VOLKSWAGEN

DAWN FREE Volkswagen’s Eos range represents their belated entry into the competitive Coupe-Cabriolet sector. Are the German giants right first time or committed to play catch up? Andy Enright reports

It’s always a little humbling when you fall flat on a subject you held yourself to be rather knowledgeable about. I must admit to feeling a bit of an ignoramus when Volkswagen announced their Eos coupe-cabriolet model at the 2005 Frankfurt Show and, for just a moment, I wondered why it had been named after a Canon camera. I then figured that there was probably a little more to the name and so it proves, originating from Greek mythology. It was a new one on me.

According to legend, Eos was the Titan Goddess of the Dawn who rose from her home at the edge of Oceanus, the ocean that surrounded the known world, to herald her brother Helios, the sun. As the dawn goddess, she opened the gates of heaven with "rosy fingers" so that Helios could ride his chariot across the sky every day. Eos is the iconic original from which Christian angels were imagined, for no images were available from the Hebrew tradition, and the Persian angels were unknown in the West. The worship of the dawn as a goddess is inherited from Indo-European times and translated into other cultures; for example Eos translated into the Latin Aurora and the Vedic Ushas. As names go for a car, it has to be said that it’s rather apt. This is certainly a new dawn for Volkswagen. For many years the company has done without the sort of sporty, desirable coupe or convertible models that rivals were making some serious coin from. You probably aren’t possessed of a complement of rosy fingers with which to herald the sun, but Volkswagen have a decent back up plan with a folding roof that goes from overhead to out of sight in a matter of seconds. So much, so predictable, but Volkswagen claim to have another trick up their sleeve with this roof. Not content with the normal concertina tin top, they have also managed to engineer a system that incorporates a sliding glass sunroof. If Helios is only putting in a half-hearted effort, there’s no need to be kept in the dark.

"The Eos is an extremely polished coupe-cabriolet"

The acid test of any car of this ilk is how it looks with the roof in place, as many have curiously distended posteriors. There is a slight chubbiness to the Eos’ rear but it’s definitely more Jennifer Lopez than Johnny Vegas. With the hood down, there’s no debate. The Eos aces all of the opposition in the affordable folding hard top class, the clean, wedgy hipline and restrained surfacing giving it a very mature yet elegant look. To this eye at least, it’s the best looking Volkswagen since the Corrado. Coming on the heels of the slightly awkward Jetta and Passat models, this is a welcome return to form from a company that had hinted at a sharper design direction with cars like the Golf. At 4.41 metres long, the Eos (priced from £20,025) is a bit longer than a Golf, at 1.79m a little wider and at 1.44m a tad lower. Its footprint is closer to the Jetta than the hatchback Golf and Volkswagen rather disingenuously claim that it occupies a position between Golf and Passat, therefore opening a new market sector. Volkswagen were late to this particular party and proclaiming they’ve started a new one isn’t going to wash. The Beetle Cabriolet will continue, effectively usurping the old Golf Cabriolet’s role as the affordable and fun drop top in the range. Volkswagen have higher plans for the Eos. That, rather than any notion of creating a new market sector, is what will separate the Eos from humbler fare such as the Renault Megane CC and the Ford Focus CC. In short, it’s a good deal pricier. It won’t surprise you to find that many of the oily bits are shared with the Golf. It would have been impossible to translate this car from the Concept C design study displayed at Geneva just 18 months earlier, were it not for the case that Volkswagen could pick as many off the shelf parts as possible. Therefore, you’ll find a similar multilink rear suspension set up, an identical electro-mechanical power steering assembly and many of the engines are familiar fare. The engine line up includes a 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged 122bhp entry level unit, a high-tech 2.0litre FSI with 150bhp and the engine out of the Golf GTi, the turbocharged 2.0-litre FSI that’s good for 197bhp. Pride of place in the petrol-powered line up goes to the 3.2-litre 247bhp V6 that should make the Eos a real handful. Diesel customers are catered for with a 140bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel. The TDI system was once derided as being far less effective than the new wave of ‘common rail’ diesel engines that have become popular and in terms of refinement, Volkswagen’s solution has lagged behind. No longer: the difference is now virtually negligible and this 2.0-litre diesel is leagues better than the previous generation 1.9-litre units. Although Volkswagen have used a number of generic parts beneath the surface, they’ve done a very canny job of giving the Eos its own identity. It must have been financially tempting to slap in a Golf fascia and have done with it. The Golf unit is attractive, functional and cost effective to produce but instead, the Eos gets a different shape dashboard into which existing switches and dials are slotted. The door mouldings and rear seats are also unique to the Eos. As an option, buyers can select electrically activated easy-entry seats that memorise the driver and front passenger’s seating positions and return the seats to this setting when the rear seat passengers have entered or exited the car. Another option is the rear latching system for the boot which closes the final few millimetres effortlessly. The boot itself is one of the more capacious for a car of this ilk, holding 205 litres with the roof cartridge in place and 380 litres when the car is in hard top mode. Standard equipment includes ESP, pop-up rollover bars, twin front and side airbags, plus specially designed thorax airbags. Sixteen inch alloy wheels are fitted to all models, bar the 3.2 V6 which gets 17" rims and there’s also air conditioning and electric windows. The Eos is the first Volkswagen that a new wave of customers will have considered buying. It’s a very polished offering and one that points to a sunny prospect for the German giant.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Volkswagen Eos range PRICES: £20,025-£29,590 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 10-17 CO2 EMISSIONS: 158-219g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0 T-FSI] Max Speed 144mph / 0-60mph 7.8s FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0FSI] (urban) 25.2mpg / (extra urban) 43.5mpg / (combined) 34.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Six airbags / ABS / ESP / rollover protection WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 4410/1790/1440

KEEPING THINGS IN PROPORTION So many ‘coupe cabriolet’ cars end up with rather distended backsides. Only now are manufacturers working out how to package the folding roofs a little more elegantly and Volkswagen’s Eos may well be the best of the bunch. Andy Enright takes a look at the 2.0-litre FSI model

It’s taken me some time to get my head around this. Convertible cars are all about looking good but the vast majority of the latest coupe-cabriolet models do appear a little distended around the rear end. My wife peers out of the window and refers to them as ‘Mrs Slocombes’ due to their generously upholstered behinds and the fact that they’re usually driven by ladies of a certain age. So keen have manufacturers been to jump on the folding metal roof bandwagon that they’ve taken their eye off the ball. You could count on one hand the number of well proportioned cars and to that select list we can add the Volkswagen Eos.

It’s one of the few cars of this kind whose convertible pretensions managed to escape the gimlet eye of her indoors and she was genuinely surprised when I pressed the button and sent the roof on its 25 second party piece into the boot. It was probably the combination of the attractive shape and the smokescreen of a sliding glass sunroof in the roof panel that fooled her. Once the hood is stowed, the Eos’ clean, wedgy hipline and restrained surfacing gives it a very mature yet elegant look. It’s easily the best looking car Volkswagen currently makes, sharper in its stance and detailing than the Jetta and Passat models, and of course far more of a head turner than the common or garden Golf. Break out the tape measure and you’ll find that the Eos, at 4.41 metres long, is a bit longer than a Golf, at 1.79m a little wider and at 1.44m a tad lower. Its footprint is closer to the Jetta than the hatchback Golf and Volkswagen rather disingenuously claim that it occupies a position between Golf and Passat, therefore opening a new market sector. Volkswagen was late to this particular party and proclaiming they’ve started a new one isn’t going to wash. The Beetle Cabriolet will continue, effectively usurping the old Golf Cabriolet’s role as the affordable and fun drop top in the range. Volkswagen have higher plans for the Eos. That, rather than any notion of creating a new market sector, is what will separate the Eos from humbler fare such as the Renault Megane CC and the Peugeot 307CC. In short, it’s a good deal pricier.

"The Eos is refreshingly devoid of the glaring faults that have so far typified the coupe-cabriolet genre"

The engine option we’re looking at here might not be quite so good looking but it’s impressive in its own right. Also available in standard guise but priced at £22,325 in the Sport trim featured here, the 2.0-litre FSI unit cranks out a respectable 150bhp without recourse to turbocharging which sounds good until you consider that the Eos tips the scales at a chunky 1481kg, a hefty 206kg over the weight of a similarly powered Golf hatch. This has a direct effect on acceleration, economy and emissions. The sprint to 60mph is covered in a relatively leisurely 9.5 seconds and while this 2.0-litre FSI model makes a good choice for those who want something a little posher than an Astra Twintop, if you need a car with a bit of grunt, it’s worth looking a little higher in the Eos line up at the 2.0T FSI model, the T standing for turbocharged. With 197bhp at its disposal, that car has some overtaking ability but you’ll need around £25,000 if you want it with the incredible DSG twin clutch gearbox (as you will if you try it on a test drive). FSI stands for Fuel Stratified Injection and this system promises the twin benefits of more power and better economy. A high-pressure fuel line mounted on the side of the cylinder head, often dubbed ‘common rail’, injects fuel straight into the combustion chamber. The shape of the pistons and the clever working of a set of valves make the air ‘tumble’, thus creating more efficient combustion. So far so good, but don’t a number of other manufacturers have the same set up? No. Where FSI engines really impress is their behaviour under part throttle loads. Whereas before, part throttle meant just that, partially strangulating the output by closing a butterfly valve, the FSI system can be run with the throttles in a more efficient open position. How? In effect by creating a rich fuel mix directly next to the spark plug and a leaner mix in other parts of the combustion chamber. This is not only more efficient in terms of how much fuel enters the chamber in the first place but it also means that less energy is wasted as heat to the cylinder block. In effect, a blanket of air shields the ignited fuel from the walls of the cylinder. When the throttle is pressed wide open, the engine reverts top a more conventional ‘homogenous’ method of filling the combustion chamber with fuel and air. The ‘tumble’ effect and the synchronisation of air and fuel along with the careful metering of the high-pressure injection system all combine to offer more power and a cleaner engine. When you’re dawdling, you get great economy and when you want to drop the hammer you’ve got more power. Whereas many ‘direct injection’ engines have been noticeably noisier than conventional petrol powerplants, the FSI unit offers both a pleasantly refined hum and instantaneous throttle responses. The formula seems to be a winner – more power and torque for less petrol and CO2. Company car users will be delighted with the competitive emissions which keep the tax burden to a minimum. The figures stack up well in terms of fuel economy too, the Eos averaging a very creditable 34.4mpg – curiously the same figure as the Eos 2.0T FSI. The Sport trim level gets you 17-inch light alloy wheels, additional chrome grille louvres, a cherry red rear light cluster, a sports suspension package, plus aluminium-look pedals and dash inserts. That’s on top of other Eos refinements such as ESP, pop-up rollover bars, twin front and side airbags, plus specially designed thorax airbags. Air conditioning and electric windows are also included. The boot is is one of the more capacious for a car of this ilk, holding 205 litres with the roof cartridge in place and 380 litres when the car is in hard top mode. The 2.0FSI is probably the best compromise model in the Eos range, offering decent equipment levels, a reasonable turn of speed and competitive economy. It’s not the most exciting drive but it has the feel of a properly premium product, which at this money it probably should. If you need something that’s good for the long run, this Eos is hard to beat.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Volkswagen Eos 2.0FSI Sport PRICE: £22,325 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 12E CO2 EMISSIONS: 204g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 124mph / 0-60mph 9.5s FUEL CONSUMPTION: 34.4mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Six airbags / ABS / ESP / rollover protection WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 4410/1790/1440

THE SUN AND AIR With a big engine and a commensurate price tag, the Volkswagen Eos 3.2 V6 had better be good. Short version? It is but with a caveat. Andy Enright reports

Volkswagen latched onto the coupe-convertible game relatively late but, on occasion, biding your time can pay dividends. Rather than launch feet first into the melee of mass market machinery, the German company set its Eos a step or two removed from the fray. If, like me, you were wondering why they chose to name a car after a Canon camera, Eos was, according to legend, the Titan Goddess of the Dawn who rose from her home at the edge of Oceanus, the ocean that surrounded the known world, to herald her brother Helios, the sun.

It won’t have failed to dawn on most savvy customers that this is, in effect, a Golf convertible and although Volkswagen does much to lever some distance between the two model lines, if you’re familiar with Golf brand values, you’re not going to be in for a big shock when you drive an Eos. The figures speak for themselves. This Eos, fitted with the brilliant twin-clutch DSG gearbox as standard, will zip off the line to 60mph in just 7.3 seconds and race on to a top speed of 154mph, the V6 possessing a cultured and charismatic soundtrack to boot. These figures are impressive but only marginally better than the excellent 2.0T engine found lower in the Eos line up. This is certainly a lot of engine for an open-topped car of this ilk to contend with. With fully 247bhp on tap, it’s relatively easy to generate rather a lot of force in the car’s chassis rather quickly and, with the hood down, there is the odd creak and shudder when hitting road imperfections. By the accepted standards of the class, it’s a very accomplished showing, but a sense of proportion is worth retaining. This is by no means a sports car. It’s a very rapid coupe convertible that can entertain with a bit of smooth, open road ahead of it but it doesn’t have the sheer grin factor of a well sorted hatch. Ride quality feels notably better with the roof in place, fixing the hood giving the car a significant extra measure of torsional rigidity.

"Definitely more Jennifer Lopez than Johnny Vegas…"

The acid test of any car of this ilk is how it looks with the roof in place, as many have curiously distended posteriors. There is a slight chubbiness to the Eos’ rear but it’s definitely more Jennifer Lopez than Johnny Vegas. With the hood down, there’s no debate. The Eos aces all of the opposition in the affordable folding hard top class, the clean, wedgy hipline and restrained surfacing giving it a very mature yet elegant look. To this eye at least, it’s the best-looking Volkswagen since the Corrado. Coming on the heels of the slightly awkward Jetta and Passat models, this is a welcome return to form from a company that had hinted at a sharper design direction with cars like the Golf. At 4.41 metres long, the Eos is a smidgeon longer than a Golf. It’s also a little wider at 1.79m and, at 1.44m, a tad lower. Interior space is decent in the front, not so smart in the rear, back seat space being sacrificed in order to offer meaningful boot capacity. The boot itself is one of the more capacious on a car of this ilk, holding 205 litres with the roof cartridge in place and 380 litres when the car is in hard top mode. Although the footprint of the Eos is closer to the Jetta than the hatchback Golf, Volkswagen rather disingenuously claim that it occupies a position between Golf and Passat, therefore opening a new market sector. Volkswagen was late to this particular party and proclaiming they’ve started a new one doesn’t really wash. The Beetle Cabriolet will continue, effectively usurping the old Golf Cabriolet’s role as the affordable and fun drop-top in the range. Volkswagen has higher plans for the Eos and that, rather than any notion of creating a new market sector, is what will separate the Eos from humbler fare such as the Renault Megane CC and the Peugeot 307CC. In short, it’s a good deal pricier. Standard equipment on this Sport V6 model includes ESP, pop-up rollover bars, twin front and side airbags, plus specially designed thorax airbags but you’ll still need £29,035 for this model. It’s worth remembering that this figure includes the DSG gearbox, which would be a £1,150 option on certain other Eos models. The added equipment such as Vienna leather, Westwood 17-inch alloy wheels and niceties such as an auto-dimming rear-view mirror go some way to explaining the price differential between this car and the 2.0T Sport model. If you’re counting on traditionally strong Volkswagen residuals when buying an Eos Sport 3.2 V6, it might be worth doing your homework first. It’s already apparent that the market has taken a shine to the 2.0T version, regarding it as a better engine in a car that offers better value than this rather thirsty 3.2-litre model, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see the six-cylinder car suffering in comparison. Owners will pay a premium in terms of fuel bills too, the 3.2-litre model averaging 30.7mpg as opposed to 34.4mpg for the turbocharged car. Emissions are also in a different bracket, the V6 putting out 219g/km, the 2.0T 194g/km. Insurance compares at Group 17 versus Group 15. Therefore, on a pure basis of cost of ownership, it’s tough to make a case for the 3.2-litre Sport model. Of course, a test drive may well be enough to seduce you, the smooth low-end torque and sonorous soundtrack being qualities that the 2.0T can’t quite match but most customers are nevertheless voting with their wallets. The Volkswagen Eos Sport 3.2 V6 is a very good car with a very good engine. Taken in isolation it would get a solid mark of eight out of ten from this judge. The thing is, buyers never buy cars in isolation. They compare and contrast, shop around for the best deals and, when spending this sort of money, do their homework rather thoroughly. It doesn’t take too much spadework to uncover the fact that when faced with its junior sibling, the 200bhp Eos Sport 2.0T, the 3.2-litre car emerges as a bit of a turkey. It does very little better and it does some things quite significantly poorer. Running costs are far higher and it can’t match the smaller-engined car’s nimble handling and superior steering response. A brilliant engine has thus rendered this model rather redundant. My advice would be to choose the 2.0T and trouser the £4,500 difference.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Volkswagen Eos 3.2 V6 PRICES: £29,035 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 17 CO2 EMISSIONS: 219g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 154mph / 0-60mph 7.3s FUEL CONSUMPTION: 30.7mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Six airbags / ABS / ESP / rollover protection WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 4410/1790/1440

ROOFLESS EFFICENCY Taking an elegant convertible and fitting it with a modest 1.4-litre engine seems a sure fire way to scupper its appeal. Can Volkswagen’s Eos still sparkle with 1.4 TSI power? Steve Walker reports

The open-topped motoring idyll can have a powerful effect. Every year it seduces thousands of us to spend vast sums of cash on cars without a roofs, this in a country with a climate that’s wetter than a mackerel’s mouthorgan. Show a convertible car to a British citizen and within seconds they’ll have mentally transported themselves off to an automotive utopia where they’re barrelling down rural lanes, the engine singing, the wind in their hair and the leaves left swirling in their wake. It’s beautiful but it all kind of hinges on the car having a bit of grunt. Does the dream sequence still hang together convincingly when the glorious convertible is powered by a measly 1.4-litre petrol engine? With Volkswagen’s Eos 1.4 TSI, there’s a chance it might.

It’s true, 1.4-litres doesn’t sound like a lot of engine for your dream drop-top, especially when the car in question is the elegant but sturdy Volkswagen Eos which comes complete with a weighty folding metal roof. You’d be right not to expect too much from the 1.4 TSI under these testing circumstances but this is no ordinary engine. The powerplant arrived to replace the entry-level 1.6-litre FSI unit that the Eos was launched with but by using advanced turbocharging technology it offers more power and greater flexibility. Don’t give up on the dream just yet. The 1.4-litre TSI engine as found in the Eos is not to be confused with the 1.4-litre TSI Twincharge engine that debuted in the Volkswagen Golf in 2006. That unit uses a turbocharger and a supercharger to produce either 140 or 170bhp but this 1.4 TSI makes do with just the turbo and the result is 120bhp. That’s still a decent amount to get from a 1,390cc engine but what’s most impressive is the way the power is delivered. Turbocharged engines of yesteryear always tended to deliver a pregnant pause between the application of the throttle at low revs and the power arriving at the wheels. This turbo lag is successfully banished in the 1.4-litre TSI Eos which manages to make its maximum torque of 200Nm available from 1,500rpm all the way up to 4,000rpm. Prod the accelerator anywhere in this wide power band and you’re rewarded with a fast, smooth flow of acceleration. 120bhp is never going to turn the Eos into a rocketship but it’s acceptably rapid with a 0-60mph time of 10.9s and a 122mph top speed.

"There’s little to touch the Eos in the affordable folding hard-top market"

The Eos manages to disguise its bulk on the road far more effectively than most folding hard-top convertibles. It’s reasonably taut through the bends and shudders or vibrations that would betray a lack of rigidity caused by an absent roof and largely absent themselves. The suspension is tuned for comfort in the entry-level trim that the 1.4 TSI engine is available in so the ride is smooth rather than sporty but the Eos can still be hurried along and is a rewarding car to drive in a way that very few of its rivals can replicate. With the roof up, the Eos is extremely refined and you’d be hard pushed to tell that it had the capacity to convert itself such is the lack of wind noise and the hushed engine note. The acid test of any car of this ilk is how it looks with the roof in place, as many have curiously distended posteriors. There is a slight chubbiness to the Eos’ rear but it’s definitely more Jennifer Lopez than Johnny Vegas. With the hood down, there’s no debate. The Eos aces all of the opposition in the affordable folding hard-top class, the clean, wedgy hipline and restrained surfacing giving it a very mature yet elegant look. To this eye at least, it’s the best looking Volkswagen since the Corrado. Coming on the heels of the slightly awkward Jetta and Passat models, this was a welcome return to form from a company that had hinted at a sharper design direction with cars like the Golf. Although Volkswagen have used a number of generic parts beneath the surface, they’ve done a very canny job of giving the Eos its own identity. It must have been financially tempting to slap in a Golf fascia and have done with it. The Golf unit is attractive, functional and cost-effective to produce but instead, the Eos gets a different shape dashboard into which existing switches and dials are slotted. The door mouldings and rear seats are also unique to the Eos. As an option, buyers can select electrically activated easy-entry seats that memorise the driver and front passenger’s seating positions and return the seats to this setting when the rear seat passengers have entered or exited the car. Another option is the rear latching system for the boot which closes the final few millimetres effortlessly. The boot itself is one of the more capacious for a car of this ilk, holding 205 litres with the roof cartridge in place and 380 litres when the car is in hard top mode. Being the entry-level engine option, the 1.4TSI is only available with the entry-level trim. Prices start at £19,990 and for that you get a specification list that runs to 16" alloy wheels, an MP3 compatible CD stereo, air-conditioning, front fog lights, speed sensitive power steering and remote central locking. The safety equipment is particularly generous with ESP stability control and traction control fitted as standard along with front, curtain and side airbags, ABS with brake assist, whiplash optimised head restraints and pretensioner seatbelts. At 4.41 metres long, the Eos is a bit longer than a Golf, at 1.79m a little wider and at 1.44m, a tad lower. Its footprint is closer to the Jetta than the hatchback Golf and Volkswagen rather disingenuously claim that it occupies a position between Golf and Passat, therefore opening a new market sector. Volkswagen was late to this particular party and proclaiming it had started a new one wasn’t going to wash. The Beetle Cabriolet takes care of business at the lower end of the convertible sector but Volkswagen has higher plans for the Eos. That, rather than any notion of creating a new market sector, is what will separate the Eos from humbler fare such as the Renault Megane CC and the Peugeot 307CC. In short, it’s a good deal pricier. The 1.4-litre TSI engine is the one you go for in the Eos range if you’re concerned about costs. Yes, the diesel has better fuel economy but it doesn’t come cheap and the 1.4 TSI’s combined cycle showing of over 42mpg isn’t that far off the oil-burner’s pace. The CO2 emissions of the two engines are virtually identical with the 1.4 TSI at 159g/km and the 2.0TDI just 1g/km better off. The Eos feels like a quality product and appears to justify its price premium over the other more rickety protagonists in the folding hard-top convertible market. This bodes well for residual values as, of course, does the VW badge on its nose. Convertibles are all about pleasure but ultimately we all have to live in the real world. There’s no doubt that the glorious sunny days with the roof down work that much better with a creamy V6 providing the soundtrack but what about the rest of the time? When you’re languishing in traffic on your rain-sodden commute or lining the chancellor’s pockets by filling up with yet another tank of over-priced unleaded, you might catch yourself wishing you’d made a more prosaic engine choice. In the Volkswagen Eos, the 1.4 TSI could be that engine. There’s little to touch the Eos in the affordable folding hard-top market and the car’s quality more than justifies the price premium it commands over rivals. If you wanted outright performance, you’d pass on this entry-level 1.4 TSI engine and upgrade to one of the larger petrol or diesel units but if you want to enjoy driving with the roof down while keeping the costs down, the 1.4 TSI is a good compromise. It’s mildly fast, pleasantly smooth and surprisingly economical for a turbocharged petrol engine. Here’s one entry-level engine that won’t turn your drop-top dream into a nightmare.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Volkswagen Eos 1.4 TSI PRICES: £19,990 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 8E-17 CO2 EMISSIONS: 159g/km PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 122mph / 0-60mph 10.9s FUEL CONSUMPTION: 42.2mpg (combined) STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Six airbags / ABS / ESP / rollover protection WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 4410/1790/1440

GIVE ME SUNSHINE Models Covered: (2dr coupe-convertible, 1.6FSI, 2.0 FSI, 2.0T FSI, 3.2 V6 petrol, 2.0TDI diesel [base, Sport])

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Volkswagen may have been late to the coupe-convertible party but the car they eventually developed, the Eos, is one of the very best of its type. It’s not cheap and used examples are in strong demand. With no weak models in the line up and strong reliability, it’s hard to go wrong. These days when Volkswagen sets out to develop a new car, they don’t tend to cut corners. Aware that they charge a premium price for their wares, a certain level of superior perceived quality needs to be built in and the Eos coupe-convertible was no exception. Ostensibly a Golf convertible for a more demanding age, the Eos combined good looks and a decent drive, racking up very respectable sales. Here’s what to look for when searching for a used example.

Perhaps Volkswagen was a little shamed by the fact that the Golf Convertible which sold from 1998 to 2003 turned out to be something of a half-baked job. Essentially a Golf Mk III – a car model that dated from 1992 - with a Golf MK IV nose grafted onto it to hoodwink customers, it was developed in a time when Volkswagen thought all it had to do was put its badge on the bonnet to guarantee sales. Those days are long gone and post-millennial Volkswagen is a company that is aware that Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Renault are not concerns to take lightly. Hence the depth of engineering that has clearly been lavished on the Eos. Arriving in dealerships in June 2006, the Eos has ticked over some respectable numbers for Volkswagen. Had it been launched three years earlier it would undoubtedly have been market leader by now but elbowing aside cars like the Peugeot 307CC, Renault Megane CC, Astra TwinTop and Focus CC isn’t a simple task. Positioning the Eos as the upmarket branch of a two pronged attack that targets the budget end with the Beetle Cabriolet has been an interesting tactic. Late in 2007, a 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine was introduced to replace the erstwhile entry-level engine, the 1.6 FSI.

The acid test of any car of this ilk is how it looks with the roof in place, as many have curiously distended posteriors. There is a slight chubbiness to the Eos’ rear but it’s definitely more Jennifer Lopez than Johnny Vegas. With the hood down, there’s no debate. The Eos aces all of the opposition in the affordable folding hard top class, the clean, wedgy hipline and restrained surfacing giving it a very mature yet elegant look. To this eye at least, it’s the best looking Volkswagen since the Corrado. Volkswagen had another trick up their sleeve with this roof. Not content with the normal concertina tin top, they have also managed to engineer a system that incorporates a sliding glass sunroof Although Volkswagen has used a number of generic parts beneath the surface, they’ve done a very canny job of giving the Eos its own identity. It must have been financially tempting to slap in a Golf fascia and have done with it. The Golf unit is attractive, functional and cost effective to produce but instead, the Eos gets a different shape dashboard into which existing switches and dials are slotted. The door mouldings and rear seats are also unique to the Eos. As an option, original buyers could select electrically activated easy-entry seats that memorise the driver and front passenger’s seating positions and return the seats to this setting when the rear seat passengers have entered or exited the car. Another option was the rear latching system for the boot which closes the final few millimetres effortlessly. The boot itself is one of the more capacious for a car of this ilk, holding 205 litres with the roof cartridge in place and 380 litres when the car is in hard top mode. Standard equipment includes ESP, pop-up rollover bars, twin front and side airbags, plus specially designed thorax airbags. Sixteen inch alloy wheels are fitted to all models (bar the 3.2 V6 which gets 17" rims) and there’s also air conditioning and electric windows.

If early indications are anything to go by, the Eos clings to its value more tenaciously than any other car in its class. You’ll need at least £17,000 to get yourself into one of the first 1.6-litre FSI models. The 2.0-litre normally aspirated FSI petrol engine has proven popular and these kick off at £18,250. You’ll need to add nearly £1,000 to get hold of a used 2.0-litre TDI model. The 3.2-litre V6 variant remains quite a rare sight but used examples are starting to appear, priced from around £25,000 on a 56 plate. Insurance ranges from Group 8 for a 1.6-litre petrol up to Group 17 for the punchy 3.2-litre V6.

The folding roof mechanism has been reliable without the sort of problems that dogged Peugeot and Renault when they were trying to popularise folding tin tops for the masses. Keep a look out for cars that have been flogged by corporate users and ensure that servicing has been attended to diligently. Check the car’s specification carefully, as some of the more desirable features weren’t standard on lower spec cars. Metallic paint is a must and leather is a key selling feature.

(approx based on a 2006 Eos 1.6 FSI) An exhaust system is about £195. A clutch assembly will be around £95 and an alternator should be close to £145. Brake pads front and rear are about £65 and £50 respectively.

It won’t surprise you to find that many of the oily bits are shared with the Golf. It would have been impossible to translate this car from the Concept C design study to production reality in just 18 months were it not for the case that Volkswagen could pick as many off the shelf parts as possible. Therefore, you’ll find a similar multilink rear suspension set up, an identical electro-mechanical power steering assembly and many of the engines are familiar fare. The engine line up includes a 1.6-litre 115bhp entry level unit, a high-tech 2.0litre FSI with 150bhp and the engine out of the Golf GTI, the turbocharged 2.0-litre FSI that’s good for 197bhp. Pride of place in the petrol-powered line up goes to the 3.2-litre 247bhp V6 that makes the Eos a real flier. Diesel customers are catered for with a 140bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel. The TDI system was once derided as being far less effective than the new wave of ‘common rail’ diesel engines that have become popular and in terms of refinement, Volkswagen’s solution has lagged behind. No longer: the difference is now virtually negligible and this 2.0-litre diesel is leagues better than the previous generation 1.9-litre units.

The Eos is a car that Volkswagen should have introduced at least two years earlier. Bad news for them but the good news for used buyers is that it is a very well finished and expertly developed product as a result. The pick of the range is probably the 2.0-litre TDI diesel version although the turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol remains the driver’s choice.