The Eos is comfortable and quiet at high speed, quick and well poised around town

There are three types of weather in the UAE: hot, hotter and very hot. Typical then that when VW chose to launch their brand new Coupe-Cabriolet, the temperature should decide to take a freakish turn for the worse. While the rest of Dubai's population rejoiced in the let up from the oncoming period of intense heat, I muttered under my breath something I can't repeat in print and decided to take the 3.2 litre V6 version of this hardtop convertible for a test drive anyway.

On first sighting, the Eos seems mostly designed around its retractable hardtop, with highly visible lines where parts of the five-element roof meet. It is very functional, designed to accommodate the hardtop rather than be aesthetically pleasing. The best way to describe it is as a Jetta-Passat-GTI hybrid; appropriate because the car is built as a combination of all three cars.

The front has that unmistakable VW look and you could easily be forgiven for thinking it is a Passat. It has that big, bold grille, outlined by plenty of chrome and headlights which are taken directly from the sedan. Move along the car and the Eos' third dimension comes into play: a sweeping sunroof that stretches the entire width of the car and similar in style to the Porsche 911 Targa. A nice touch, especially given the current climate change in Dubai, but like so many other convertibles with soft tops, this car looks so much better with the hood down. It's like a different car altogether - attractive, sleek, sexy.

Even watching the roof fold away is exciting. Or maybe that's just us. In 25 seconds, the roof rises, the boot lid comes open and the rear window folds away. The pieces then neatly arrange themselves on top of each other in the boot before the lid closes, hiding everything and giving the car a new clean, flowing look. As well as a sensor in the boot that tells you if luggage is obstructing the roof from retracting, there is also a Park Distance Control sensor that warns you if there are objects in the way of the roof or the boot when the mechanism starts. This proves invaluable if, like us, you have to park the vehicle in a tight, underground car park.

Inside, the Eos again has that familiar VW look and despite its compact appearance, front seat passengers benefit from as much space as they would in a Passat. Legroom in the back is tight and because part of the folding roof has to reside within the side panels when retracted, there is less width available for the rear seats, so you will have to limit the amount and size of the friends you take to the beach.

The dashboard in the Eos is similar to that found in the Golf - the speedometer and tachometer located within two big round gauges in a compact instrument display. The leather wrapped three-spoke steering wheel is equipped with multi-function keys and, as the V6 is offered with DSG automatic transmission, comes with paddle-shift controls behind it. Our test car is also decked out in cream leather, walnut wood interior trim and has power adjustable sports seats, a six-CD changer and switchable auto-dimming interior mirror.

Despite my extensive note taking, the weather is still yet to clear, so our resident snapper decides to get some interior shots in the bag and leave me to test the on-road performance of the Eos. We arrange to meet later in the week when the Eos will go head-to-head with its rivals in this class: the MŽgane Coupe-Cabriolet and the Peugeot 307 CC (see page 50).

The Eos is available in the Middle East with a choice of three engines: a 150bhp 2.0L, a turbo charged 200bhp 2.0L and 250bhp 3.2L V6. Given our extensive tests of the GTI (evo ME 002), we have opted for the V6, the engine lifted straight out of the Golf R32. Key turned, engine running and the sound is subdued. There is a throaty pitch to it, but only when you floor it does it become more croaky, especially when the roof is retracted.

As we pull away from the VW Middle East headquarters in the Dubai Airport Freezone and begin to weave our way through the traffic, it's evident that the car has plenty of torque, perfect for cruising, but also nice to know you have a little more grunt available should you need to drive a tad more aggressively. Anyone familiar with the city's clogged roads will understand exactly why this comes in handy.

Navigating ourselves on to the brand new two-lane highway of the Business Bay Crossing, we go through the fantastic six-speed DSG gearbox and have the car travelling at speeds far in excess of 180kmh. With the top up there is no indication that you're in anything other than a coupe. There is little wind noise and the body feels tight. For packaging reasons, the suspension actually derives from the Passat rather than the Golf, giving the Eos slightly wider front and rear tracks and helping it steer through the sweeping corners of the highway with precision and stability. Because of the added weight and less rigid body, the car doesn't handle as well as a GTI on corners, but the electro-mechanical steering actually feels like it's translated back to you better than in the hot hatch.

The car for all seasons was also proving to be a car for all roads, comfortable and quiet at high speed, composed and quick around town and well poised and responsive if you do decide to take the 250bhp engine to the limit on tight twists. Sod's law meant we were still battling with the elements and still unable to test the handling of the car with the hood retracted. Fingers crossed the weather would change and we could test the Eos topless when it met up with its rivals...