ALMOST exactly five years after its UK launch, the Volkswagen Eos coupe cabriolet has undergone a facelift to keep this niche model fresh.
The newest version was unveiled in the US last November and in the UK there are SE, Sport and Exclusive versions from £22,900 to £31,835.
The Eos, which was launched in the UK in July 2006, has now been given the bright-detailed front and rear restyling which we have seen on the latest Polo, Passat and Sharan models with new front and rear bumpers and lights, restyled bonnet and the option of LED daytime running lights.
It is slightly longer and higher than the previous generation Eos, which is the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn.
Inside there is new trim finishing to bring it up to date with its stablemates and the first time option of "cool leather" seats which reflect sun's rays to reduce solar heating as well as the useful choice of park assist to automatically manoeuvre the car into a space.
The Beetle convertible over 50 years ago started the open-air range but five years ago the Eos brought the multi-sectioned folding metal and glass roof, including sliding sun-roof, to market and its not been equalled in its sector.
For the newest model, remote roof operation has been added and the system takes 25 seconds to open or close.
The clever storing arrangement concertinas the roof sections into the boot and when open it sits on top of any luggage which has 205 litres of space, rising to 380 litres with the car closed to the elements.
Under the reprofiled bonnet lie a choice of petrol or diesel engines, including some modified to stretch economy as far as possible using stop & start technology and battery regeneration on 122ps 1.4 turbo petrol and 140ps 2.0 turbo-diesel versions.
There are also 160ps 1.4 and 210ps 2.0-litre petrol engines, and all have six-speed manual or automatic transmission.
Last year, the Eos was sold to 2,462 British buyers and 60% select a diesel but this year in tougher times, VW predict sales of 1,700, led by the 140ps 2.0 Sport mid-range version taking a quarter of registrations.
Falling in size between the Golf and Passat, Eos employs the Golf front struts and Passat four-link rear suspension systems which are excellent for packaging to accommodate the unique rear boot floor section and stowed roof.
I have just tried the latest Eos in SE trim with a 1.4-litre 160ps petrol engine and six-speed manual transmission priced at £23,980.
This Portuguese built model felt very well put together and the engine was extremely responsive and adequately powerful for the car unless you really drive hard.
With the roof down and windows raised the cabin did not suffer from wind buffeting to any annoying degree and even dropping the side windows the interior was still comfortable at 60mph.
The smooth powertrain was matched by a good if slightly firm ride but the bane of most convertibles, chassis vibration and scuttle shake, were virtually absent.
On mostly open roads I only managed to achieve just under 27mpg, compared to a claimed 41.5mpg and which seems a very optimistic figure which does not take account of how hard the engine works in real world situations.
Claimed maximum speed is 135mph and 0-62mph is said to be 8.8 seconds and CO2 emissions are 157g/km - just scraping below the 160g/km tax threshold for fleet operators.
Open or closed, the Volkswagen Eos is a very quiet and sophisticated car but it also seems a bit stiff to ask buyers to fork out £255 for a header-rail mounted wind deflector and £75 for carpet mats.