THE neighbours must have thought I was losing it. Up, down, up, down. It wasn't that I couldn't decide.

Logic told me up was a far more sensible option.

But to get to up I had to go down. And down necessitated going back up.

Imagine this, ad nauseum, and you have an idea of the degree of fixation I had with the mechanics behind the convertible roof belonging to VW's Eos.

Forget the fact that it's not the cutest of cars, that it has a backside more Bella Emberg than Brooke Shields, that the 2.0 litre version I had was not the pokiest around and, well, I could go on, but why, when there is an electric ballet going on over my shoulder?

At one point I thought of shouting for my wife to come and have a go just so I could watch it from the outside instead.

Human advancement is a wonderful thing. You'd never get a monkey designing anything like this.

Works of Shakespeare, maybe; a folding metal roof that vanishes quicker than a Paul Daniels' card trick - never.

It's the cutest five-piece since Girls Aloud and it will sell the car on its own before a key is even put in the ignition.

The Eos is named after the Greek God of the dawn.

She had four wind-related sons, according to legend, and the whole quartet must have been blowing when I finally set off.

Not ideal, I know, but such has been the state of our so-called summer that I had to make the best of a bad job.

Unfortunately, my fixation with the workings of the roof meant I forgot to fit the wind deflectors that were stowed away in the boot.

That said, I've been in worse convertible cabins.

Some papers I had inadvertently left on the front seat were still in situ five miles down the dual carriageway.

Admittedly, I don't have a great head of hair, but what there is was largely unruffled come the journey's end.

Noise intrusion is obviously unavoidable with the roof off, but the stereo proved a more than ample adversary to Mother Nature.

Unlike some competitors, this Vee Dub is more than just a one-trick pony. With the roof up you can go for the glass sunroof all the way back or tilted, a more likely option given the current state of our weather.

In topless mode, space in the boot is severely impinged upon.

I just about managed to get a fold-down pushchair in, but it took a bit of an effort and left little room for anything else.

Foot down, the two-litre Eos will reach the 60mph benchmark in 9.5 seconds, but flat out speed is not really what its designed for.

This car's for admiring the scenery, not blurring it.

The six-speed gearbox is super-smooth and the ride fine, so long as the roads are up to it.

Far too often we blame the cars we drive, when we should be aiming our rancour at the local authorities who neglect the upkeep of our highways.

Having just returned from Scotland, where they appear to take a fastidious pride in the state of their roads, I wish I was back there now so I could really put the Eos through its paces without running the risk of jarring my back. Inside, the electrically operated leather seats are more than adequate for those in the front but a little too upright for those in the back. I just about managed to fit child seats, but beware cricks in the neck if the little angels fall asleep as they tend to loll forward because of the angle of the rear bench.

The test car came with dash-integrated CD and satellite navigation system which, while I'm not their biggest fan, was relatively easy to use when I gave it a whir.

Speaking of whirring, I've just remembered I haven't played with the roof for a good couple of hours and there's a full moon tonight - it would be such a shame to keep it under cover.

SPECIFICATION

Price: £22,087
Engine: 2.0 petrol
Max power: 150 @ 6000rpm
Max torque: 148/200 @ 3500
Max speed: 130mph
0-60: 9.8 secs
Average fuel consumption: Urban 25.0; Extra-urban 43.5; Combined 34.0
Equipment (includes): ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist); ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) including EDL (Electronic Differential Lock) and ASR (Traction Control) driver's and front passenger airbags with passenger airbag deactivation switch; combined curtain and side impact airbag system for front and rear passengers.