Six cars to watch for 2006 page1

We spoke with James Bell, publisher of IntelliChoice, and David Champion, director of auto testing for Consumer Reports, to get their views on the most intriguing new and redesigned cars for 2006.

Volkswagen has taken a beating in the U.S. because of concerns over declining quality. So you'd think VW would want to play it safe while working out the evident bugs in its production system.

Instead, the company is introducing an attention-getting new model. It's a hard-top convertible, no less, a type of vehicle that provides ample opportunity for quality problems. A motorized fold-away roof requires a virtuoso manufacturing performance. Otherwise, watch out for nasty problems like leaks, wind noise or, worse, getting stuck halfway open.

If it's well made, the EOS would seem to be a promising product and just the sort of thing to inject a little excitement into what had become a rather timid-seeming brand.

"EOS is interesting because it's a band new segment for VW," said Bell.

The four-seater's roof can be opened fully and, when closed, has a glass sunroof that slides or tilts open. The car also has a rollover protection system that deploys in a fraction of a second if an imminent rollover is detected.

U.S. versions will be powered by a turbocharged 200-horsepower 4-cylinder engine or an optional 250-horsepower V-6.