2007 VW Eos

Kathy Renwald

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Drivers are going topless and loving every minute of it in VW's new Eos CSC.

The Eos CSC (coupe/sunroof/convertible) has been a slam-dunk success for VW and dealers are hollering for more units than the Sebutal, Portugal, plant can produce.

At a base figure of $38,000 and change, the Eos is a well priced, nicely appointed hardtop convertible.

If there's a nip in the air, open the honkin' big sunroof as a compromise.

When conditions favour a full peel-back lid, one flick of a button and it's showtime for sure.

The combination of a retractable hardtop, harbouring a sunroof was a world's first when the Eos debuted in 2006. VW farmed the manufacturing out to sunroof specialists Webasto of Germany.

With more choreography than a Cirque du Soleil routine, the hardtop/sunroof splits into five sections and packs itself into the trunk in less than 30 seconds.

The trunk you should know can still handle some cargo, 204 litres to be exact.

At first I was a trifle ambivalent about the Eos. The tasteful leather interior, the subdued engine personality, the friendly front end – it smacked of relaxed fit jeans.

"We call it a bit more mature," said VW PR manager Patrick St. Pierre as he compared the Eos to the GTI.

Eos buyers are split 50/50 between male and female. I tested the manual-automatic version.

There's a 200-horse, 2.0-litre turbo housed in Eos's front end.

So eager is the turbo four-cylinder, equipped with a DSG six-speed autobox with Tiptronic, that it's ridiculously easy to squeal the tires.

There are paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel, but they struck me as a bit timid.

Though the twin-clutch DSG automatic is the same animal in both the Eos and GTI, it has a completely different personality in the Eos.

The Eos is nimble enough on serpentine roads, steering is pleasant, braking is confident, visibility good.

Top down, this VW is like a sweet summer romance. Come September, when you close the shutters at the cottage, the roof goes up on Eos and I imagine it becomes a snuggly cold weather companion.

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