Overall rating:

All VW has really done with the 2011 Eos is made it tow the corporate line in the aesthetic department. That's all it needed to, really, because, as medium-sized tin-top convertibles go, it's still one of the best.

Key Facts

Pricing: from £22,900
Model tested: VW Eos 1.4-litre TSI BlueMotion Technology
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: two-door convertible
Rivals: Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet, Audi A3 Cabriolet, VW Golf Cabriolet
CO₂ emissions: 144g/km
Combined economy: 45.6mpg
Top speed: 123mph
0-62mph: 10.9 seconds
Power: 120bhp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 148lb.ft at 1,500rpm
Weight: 1,505kg

In the Metal:

As these things go (mid-sized convertibles, that is) the VW Eos is one of the better looking. Most car designers seemingly struggle with resolving the shape of a car that was conceived first with a fixed roof - see the Peugeot 308 CC and the BMW 3 Series Convertible for details. But, having been designed as a drop top from the start, the Eos looks comfortable in its own clever folding skin.

And if you hadn't noticed, this is an update. The 25-seconds-from-closed-to-open roof is as quick as ever and still has a sunroof built into it, but now it has a new emphasis on horizontal lines. Yes indeed. And new trim. Ultimately, it's still quite big and it's still quite clever.

Driving it:

The 1.4-litre TSI BlueMotion Technology version we're driving here is the cheapest way into an Eos. We should probably explain the badges, which conspire to confuse. In the engine's case, TSI doesn't mean turbo- and supercharged, like it does elsewhere, because it only has the former; and BlueMotion Technology doesn't mean it's a fully fledged Friends of the Earth model, rather that it takes some of the technology from the BlueMotion models proper and uses them to fuel saving effect. Think stop-start and battery regeneration systems.

The result is a relatively parsimonious convertible, and one that is so without recourse to compression combustion, which is good. The last thing you want is to be adding the din of diesel to the sound of your chunky gold identity bracelet flapping about in the breeze.

Though actually, that's unfair... the Eos is very good at keeping jewellery-jangling breezes out of the cabin. In fact, the Eos remains one of the most refined and spacious small convertibles on sale. It comfortably accommodates four big people, and with the roof up does so with nine-tenths of the calmness a Golf hatchback does. Yes, there is that bit more wind noise and a harsher edge to the way it patters over the road, but not much.

The issue is one of speed. Buy this 1.4 TSI version if you're really only in it for low velocity flossing (of the non-oral hygiene kind). Its power delivery is smooth and its noise well quashed, but there's no real benefit to revving it.

What you get for your Money:

SE is the lowest trim level that a VW Eos comes in, so while it's not cheap, a basic one feels a cut above a basic Golf or Polo in terms of spec. That said, it's extremely easy to make your £23,000 Eos a rather expensive bottom rung: add climate control, metallic paint, cruise control and leather seats and you've blown over £2,500. VW will argue that your Eos will hold its value better than all its rivals, but there's no doubt that rivals - particularly French ones - offer a better equipped drop top for the money.

Worth Noting

When the VW Eos turned up in 2006 it basically had the four-seat VW convertible game sewn up. Obviously there was the Beetle Cabriolet, but the less said about that the better. Now, though, there's a new game in town - the game of Golf. Not the actual game, you understand, but the freshly revived Golf Cabriolet. We drove that recently and, though it has a soft top, it's a surprisingly close Eos rival in all respects. But cheaper.

Summary

Facelift or not, the VW Eos remains one of the best looking, highest quality and most refined middle sized four-seat convertibles on sale. There's nothing wrong with the 1.4 TSI version either - economical and quiet as it is - but we'd probably advise you to, if you can, stretch to a higher powered version, just for that bit extra ease and flexibility. Or look at the soft-top Golf and maybe save yourself a few quid.