Obviously, with the top down headroom is unlimited, but even with it up rear seat passengers will find it acceptable unless they are near six feet tall. Getting into the back seat is made much easier than usual; not only do the front seatbacks fold down, but the seat moves up to provide easier access. Legroom in the back is tight unless the front occupants move their seats forward.

Because part of the folding roof structure has to reside within the side panels when lowered, there is less usable width available for the rear seats, so it's not possible to seat three people in the back seat. The rear seatback is also more vertical than in the Jetta or GTI, as a result of creating maximum space for storage of the folded roof, making it less comfortable.

With the roof in place the rear seats are a trifle claustrophobic, although not that much worse than in most small coupes. The Eos is not a car for taking rear-seat passengers any great distance, but for cruising around town or at the beach with the top down it's a charm.

Passenger safety is enhanced by an active protection system whereby a roll bar in the rear pops up within a quarter of a second when sensors sense a serious accident is about to occur. Coupled with an extremely stiff front windshield frame this helps protect passengers in a rollover.

The dashboard in the Eos is similar to that found in the Jetta and GTI. It's the same layout with some changes to the trim. That's a good thing because the interior of the Jetta is regarded as being one of the nicest in this price range. The air vents are trimmed out with thin surrounds in brushed aluminum that set them off nicely. Lux models are trimmed with a strip of walnut stretching across the lower edge of the dashboard; another piece covers the area ahead of the gearshift in the center console.

We found the navigation system worked well. Unfortunately it's not as easy to view the screen it should be when the roof is open, because the screen is not shielded from the sunlight.

The speedometer and tachometer are located in two nice big round gauges in a compact instrument pod. Although they are easy to read, neither is in the center of the instrument cluster, which some drivers find disconcerting. Instead, there is an LCD in the center providing readouts and warnings. The analog coolant temperature and fuel gauges are also located between the speedometer and tachometer.

The trunk is a decent size with the top up, offering 10.5 cubic feet of storage space, which is not bad for a sporty coupe. A retractable cover has to be latched in place before the top can be lowered, to be sure that no luggage or other items are intruding into the space where the folded top has to go. With this cover in place the storage space shrinks to 6.6 cubic feet, similar to that of a two-seat sports car. Think of that as the price for the hardtop with the built-in sunroof and glass rear window, and it's not too bad a compromise. When you go on long trips you'll probably need to keep the top up. A lockable door in the center of the rear seatback allows loading long items, such as skis, through from the trunk.