Britons just love topless motoring. For a soggy, wet island, we buy more than our share of open-top cars, far more than Spain or France.

Part of the reason is the way convertibles have come on leaps and bounds in recent years. Retractable roofs used to be a pain and take an age to raise or lower.

Not any more. Volkswagen, with the splendid Eos, have adopted the new trend for folding metal roofs which work at the touch of a button. OK, it has one or two down sides. For a start, metal roofs are huge and take up a lot of boot space and it’s impossible to raise it without creating an audience.

But the result is a car which looks great, either in hard-top mode or as an open-topper, and it’s more secure than a canvas tent-like cover.

Eos was launched in 2006 and has become a staple part of a VW stable, sitting between Golf and Passat. With the roof up, which, let’s face it, it will be most of the time, the boot is a 380 litre space, reduced to 205 with the roof down. You may not be able to force a wardrobe inside it, but it will happily hold a suitcase or two.

Eos uses the Golf’s front suspension and the rear arrangement of the Passat. Overall it’s a good combination since the Eos plants itself firmly on the road and delivers a solid and composed ride, roof up or down, although the suspension is a little on the stiff side. Tested is the Passat Exclusive BlueMotion, a £31,235 model designed for economy and a little excitement. Powered by a 2.0 litre TDI engine, it manages 60mph in 10.3 seconds and, more importantly, returns 61mpg on a run. That’s excellent. Few cars can offer such interesting performance and exceptional economy.

The 2.0-litre diesel unit pulls consistently throughout the revs, but can be a little intrusive at low speed. It’s one of VW’s most popular engines and is currently available in the Golf, Touran, Passat and Jetta. The interior follows that of the Golf, which means there’s nothing new or radical, but quality is assured. Plus there’s further good news since the designers did manage to provide some legroom for occupants in the rear. It’s not much though, and headroom is a little restricted, but the rear seats will accommodate children easily, so day trips out shouldn’t be a problem for young families.

It’s also kitted out with the necessary safety gear, all Eos models get ESP and twin front and side impact airbags. Elsewhere standard equipment includes semi-automatic air conditioning, fog lights, CD player, parking sensors and 16-inch alloy wheels. Those seeking additional entertainment should consider the Sport trim, which adds a sports suspension, aluminium touches in the cabin and 17in alloys among other items.

With five engines to choose from, its ability to offer a decent sized boot with a realistic prospect of carrying passengers in the back, and its competitive price tag against other rivals, the Eos is a strong contender for the motorist who is looking for a car that drives and handles well and can double up as an open top when the sun shines.