Road Test: Volkswagen Eos

Review by Peter Maniatis - 4/December/2007

I've absolutely fallen in love with the Eos – so apologies if this review is a little bias. But I really like this car - it's an absolute ripper. 

Volkswagen's new Eos personifies the definition of the good value, head-turning lifestyle vehicle and you know what? You could even do away with Viagra with this thing sitting in your driveway.

This car not only looks good, feels good but is actually fantastic to drive and although a stylish convertible, it's still very functional.

I had the pleasure of driving the 6-speed manual model and did I have fun with it. The turbo enhanced 2.0-litre engine is beautifully matched to the 6-speed gearbox in a way that offers both serious and relaxed drivers something satisfying.

The ballet-esq movement of the complex 5-piece rooftop mechanism morphing this car from coupe to free rider had me reminiscing my engineering lectures at Uni. My dynamics lecturer would be turning in his grave working out how many degrees of freedom were taken into consideration when designing this little beauty!

Everything about the Eos suggests that a lot of thought has gone into the styling and the mechanics, and at a price that is relatively accessible – especially for what you get in this car:

Drive: 3.5/5

There are a lot of good things about this car and the main one that stands out is that it is a lot of fun to drive. The handling is tight and steering precise so when you decide to take the car for a long drive up through the hills you won't be disappointed with its dynamics.

It's not as sporty as the Golf GTI, but it feels like a middle-of-the-road sports car with strong acceleration from the 147kW turbocharged petrol engine and good grip from its 17-inch wheels and tyres to keep you punting hard, corner after corner.

The car isn't too long (4.4 metres) or too wide (1.7 metres) which makes town and traffic driving easygoing, while parking the vehicle isn't bad either. 

It has that certain European style that many will love, which only adds to the enjoyment of driving the car. It is an absolute delight for zipping around town thanks to its powerful 4-cylinder engine, and especially with the top down because it looks so exclusive.

With the roof up – the car feels like a fixed coupe and has all the weather protection of a normal car. Sound intrusion into the cabin was at a low level and the body felt quite rigid and sedan like which improves drivability. 

With the roof off (and windows up) you could still get very clear sound from the stereo, low levels of wind swirl, and still enjoy the open air feeling of driving a convertible. 

The roof system is very good. Volkswagen calls it a CSC-roof, which stands for convertible sliding and coupe roof. It is completely automated - you hold a button and in 25 seconds the roof can be completely opened or closed. I even managed to do it while waiting at the traffic lights, which caused a flurry of attention.

When you do open the roof for that big sky feeling, the automatic air conditioning ("Climatronic" in VW's words) adjusts accordingly. If the car detects it's cold outside the heater blows warm air onto your feet, and the hot air rises to warm your body. But when you open the roof and the car detects that it's hot and sunny, the air-con turns on and blows the cooler air through the adjustable dashboard vents.

Driving the car is very easy as well. I really liked the dash layout which made using the cars functions second nature before long, and the positioning of the gear stick, pedal placement and the leather grip on the steering wheel added to the feeling of driving a genuine sports car.

It did tend to bunny-hop and scrabble for grip in wet weather and I figured it was the extra power coming from the turbo petrol engine that was causing a little grief. Perhaps the lads at VW will give it some extra consideration in a MK2.

Another option would be to test the diesel version. It's slightly cheaper, but has less of a power hit than this turbo petrol model.

But even with some hiccups in low grip conditions like wet roads, the suspension conforms well to its surroundings and provides a smooth ride. You will feel some pot holes in the road coming through the chassis as the wheels roll over them, but most of the time the Volkswagen Eos's suspension soaks up the road biscuits.

At the end of this seven day road test, my opinion of Volkswagen had risen quite a bit. This car is a serious contender in the thriving convertible coupe market with a super sporty 2.0-litre turbo engine giving it a real sports car feel but a size that won't leave you wondering 'will it fit in that car park?'

Engine: 4/5

The 2.0-litre turbo engine certainly has plenty of thrust. This makes the Eos a lot of fun to drive.

If 4-cylinders, intercooling, turbocharging, 4-valves per cylinder and direct injection are a foreign dialect to you, just think of the engine as small, frugal, efficient, but with enough power to keep a V6 honest.

You can feel the torque right through the rev range which gives the Volkswagen Eos a real sports car identity with a genuine get up and go feel. To quote Mr Torr, it's not slow.

Volkswagen says it'll hit 100km/h in just under 8.0 seconds, but it feels much quicker than that. It's also got a claimed top speed of 232km/h, and I guess we'll have to take VW's word for it!

With an expanse of torque, 280Nm from down low in the revs (1800rpm), the wife will enjoy its ease of use and smooth drivability, while you can show off to your mates with its turbo power. Or vice versa if your wife or partner is the rev head.

Basically, the refined engine is very friendly, and can be enjoyed by all types of drivers.

Shifting through the gears like a rabbit is an absolute delight. I drive an automatic Ford Territory when with the family, but I'm a real fan of a genuinely sporty manual car, and this one is so much fun. 

After test driving this car I recommended it to a mate of mine. He subsequently tested one from a Volkswagen dealer and fell in love. I told him how to spec it up with the 18-inch wheels and leather interior but forgot to tell him about the difference between the manual and the automatic DSG shift. Can’t win them all. 

I'm sure the auto is as much fun – he says it is.

But on all fronts the Eos engine and gearbox combination exuded European ingenuity. Smooth, refined, tight and a delight. It's economical too. With 6-cylinder power but 4-cylinder fuel consumption (8.4L/100km), the hassle of only being able to fill it with ultra-premium high octane 98 RON petrol is workable.

I like the ample thrust and a willingness to rev hard and fast whenever you plant the foot. It also means that you can dart in and out of traffic and through town with ample agility and purpose.

This is definitely a type of car you can just turn on and go places without having to be too precious.

Exterior: 4.5/5

The car looks great from all angles. It's not the cheapest coupe convertible on the market, priced at around $50,000, but it is one of best designs if you ask me. 

As a whole the Volkswagen Eos has one of the most balanced designs of any of the convertible models on the market. It is well proportioned and stylish and the main details (head and brake lights) have a modern European look. 

The brake lights use LEDs which adds another level of attraction to this German designed and engineered convertible.

The chrome accents at the front around the grille give the car a very “rich” image but without going over the top.

The Volkswagen Eos is also one of those convertible cars that doesn't look ungainly when the roof is deployed. Some of these new convertibles look as though their rear end is extending just a little too much to be fashionable, particularly in coupe mode when the roof is over your head, which is understandable when you consider the extra space that is required to house the roof when it's folded.

But somehow the VW Eos has managed to deliver attractive proportions without an oversized rump.

The overall design reminds me a bit of the Volkswagen Jetta, only with more fashionable headlights and featuring a sportier coupe body style that can transform into a convertible 25 seconds.

Our test model was supplied with optional xenon headlights that not only add a high-tech look and feel to the front of the car, but they even follow your direction around corners. I thought this to be a gimmick at first – but I must say that it helps significantly as you turn and weave around corners after sun down.

Interior: 4/5

Inside the Eos feels very plush and Audi–esque. Everything is where it should be and falls easily to hand, and it looks smart. The impressive cabin layout features a combination of red and blue lights that illuminate the centre console and instrument displays at night time (or in tunnels) and the dashboard is clean and elegant.

There's enough room for an adult in the back – but not for an interstate jaunt. The stereo is more than adequate and the heating – scrumptiously European, very hot when you need it – also warms your bottom. 

The way the heating/cooling changes when you open or close the roof is also good, as when it's hot the air conditioning increases when you drop the top.

While cloth sports seats are standard, our test car came with optional Napa leather seats ($3,890) which were soft and comfy and smelled great. The two tone leather seats looked good too, breaking up the darkness of the black interior.

Feeling every bit a luxury car, it has optional extras that appear to be ripped straight from a BMW. Very luxurious, and very expensive. Here's a selection:

Metallic/Pearl Paint: $690
Satellite Navigation: $2,990
Vienna Leather: $3,290
Napa Leather: $3,890
Electric front seats: $1,490
18-inch alloy wheels: $2,490
Dynaudio 600W Premium Stereo: $1,990
Xenon Cornering Headlights: $1,990

It wouldn't be hard to easily splash another 10 grand on your Eos to make it super spunky, but even as is it's a very luxurious vehicle with standard leather steering wheel, gear shifter and handbrake. All the important controls that the driver will be in contact with the most.

There's plenty of room inside for driver and passenger and the gear stick in particular is lovely to handle, finishing in chrome and leather giving it a sports-luxury feel.

The boot was spacious enough with 380 litres with the roof over your head, and 205 litres when the roof is open. 

This isn't best in class - that goes to the new Ford Focus CC - but there is a partitioned cavity that showed you where you could place your goodies with the roof down. But with the roof up you could certainly get a set of golf clubs to the range and back without a problem.

We had a play with the GPS and while it works, I'd describe it as adequate. But these days I'm a big fan of the TomTom style third party satellite navigation devices and would love to see some Bluetooth device that integrates your existing sat navigation into a cars flat panel display.

Some of the standard features that come packed with all Eos models include the 5-piece CSC roof system, front fog lights, remote central locking, dual zone climate control, low tyre pressure indicator, auto dimming rear view mirror, rain sensing windscreen wipers, cruise control, 6-disc CD stereo with 8 speakers, rear parking sensors and electric windows.

The Volkswagen Eos has a good safety setup, with ESP and ABS ensuring the wheels rarely lose traction, four airbags that cover all four passengers, and roll bar system rises from behind the rear seats in just 0.25 seconds in the event that the vehicle rolls over with the roof open.

Overall: 4.5/5

Certainly the Eos has great styling, a very gutsy engine, more than adequate handling and enough fidgety gadgets to keep you amused long into a purchase. I personally loved the dancing xenon lights.

If you want a European car, this one is made in Portugal, the Eos would be a good choice. It has a premium look, premium features, and drives very smoothly. And have you had a look at the cost options? Premium all the way.

I'd recommend this car to anyone - heck, my mate's already snagged one after I told him it was a pearler. It is a fantastic lifestyle car; the kind of trendy cruiser that you just head out and have some fun with. The mundane drive can instantly become a pleasure cruise in the Eos.