard-top coupe, complete with full-size tilt-and slide glass sunroof.

But when the sun is shining, a touch of a button folds the five-part roof into the boot in under half a minute, to turn the car into an even more stylish four-seater convertible.

Fitting between the Golf and Passat in size, the original Eos was launched in the UK five years ago and the latest model shares the same look as the new Polo, Passat and Sharan with horizontal lines dominating the front of the car.

A prominent new grille, with chrome highlights, houses a set of new headlight units with integrated LED daytime running lights. To add to a more aggressive look, the front bumper has new airdams and fog lights. The new car is longer than its predecessor and a set of new tail lights draw on the look of those fitted to the new Passat.

The car’s ride and handling is quiet, precise and thoroughly assured thanks to a combination of the best of Golf and Passat suspension.

A choice of four petrol and diesel engines is available. The test car used the 140 horsepower TDI with BlueMotion technology that includes automatic stop/start. The test model blended that with an automatic gearbox, which proved a particularly easy-to-manage combination.

Inside, new trim finishes enhance the interior of the Eos, which is both comfortable and extremely well equipped.

Highlights include a leather multifunction steering wheel, air conditioning, an eight-speaker CD stereo system and sports seats.

All models have anti-lock brakes, electronic stabilisation program; twin front and side impact airbags; air conditioning; front fog lights; electric windows, electric heated and adjustable wing mirrors; radio/CD player; 17-inch alloy wheels; and parking sensors.

For the first time, options include Park Assist, a system that automatically aids both parallel and adjacent parking.

Open-top motoring continues to be extremely popular in the UK, with our market the third most popular for Eos sales in the world, behind Germany and the United States.

A luxury and literally cool option on the test car was the fitting of so-called ‘cool leather’ which reflects the sun’s rays to prevent it heating up.

The car's name comes from the Greek goddess of the dawn and when the sun comes out there is no better place to enjoy a little piece of motoring heaven.

Auto facts Volkswagen Eos Sport BlueMotion 2.0 TDI 140

  • Price: £27,225
  • Insurance group: 23E
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 53.3mpg
  • Top speed: 127mph
  • Length: 442.3cm/174.1in
  • Width: 179.1cm/70.5in
  • Luggage capacity: 13.4 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 12.1 gallons/55 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 139g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles