WHEN it comes to stylish convertibles, I don’t think one could put Volkswagen near the top of the list.

Nothing wrong with the mechanicals, but those folding tops on the Beetle and Golf just about ruined aerodynamic figures and had nothing to add to style.

Stylish fast-folding tops have been coming onto the market for some years, and now Volkswagen is showing its skills at last with the new Eos. But when the roof on this newcomer starts to fold, it looks not unlike that now famous Citroen C4 robot advertisement.

Keep a look-out, you’ll know what I mean.

Electric folding roofs are nothing new, because a French engineer developed a single-piece roof that electrically folded into the boot back in the 30s. Sliding fabric roofs that were manually-operated could be found on most saloons in the 30s and some in the 20s.

The Eos slots into the range between the Golf and Passat and the newcomer continues a long running tradition of convertibles from the German maker which started more than 50 years ago.

More people are buying convertibles that can be used in all seasons, and the Eos offers the benefits of a full convertible, enabling the occupants to have a hard top when the sun does not shine and a full-down system when it does.