If there was ever a car in Volkswagen’s lineup that probably has nine lives, it’s probably the Eos. Talks of discontinuing the model have risen to the surface numerous times and yet, here it is, alive and kicking in 2014.

The 2014 Volkswagen Eos continues on in its slot as Volkswagen’s resident entry-level convertible. Not much has changed since the current generation model arrived in 2011 and in some ways, that can be attributed as a positive for the Eos.

See, over the course of its time, the convertible has been offered with some impressive features, including a hardtop roof, comfortable seating, and yes, the option to do away with a ceiling and let your hair enjoy the cool breeze of Mother Nature.

Even its turbocharge engine can be attributed as a boon for the Eos because at the end of the day, riding a convertible is only as good as the power it has under its hood.

So welcome to 2014, Volkswagen Eos. You’ve certainly earned your stay at the party.

Click past the jump to read more about the 2014 Volkswagen Eos.

The Volkswagen Eos’ exterior makes it look like a hardtop coupe, but given how Volkswagen cleverly uses its cut-lines on the Eos, you know that there’s a convertible in there lurking, waiting to be unleashed.

But the benefits of the Eos’ looks can be attributed to more than just its convertible nature. The car is also designed luxuriously, thanks to items like a black-glass sunroof and integrated side-view mirror turn signals in its makeup. As for its fascia, darker shades to the grille makes for a more imposing look while halogens and LEDs adorn the headlight and taillight, respectively.

A choice of vivid paint colors are also being offered, as are options to fit 17- or 18-inch wheels. Whether its the car’s true sporty nature or the luxury additions given to it, the 2014 Eos looks like a car that’s not going away anytime soon.

2014 Volkswagen Eos - Exterior Dimensions

2014 Volkswagen Eos - Standard Exterior Features

For all the positive attributes attached to the Eos’ exterior, the interior is probably the highlight of the car, given the relative limitations of being a hardtop convertible.

The noticeable number of features attributed to the Eos is a clear sign that Volkswagen is serious about giving the car all it can offer to buyers. The seats are both sophisticated and comfortable, while the center console is cleanly designed and doesn’t waste any space with useless trinkets. It might be too simple for some, but less is definitely more as far as we’re concerned.

If there’s one thing the Eos’ interior has going against it, the space being taken up by the retractable top’s mechanics makes for narrow rear seats. If you’re a full-grown adult, it’s not the most spacious place to sit on, but the mere fact that there are seats to sit on is a plus on its own.

Just like the rear seats, the Eos’ trunk is nothing to heap praise of as you’re only getting 10.5 cubic feet of trunk space. And that’s with the roof in place. But when the roof is snugged into its compartment, that space shrinks to a paltry 6.6 cubic feet.

2014 Volkswagen Eos - Interior Dimensions

2014 Volkswagen Eos - Standard Interior Features

The 2014 Volkswagen Eos is powered by a 2.0-liter, in-line-four turbocharged engine that produces a stout 200 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 207 pound-feet of torque at 1,700 rpm. Fuel efficiency is about right given its performance figures and even then, the Eos is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds to go with a top speed of around 135 mph.

Three trim levels are being offered for the Volkswagen Eos. The base model is the Eos Komfort at $35,595 while the Eos Sport is at $38,325. The top-of-the-line Eos Executive is pretty pricey at $42,095, but hey, you’ll still end up paying for what you want if you want it bad enough, right?

Renault doesn’t have the same cache as Volkswagen has, but it sure has a cabriolet that can take the battle to the Eos. This is the Megane CC and given its dynamic look and variety of engines, you can point to the car’s versatility as a key selling point.

The Megane CC’s choice of powertrains is a plus, meaning you can choose from a 1.4 base that coughs up a pedestrian 99 horsepower; a 2.0DCi that nets 158 horsepower; and a 2.0 turbo engine that cranks out 165 horsepower. Not nearly enough as the Eos, but still plenty useful on the road.

Audi’s introduction of the new A3 Cabriolet spelled another example of how the German company is expanding its horizons. Compared to the previous A3 Cabriolet, the new model is a lot longer with the length growing from 166.8 inches to 174 inches, all while shedding 110 pounds, something that can be attributed to Audi switching over to lightweight materials and the new building technologies.

The new A3 Cabriolet is powered by two gasoline engines, including a 1.4-liter TFSI engine that delivers 140 horsepower and a 1.8-liter TFSI that puts down 180 horsepower. The diesel lineup include a 2.0-liter TDI with an output of 150 horsepower.

The starting price for the A3 Cabriolet is higher than the top-of-the-line Eos, which begs the question: Why even bother?

There’s a lot to like about the Volkswagen Eos. It’s versatility is one of its trademark characteristics and it’s got a steady amount of output that should give drivers reason to feel good about their purchase. But the best part, about the Eos is its price, which is less than what you’re going to pay for compared to its rivals.

While there may be other retractable hardtop convertible models on the market, the Eos stands apart for being the only one to offer a full-width, power-tilt-and-slide, panoramic glass sunroof integrated in to its hardtop. The Eos provides an affordable alternative to four-place convertibles from European luxury automakers. Following a major refresh for the vehicle for the 2012 model year, the Eos sees little change for 2014.

The trim line-up for 2014 is reduced from four to three options with the Komfort, the more performance-focused Sport, and the Executive modesl.

Lastly, Volkswagen will offer its VW Car-Net™ connected services this fall on the full Eos lineup. VW Car-Net—which has a six-month no-charge trial period—offers a wealth of security and convenience features, including Automatic Crash Notification, roadside assistance services, and stolen vehicle location assistance. In addition, VW Car-Net adds: remote vehicle access; boundary and speed alerts; a vehicle health report; and an enhanced POI service on vehicles equipped with a navigation system. Most of the features can be administered through a handy smartphone app for iPhone® and Android® devices.

Top up or down, the 2014 Eos has a sleek, elegant profile, highlighted by a swept-back windshield, slim roof pillars to ensure great all-round visibility, and a bold-muscular body line that starts by the front wheelarch and sweeps back all the way to the rear light.

Extending between the swept-back headlamps is a prominent, slim grille featuring three gloss-black blades, each trimmed with a narrow chrome strip. The front bumper design incorporates a deep, restyled air dam with horizontal blades matching those of the grille. Mounted at the edges, halogen reflector-lens fog lamps have a corner-illuminating feature.

Sport and Executive trims receive Bi-Xenon high-intensity headlights with bright-white LED Daytime Running Lights and Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS). This system can turn the headlamps up to 15 degrees for increased night-time visibility around curves.

In back, the Eos has two-part LED taillights with fiber-optic technology and a bumper with lower black diffuser and chrome dual-tipped exhausts.

To see the Eos’s electro-hydraulically-operated five-piece steel and glass roof in action is like watching a mechanical ballet. In the 25 seconds it takes for the top to lower, the five elements form a compact “sandwich”, stacking neatly and elegantly on top of each other so as to take up minimal space inside the trunk. The mechanism itself is activated from the front seat by a press-and-hold lever beneath the center armrest. Thanks to the way the mechanism operates, the roof can be opened or closed in most garages.

Once the switch is pressed, the sunroof section slides backwards and the side windows are lowered. Almost simultaneously, the entire rear section of the roof, from the C-pillar up to the “imaginary” B-pillar is lifted upwards. The sunroof then slides under the rear area of the roof forming a “sandwich.”

Now the hydraulic control system folds the entire roof cover deck lid, along with the lid of the trunk, backwards. Then the lateral roof spars of the windshield frame slide back as well. The sunroof and the rear part of the roof are completely lowered into the rear of the car, while the roof spars slide into separate cavities (covered by lids) near the rear side window.

In total, the Eos’s roof is made up of 470 components, including an eight-cylinder electro-hydraulic pump located under the luggage compartment cover behind the spare wheel.

A unique feature of the folding roof is its sliding glass sunroof that’s integrated into the car’s metal roof. At 44 inches wide and 22 inches deep, it is far larger than a traditional sunroof. At the touch of a button it can be tilted and partly or fully opened. There’s also an integrated, manual sliding sunshade to help reduce sunlight glare. A key design element of the roof is that the section behind the sunroof is made of matching tinted glass, giving the visual impression that the Eos’s entire roof is made from glass. To help reduce wind-buffeting when the top is lowered, the Eos comes with a removable, foldable wind-blocker that can be mounted behind the rear seats, plus a neat pop-up mesh wind deflector that deploys from the top of the windscreen.

As well as its nearly all-weather capability, the Eos is also able to carry four adults in comfort and still have space for their luggage.

On the Executive trim level, Engineered Ebony wood adds luxury and style to the fascia and door panels; the more technical Black Peak inserts add contrast to the red/blue interior options. These interiors are accompanied by rich, supple leather seating surfaces in a choice of Cornsilk Beige, Black, Red or Atlantic Blue. And all Eos models are equipped with a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel and shift knob with the addition of DSG® paddle shifters to the Sport line.

Standard on all models is a dual-zone Climatronic® climate control system. The system allows driver and front-seat passenger to adjust their air temperatures individually and independently. The Climatronic system even takes into account the amount of sunlight coming into the cabin, and makes separate calculations to compensate on both the driver and passenger sides.

For entertainment, all Eos models come standard with RNS 315 Navigation system with a five-inch color touchscreen and SD memory card reader, and a Media Device Interface (MDI) with iPod® cable to seamlessly navigate playlists, albums and more, plus Bluetooth® connectivity.

Standard equipment on the top-of-the-line 2014 Eos Executive is the RNS 510 navigation system, a rearview camera, and a 10-speaker premium sound system from the Danish audio specialist Dynaudio. This 10-channel system delivers up to a true 600 watts RMS without generating unwanted vibrations in the vehicle structure, setting a new standard in this class.

From the sporty, side-bolstered front seats with standard 12-way power adjustment for the driver (eight-way manual adjustment for the front passenger), to the supportive individual rear seats, the Eos is exceptionally comfortable and accommodating. To help make it easy for passengers to climb in the back, the front seats in the Eos are available with an electric easy-entry feature. This system is standard on the drivers’ side and optional for the passenger. Pressing the rocker switch allows the seats to power forward so passengers can step in, and then return to their original position.

With the Eos’ top raised, the trunk offers a generous 10.5 cubic feet of storage space. With the roof fully-retracted, there is still a usable 6.6 cubic feet. For longer items, a lockable pass-through is integrated into the Eos’s rear seats.

The 2014 Eos features Volkswagen’s award-winning 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder TSI® gasoline engine. This advanced, technically-sophisticated, direct fuel-injection powerplant produces 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque and features drive-by-wire throttle control and maintenance-free hydraulic lifters. One of the key reasons for the engine’s lively, responsive performance is that it produces all 207 lb-ft of torque from just 1700 rpm, allowing for easy passing and exits from tight curves.

The front-wheel drive Eos features the remarkable DSG six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission as standard. This fast-shifting automatic enables the Eos to deliver an EPA fuel economy of 30 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg in city driving. DSG combines the comfort and ease-of-use of an automatic with the responsiveness and economy of a manual. The six-speed, transversely-mounted DSG unit features two wet clutches with hydraulic pressure regulation. One clutch controls the odd gears—first, third, fifth and reverse—while the other operates the even gears. Essentially it is two gearboxes in one.

With DSG, the set-up allows the next-higher gear to be engaged, but remain on standby until it is actually selected. In other words, if the Eos is being driven in third gear, fourth gear is selected but not yet activated. As soon as the ideal shift point is reached, the clutch on the third-gear side opens, the other clutch closes and fourth gear engages under accurate electronic supervision. Since the opening and closing actions of the two clutches overlap, a smooth gearshift results and the entire shift process is completed in less than four-hundredths of a second. In addition to its fully automatic shift mode, DSG has a Tiptronic® function to permit manual gear selection. For even livelier performance, the DSG also features a Sport mode, which makes the transmission even more responsive to the throttle and will hold on to gears longer.

To give the 2014 Volkswagen Eos the ideal combination of sportiness and comfort, a fully independent suspension has been developed. At the front, a strut-type arrangement is utilized, with lower control arms, coil springs, and an anti-roll bar. At the rear, a compact four-link arrangement is mounted on a subframe that is acoustically decoupled from the main body to reduce road noise and vibration. On 2014 Eos Sport and Executive trims, the standard sport suspension has a ride height that’s lowered by around half an inch, while the springs and dampers have firmer settings.

Electro-mechanical power steering is also employed to enhance the driving characteristics of the Eos. It features variable assistance for increased feel and weighting at highway speeds, and less steering effort at parking speeds. Other advantages include its mild self-centering action, its ability to compensate for different driving hazards, like crosswinds and steep road cambers, as it dispenses with the usual engine-drive pump. The Eos has a tight turning radius of just 35.8 feet, which together with the optional Park Distance Control System on the Executive trim, makes for easier parking maneuvers.

Four-wheel disc brakes come as standard on the 2014 Eos, with 12.3-inch diameter vented front discs and solid 10.7-inch rotors at the back. ABS anti-lock braking is standard, along with Electronic Brake-pressure Distribution (EBD) and Engine Braking Assist (EBA). Another standard feature is a brake disc wipe feature to remove water from the rotors to help improve braking response, together with hill-hold control, and a brake pad wear indicator.