“Named after a Greek
  goddess, the all-new
  Volkswagen Eos lets
  four adults enjoy open-
  top motoring at the
  push of a button at any
  time of the day or
  night...”

THE NEW VOLKSWAGEN Eos is the latest in a long line of VW convertibles stretching back over 50 years. In the past, VW Beetle and Golf convertibles or cabriolets have proved very popular with lady owners of all ages, but the new and larger Eos will extend the appeal — not only to 'executive women' — but to their male counterparts as well. Having the metal folding roof instead of canvas allows the Eos
to make inroads into the company car market, where its larger dimensions and hard top security are both strong selling points.

Unlike the Beetle and Golf, Volkswagen says the Eos is a purpose-built four-seater coupé-cabriolet. Not just a saloon or hatchback with
the roof removed — it benefits from a 'clean sheet' design — so has greater torsional rigidity and strength. It is also not a derivative of
the new Golf or Passat models, says VW. At 4,204mm in length, it is 203mm longer than the Golf and 358mm shorter than the Passat.
More importantly, the styling characteristics with the roof up make
the Eos look like a well-proportioned hard-top coupé.

The Eos has a five-section electric folding roof that takes 25 seconds to open or close. The unique feature of this roof in its class is that
it also has a unique tilt-and-slide sunroof that can be used when the metal top is in place. Using a five-part roof also means the front
A-pillars are kept fairly short and upright (for better visibility). The
boot section, where the roof is stowed when down, does not encroach into the interior of the car; thereby improving interior space for rear seat passengers. With the roof closed, there is 380 litres of boot space; with it folded down, the luggage capacity is par for the course at 205 litres.

Two trim levels are available: standard and Sport, with prices ranging from £19,370 to £28,095. All models are equipped with ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) and twin front and combined curtain and
side impact airbags for both front and rear passengers. Semi-automatic air conditioning, fog lights, electric windows, electric heated and adjustable wing mirrors, radio/CD player, 16-inch alloy wheels, parking sensors and lockable load-through provision are also standard.

Moving up the range, Sport trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, an upgraded audio system, aluminium-look pedals, decorative aluminium dash inserts and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Eos is offered with a choice of five engines: four petrol — including a turbocharged FSI direct injection unit — and one diesel. These are the 1.6-litre 114bhp FSI; 2.0-litre 148bhp FSI; 198bhp 2.0-litre T-FSI; 3.2-litre V6 with 247bhp; and 138bhp 2.0-litre TDI. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, while the 198bhp petrol and the TDI will be offered with Volkswagen's innovative DSG automatic gearbox, which is standard with the V6 engine. V6 and DSG models can be ordered now, but deliveries will not be made for several months.

VW say that it's on the cards that their new TSI technology super-charged and turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine — just launched in the Touran and Golf — will be added to the Eos line-up at some
point in the future.

The Eos, named after the Greek goddess of the dawn, is built at VW's AutoEuropa factory in Setubal, Portugal. VW says the UK is expected to be the third largest international market for Eos, behind Germany and the USA.

Volkswagen UK expects to sell 2,600 Eos coupe/convertibles in the remaining 5 months of this year; and 4,000 in a full year. Fleet sales should account for around 30 per cent of UK Eos sales, with women expected to feature highly as users. Diesel models are likely to
appeal to 20 per cent of Eos customers. Overall, the likely best selling variants will be the 2.0-litre FSI 150PS models with manual trans-mission priced at £20,790 or, for the Sport version, £21,735.

The UK's convertible market is growing rapidly, offering even more choice for buyers as more and more models are being added. The Eos comes hot on the heels of the Astra TwinTop and, later this year, will be followed by Ford's Focus Coupé-Cabriolet. In 2005, sales for small
to medium sized cars were 70,460 units, representing a 2.9 per cent share of the total new car market. Market leader last year, according to industry data experts EurotaxGlass's, was the Megane Coupé- Cabriolet followed by the Peugeot 307CC, Mini Cabriolet, Peugeot 206CC, Saab 9-3 Convertible, Vauxhall Tigra, Audi A4 Cabriolet, Ford StreetKa and the BMW 3 Series Convertible.

In its class, the Eos goes head-to-head for sales with the new Astra TwinTop, the well-established Renault Megane CC and Peugeot 307 CC, all of which are cheaper. The expensive Volvo C70 is also an option but can be discounted because of its comparatively lacklustre performance and higher price.

The Eos is better in most ways than all of these. If you have more money to spend, the Audi A4 cabriolets, starting from £25,730, are certainly worth consideration because of their exemplary build quality and badge appeal. Another consideration for the future will be the
Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet which will be competitive for price, performance and specification, and is being reported as having prices starting from 17K.

On paper against its Peugeot, Renault and Vauxhall competitors, the new Eos seems expensive. However, everything about this newcomer
is superior and the long-term trade-in values should be higher as well.

During this week's Media 'first drive' the only Eos version available for
a pre-launch test drive was the £23,315 Sport 2.0-litre T-FSI. Of course, the test car was fitted with a long list of extra cost options so the real price — should you also choose to add the same goodies — could set you back close to a further £6,000, putting you firmly in Audi A4 Cabriolet territory.

With its turbocharged, direct-injection Golf GTI-sourced petrol engine serving up 198bhp of power and gutsy torque (207lb ft between 1,800 and 5,000rpm), this particular Eos is a fast and very responsive car. Top speed is 144mph, and the 0-62mph time is a very respectable 7.8 seconds. These figures speak for themselves. Average fuel economy should be around 33.6mpg and my test car, over a 100-mile route of
A- and B-roads and motorways, returned a reliable 30.1mpg.

The refinement, responsiveness and in-town driving flexibility of this powerplant, enhanced by a slick six-speed transmission, is by far the most 'social' of all the go-faster engine options available in this sector. VW's view is that most customers will opt for the 150PS FSI non-turbo engine. And this will not disappoint owners either. Alternatively, the 140PS turbocharged TDI diesel unit will provide good and economical motoring. You can see this is a very comprehensive and well thought-out range that will have a broad appeal for all kinds of owners.

The handling of the Eos is also the most refined in the sector. There is virtually none of the roof-down body shake usually associated with these types of cars. The suspension is very compliant but not too soft and wallowy. It delivers sharp handling, plenty of grip, little body roll and feels very stable.

And the Eos deserves further praise for that clever roof. The main feature is that it folds ingeniously into the boot and does not limit the amount of space for rear passengers. Unlike most of its competitors, the Eos is a true four-seater. There is a slight downside in the fact that the roof does take up considerable boot space when stowed because of its packaging. But then, so too do those of the Astra TwinTop and the Volvo C70. However, I prefer to have the space within the cabin and could happily live with the Eos's crowded boot. And to be honest, the Eos looks better proportioned from the outside than the Peugeot and Megane CCs, both of which suffer from huge
rear ends.

The optional wind deflector covers the rear seat area so it cannot be used with rear passengers in the car, but it works really well to limit 'wind-spill' and buffeting inside the car if just the front seats are occupied.

Inside, the Eos is very much a class act. There's a good specification as standard, but do be aware of the expensive extra cost goodies:
the must-have rear wind deflector, for example, is a £230 extra cost item. The Eos's quality is best in its class, no doubt about that, and the attention to detail of the switches and controls is very good. Many, as one would expect, are directly from the Golf and Passat, which could only be good news.

With so much going for it few Eos customers will worry about the fact that boot space is a tad on the tight side or that it costs a bit more, sensibly paying more attention to the fact that residual values should be better anyway.

And anytime they have trouble getting to sleep, they can count their Eos's blessings: an exemplary drive, refined, good quality and comfort, first-class packaging, roomy rear seating and handsome looks. Oh,
and don't forget that secure folding metal roof with its cleverly-integrated tilt-and-slide electric sunroof. Sweet dreams are made of
this. — David Miles

Volkswagen Eos 2.0 T-FSI Sport | £23,315 Maximum speed: 144mph | 0-62mph: 7.8 seconds Overall test MPG: 30.1mpg | Power: 198bhp | Torque: 207lb ft