Consumers looking for a four-seat convertible around $30,000 have plenty of options. Nearly a dozen models are available on the market, all producing 200 horsepower or so. The Ford Mustang V6, Pontiac G6, Mitsubishi Eclipse and Toyota Solara are just a few examples.
However, if you're interested only in European products, three alternatives remain: the MINI Cooper as well as the Volkswagen New Beetle and Eos. The first two are eccentrically styled and unique in their own way, leaving no one indifferent. The classy Eos, on the other hand, keeps a lower profile.
Oh yeah: it also stands out with a retractable hard top.
The 2009 Volkswagen Eos is indeed a "CC" or coupe-cabriolet, a new breed of uncompromised convertibles. These machines provide equal comfort and enjoyment over winter and summer. They also possess dual personality: one minute, they're a true open-air car; the next, they're a sealed, soundproofed coupe.
An old concept
CCs are nothing new, although their proliferation is. Manufacturers that created modern retractable roofs were forced to come up with more practical solutions than the ones used by their predecessors.
While the Mercedes-Benz SLK resurrected this body style in 1997, Peugeot was the first to sell CCs with a model called "Éclipse". That was back in the 1930s. After a two-decade hiatus, Ford launched the 500 Skyliner (1957-59) onto the scene.
Today, owners of modern CCs put on quite a show when they decide to go topless (well, not them, but their car). The difference is, while the massive, single-piece roof of the Éclipse and Skyliner took over a minute to disappear into the trunk, the process now requires less than 30 seconds. In the case of the Eos, the power-folding, five-panel hard top vanishes after a graceful, 25-second ballet.
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| The 2009 VW Eos excels in terms of ride and driving enjoyment. |
However, if you're interested only in European products, three alternatives remain: the MINI Cooper as well as the Volkswagen New Beetle and Eos. The first two are eccentrically styled and unique in their own way, leaving no one indifferent. The classy Eos, on the other hand, keeps a lower profile.
Oh yeah: it also stands out with a retractable hard top.
The 2009 Volkswagen Eos is indeed a "CC" or coupe-cabriolet, a new breed of uncompromised convertibles. These machines provide equal comfort and enjoyment over winter and summer. They also possess dual personality: one minute, they're a true open-air car; the next, they're a sealed, soundproofed coupe.
An old concept
CCs are nothing new, although their proliferation is. Manufacturers that created modern retractable roofs were forced to come up with more practical solutions than the ones used by their predecessors.
While the Mercedes-Benz SLK resurrected this body style in 1997, Peugeot was the first to sell CCs with a model called "Éclipse". That was back in the 1930s. After a two-decade hiatus, Ford launched the 500 Skyliner (1957-59) onto the scene.
Today, owners of modern CCs put on quite a show when they decide to go topless (well, not them, but their car). The difference is, while the massive, single-piece roof of the Éclipse and Skyliner took over a minute to disappear into the trunk, the process now requires less than 30 seconds. In the case of the Eos, the power-folding, five-panel hard top vanishes after a graceful, 25-second ballet.
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| The name Eos comes from the Greek goddess of the dawn. |