What is it?
 
Nine years after the last Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet ceased production, there's a new one. It’s smaller and cheaper than the VW Eos and has a fabric soft-top.
 
Technical highlights
 
That roof – which opens in an impressive 9.5sec, and can be operated while driving at up to 18mph – is similar to the Audi A3 Cabriolet's, as is the truncated-tail look of the body, but the Golf's windscreen rake, while 'faster' than that of a Golf hatchback, is not quite as laid-back as the open A3's. So the roof is slightly longer.
 
There's lots of structural reinforcement to compensate for the roof-chop, consisting of reshaped sill sections, diagonal bracing bars in the front and rear underbody, boxing-in of the space between rear subframe and spare wheel well, and enclosure of the bottom of the engine bay. The result is the stiffest structure of any open-top car in the Volkswagen group. Weight rises by 183kg over the three-door hatchback.
 
What's it like to drive?
 
The structure feels super-stiff, with almost no detectable shake and shudder. It's an impressive achievement, which makes the Golf feel almost like a sports car if you have the right engine. The most invigorating is the 207bhp, 2.0-litre, direct-injection turbo familiar from the Golf GTI, which makes 0-62mph possible in a claimed 7.5sec. It comes only with a six-speed DSG, which probably suits its intended market as the dynamics are softer-edged than a GTI's.
 
The accurate, nicely-focused steering and pliant ride are common to all versions. I also tried two open Golfs with exactly half the power of the 2.0, which were a 1.6 TDI and a 1.2 TSI. Both have pace adequate for most buyers' needs, and if 0-62mph times around 12 seconds will provide few thrills, the meagre fuel thirst will offer a different sort of wellbeing. Both had sweet-shifting six-speed manual gearboxes.
 
Hood-up, there's hardly any wind noise. This is one impressive soft-top.
 
How does it compare?
 
It's better to drive than an Eos, being lighter and stiffer in the body. Soft-top rivals are few – BMW 1-series, Audi A3 and arguably the Mini. It's better value than its German competitors, roomier and more rigid than the Mini.
 
Anything else I need to know?
 
The windscreen's top rail is quite slender, with thin sunvisors, so it's not as in-your-face as in some convertibles. It adds to the sense of space, which is maintained with the roof up because the glass rear window is large and there's plenty of headroom front and rear. Rear seat space is generous, too, as is the boot – whose capacity isn't affected by the hood's position. The rear seats can fold forward for a bigger load bay.
 
UK deliveries start in September, but pricing from around £21,000 to £29,000 makes it on a par with the open A3 and more expensive than coupe-cabriolets from Peugeot, Ford and Vauxhall – these last two are on borrowed time anyway.