VW hopes EOS will be god of sales
The Greeks knew who got the sun up and going every day.
It was Eos, goddess of the dawn.
Working under the cover of darkness, Eos opened the gates of heaven, springing her brother Helios, the sun, for his daily celestial pass.
Earlier this year, Volkswagen introduced its new four-passenger hardtop convertible and called it Eos. The name is meant to convey images of sunshine, of course, but it works equally well as a metaphor for the new day dawning at VW.
Or perhaps better — the old day come again at VW.
Twilight Detour
VW was known for building affordable, fun-to-drive cars until someone spiked the Wolfsburg water. For reasons still shrouded in corporate mystique, the company slipped off the straight-and-narrow onto a weird, twilight detour. It sampled the luxury sedan (Phaeton) and upscale SUV (Touareg) markets. It installed an exotic, W12 engine in the midsize Passat.
Confusion reigned. Heads rolled.
Ultimately, the Phaeton and W12 Passat were cancelled, though the worthy Touareg motors on.
Now, the Eos follows the 2007 Rabbit back onto familiar VW turf. The new drop-top is a value proposition pure and simple. Its $29,990 base price is $710 less than the sticker on a Pontiac G6 hardtop convertible and thousands less than Volvo’s C70, Eos’s closest European competitor.
But can we mention VW and Volvo in the same breath? Of course, we can. Its flirtation with the upper strata might not have been such a good idea – isn’t that what Audi is for? – but VW still knows plenty about building cars with the refinement and flair the European market demands.
What Could Be Cooler?
While there’s plenty to like here, the top is the real attraction. It’s an animated slice of mechanical ballet.
Touch a button, and the top lifts, separates itself into three stacking sections and deposits the works into the trunk. The operation takes 25 seconds, in either direction, and transforms a coupe into an open-air boulevard cruiser.
Or vice versa.
With the top up, the trunk offers 10.5 cubic feet of storage; when it’s stowed, storage is reduced to 6.6 cf. Not massive, but still an impressive feat of engineering and design.
Embedded in the forward panel is a massive, tinted-glass sunroof that slides open at the touch of a second, console-mounted button.
Extra bracing, added to stiffen the body structure in lieu of a top, takes its toll on interior space. The world is swell up front, but rear-seat passengers don’t fare as well. At 5-foot-9-inches, I squeezed in but it wasn’t pretty.
Cabin design is vibrant and fresh and materials quality is beyond reproach. The instrument and gauge panels glow in VW’s trademark shades of red and blue. Switchgear operates with precision and the proper heft. With each generation, VW interiors inch closer to first-cousin Audi’s brilliant designs.
At freeway speeds, the cabin remains surprisingly serene, which is the true benefit of the hardtop.
Rock-Solid Ride
That extra body bracing pays off in ride and handling. Although it’s oriented to comfort at the expense of bleeding-edge handling, the ride is controlled and stable. There’s little cowl shake as the Eos hustles across railroad tracks and rough road surfaces.
An optional sport package adds 17-inch wheels and leather suspension, but not much in the way of additional stiffness.
The Eos is powered by a turbocharged, 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter four or, in the uplevel 3.2L, a 250-hp, 3.2-liter V-6. The base, six-speed manual transmission could be more precise through the gates but still plays well.
VW’s exceptional clutchless manual transmission, DSG, is available on all but the base model and is standard on the 3.2L.
Model Range
The base trim level doesn’t qualify for any options, but it’s fairly well equipped as is, with air-conditioning; CD audio with MP3 jack; tilting steering column; power windows; power-folding and heated mirrors; smart-looking, 16-inch alloy wheels; and convincing leatherette upholstery.
Lined up on the side of safety are antilock brakes, with brake assist and brake-drying system; electronic stability control; and anti-slip control. A brake-wear indicator alerts the driver when it’s time to install new pads.
The top-of-the line 3.2L gets the six, along with a raft of uplevel amenities. Its $37,480 MSRP will deter all but the most ardent buyers, though.
A Guy Ride?
The original Eos enjoyed the attentions of more than one of the guy-gods. In fact, VW closes a circle here: Counted among Eos’s offspring were the winds Jetta and Passat. Sound familiar?
VW hopes its Eos will inspire similar passion down here in the mortal coil.
Europeans can choose from among several mid-priced hardtop convertibles, but Stateside our choices are scant. Now Volkswagen has altered the landscape, slipping a multi-talented sweetheart with a winning personality into the mix.
VW plans to strike just 12,000 to 13,000 copies a year, so best to claim yours while the day is still young.