Dawn of new Eos; Volkswagen coupe makes mark as a convertible work of art.

Byline: By MIKE TORPEY

IT'S an operation guaranteed to draw a crowd. A light touch on a conveniently-placed button and 25 seconds later the most intricate yet stunningly effective electronic roof operation is complete .

It consists of no less than 470 components and transforms the Volkswagen Eos from a fairly average-looking coupe into a convertible work of art.

Despite being named after the Greek goddess of the Dawn, the Eos wasn't exactly early to join the coupe cabrio revolution, only having arrived on the scene last summer.

But it has quickly made its mark, finding a niche in the market and offering some features you won't find among its rivals.

Most useful of them is that five-piece steel and glass lid, which also comprises a tilt/slide sunroof. Volkswagen refers to it as CSC because it combines the elements of a hard-top coupe, glass sunroof and fully convertible metal roof.

Thanks to the way the mechanism works, a compact sandwich is formed to save space in the boot, and a 'boot box' ensures luggage is placed safely away from the stowed roof. That said, it's not the most spacious of load areas.

Slotting into the range between the Golf and Passat, the Eos is instantly recognisable as a Volkswagen, but it wasn't created merely by slicing the roof off an existing model.

It was designed from the base up to be a coupe convertible, giving it greater torsional rigidity - making the car refined, safe and agile to drive.

The Eos comes with a choice of five engines - 1.6, a pair of 2.0 units and a 3.2-litre V6 petrol plus a 2.0 TDI diesel - and while six-speed transmission is standard the tested model came with the innovative DSG auto box. This is essentially two gearboxes, one controlling the 'odd' gears plus reverse and the other operating the 'even' slots.

It works a treat. You can use paddle shift buttons on the steering wheel for a bit of fun, but in fully auto mode the changes are both lightning quick and seamless. The diesel engine is proven in the Volkswagen range and currently doing service in the Golf, Touran, Passat and Jetta. It's lively with plenty of midrange pulling power yet sounds a bit noisy.

Facts and figures

Make: Volkswagen

Model: Eos Sport 2.0 TDI DPF auto Price: pounds 23,000

Mechanical: 140bhp, 1,968cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6-speed automatic gearbox

Max speed: 126mph

0-62mph: 10.3 seconds

Combined mpg: 42.2

Insurance group: 11 CO2 emissions: 177g/km

BiK rating: 25%

CAPTION(S):

GODDESS - the VW Eos has found a niche in the market and offers features you won't find among rivals