VW Eos tops Consumer Reports convertible shoot-out

Influential magazine Consumer Reports has given the Volkswagen Eos the best overall score in its latest convertible comparo, putting it ahead of six other contenders ranging from $32,660 to $49,525 in price. Coming a close second was BMW’s 328i cabrio, followed by the Saab 9-3 and Volvo C70, which along with the Eos were all rated as ‘Very Good’.

The three remaining vehicles, the Pontiac G6, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and Chrysler Sebring, posted only ‘Good’ scores and thus were at the bottom of judge’s rankings.

Five of the seven cars tested have retracting hard tops, while two have traditional fabric tops but all were power-operated. Each had their benefits and disadvantages, and these were taken into account during voting. For example, folding hard tops improve visibility and security but they take up considerable trunk space when open and can't be operated on the move.

The magazine recommends just three of the vehicles in the test, the Eos, 328i, and C70. The 9-3 and G6 are not recommended because of below average reliability, while the Eclipse and Sebring didn’t score high enough to be recommended.