THE stylish Vauxhall Astra Twin Top and the Volkswagen Eos are the best looking convertibles with the security of a folding metal roof.

But wheras the Twin Top went out of production in 2010, the VW continued on sale until 2015 and later models are well worth seeking out.

All such open tops look great with the roof down, but none of the others looks the part like the Eos with the roof up.

Of course, under the skin it's all Golf - engines, chassis, interior and even some body panels can be swapped between the two.

And the up market interior is lovely to live with and reasonably practical, with excellently comfortable and supportive seats that are more often than not trimmed in leather.

The roof is made from a combination of steel and glass, and cleverly incorporates an electric glass sunroof for those days when you want the feel of the open air but not too much.

For the last couple of years of production just two engines from the wide VW range were offered - the 1.4 TSI turbo petrol and the 2.0-litre TDI diesel.

The 1.4 comes with 160bhp and that gives it a 0 to 60 sprint time of 8.5 seconds, while it will make 41mpg at best.

The excellent diesel has 140bhp as many readers will already know, so that it can cover the sprint in 10 seconds and is capable of 51mpg.

As you can see, neither is slow off the mark, and they can both give spirited performance in the mid-range - just where it's needed.

Earlier models were available with 2 litre petrol engines that boasted 150 and 210bhp and even the smooth and powerful VW 3.2 V6 with 246bhp was available.

The Eos, like all other coupe/convertibles, suffers from one problem that should always be remembered. When the roof is down, it's stored in the boot, and so luggage space is severely limited.

Visibility is very good for a drop top, helped by the five piece roof, which also results in more interior space than most competitors and excellent headroom.

There's very good rear legroom - unusually for a CC - and this means that two adults can sit comfortably in the back.

Diesel models were available in superfrugal Bluemotion spec, and these are worth finding thanks to much improved economy of 58mpg and emissions down to 125g/km.

Body rigidity with the roof down is excellent, so there's none of the flexing so obvious in other open cars, and it rarely feels like you're driving a convertible.

This means excellent handling and roadholding through the corners, helped by the brilliant VW power steering. The ride is also good and is only upset by the worst of surfaces and potholes.

A large rear window means visibility is good, and there's not too much buffeting from the passing air with the roof down.

The heater is more than man enough to keep those in the front warm with the top open on chilly days - as long as you wear good gloves, a scarf and a hat.

Sport spec gives you alloys, traction control, front and rear electric windows, air conditioning and sports seats with lumbar support.

Exclusive trim adds audio remote, full climate control, leather heated seats, headlamp washers and parking sensors.

Pay about £6,350 for a '14 14-reg 1.4TSi Sport, or £9,200 for a '15 15-reg 2.0TDi Bluemotion Tech Exclusive.