Getting the Best Of Both Worlds
I dont know about you, but the first thing that pops up in my mind when the words "Volkswagen Convertible" are mentioned, is something along the lines of a 1988 Mk.II Golf Cabrio. Preferably a white one, white vinyl seats, white roof, and those white 14-inch snowflake alloy wheels. For some reason, thats always been the quintessential Volkswagen convertible, perpetually cute, just like the Cabrios and the New Beetle Convertible that followed it. But these cars never really strayed far from the effeminate girly nametag, which poses a problem for Volkswagen. This reputation of being toys for college-age girls or gifts for high school graduates, makes it so they arent taken seriously by VWs regular enthusiasts, despite being wholly good and properly engineered.
But Volkswagen doesnt want its convertibles to be forever associated with being overtly girly (who would?), | | The Eos doesnt exactly fit the typical Volkswagen Convertible mug shot. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) |
a stereotype thats as condemning (even by women) and hard to shake as any. The solution theyve opted for is to start from a clean slate with a new name and image. Luckily, the fortification of Volkswagens brand name from the upscale push of the Passat, Touareg and Phaeton hasnt done any harm. If anything, its shown that Volkswagen is equally good at building fun economical cars as those for more grown-up tastes. And while the Volkswagen name doesnt carry the same weight as Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz, the brand new Eos looks to be a perfect match against Volvo and Saab, two companies | | A roof over treason: Eos roof better than that of C70, despite being engineered by the folks that engineered and build the Swedish car. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) |
with heavy investment in the convertible market.
What sets the Eos apart from all the other cars on the premium convertible shortlist, except the Volvo C70, is its roof system. Its a folding hardtop and its Volkswagens first to boot. But the Eos shares more in common with the Swedish droptop than its particular roof-type status; the system on the VW was designed and engineered by the same people that did the C70. Volkswagen outsourced the design of the roof not to Karmann, its usual coachbuilding experts, but to OASYS (Open Air SYStems), the new joint venture between German roof manufacturer | | The outside metal portion works the roof, the little black tab does the sunroof. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) |
Webasto and Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina. Between the two brands, Volkswagen looks to be the one that had deeper pockets; Volvos version is less complicated, slower and lacks the glass sliding panoramic sunroof, something that VW can boast as a world first.
Operated by a two-piece lever made from hefty feeling polished metal and plastic, the whole roof can be opened in 25 seconds, or the interior panel in much less time. Its a completely automatic system, with no headliner latch to fiddle with, leaving the overhead console free of clutter. The five-piece roof is a stunning feat of engineering and a sight to behold even for those who are familiar with these dramatic events. Operated | | Yes, thats a sunroof inside the car. It really makes the coupe part of the Eos persona believable. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) |
by a total of eight electric-hydraulic cylinders, the roof goes from open to shut and vice versa in practically no time at all. After the windows are dropped, the sunroof slides back, followed by the decklid, which hinges to accept the collapsible ceiling. The rear glass panel magically peels itself up and away from the side pillars, before ever so gracefully folding down and away into the trunk. Time and time again it never ceases to amaze, nor operate without drawing a small crowd.
It takes only a brief look around the car to give an idea of the lengths that Volkswagen went to perfecting the roof and its operation. Inside, VW tried to make the convertible top as close as possible to a standard coupe, which means plush fabric lining, and a | | Even with a trunk full of metal and glass, theres still cargo space, and its accessible to boot. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) |
soft, rolling sunroof cover. The trunk hasnt been spared any of the details either, completely lined in carpet, and with the majority of the sharp, oil-covered bits hidden from sight by panels or more carpet. You wont even find such attention to detail in Mercedes finest SL-Class convertible. With heavy-duty struts holding the trunk lid up, Volkswagen also gave the trunk a self-closing feature that grabs and locks the lid shut to avoid unwanted slamming.
Cost and rocket scientist complexity aside, there are many benefits to opting for a five-piece design, for reasons rooted in the heart and head. It restores the ability of auto designers to build a convertible with a folding hardtop roof, instead of building a car around the roof system. It also helps out in the styling department as rear overhangs also need not | | Pretty face. Bodys okay, but its the best that could be expected, given the dimensions designers had to work with. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) |
be excessive, and front A-pillars so sharply angled and outstretched. The complex divided and folded roof also yields a decent sized trunk. Drive it as a coupe, and you get coupe-like trunk space of 13.4 cu-ft, but the surprise comes when the roof heads south. Not only is there still 7.2 cu-ft of space, it remains accessible through a somewhat small aperture. Though suitcases can fit, put them in first before lowering the roof to save the struggle and possibly breaking something. Longer objects can also be carried on board, as a ski-pass thru is standard.
Based off the words youre reading here - about the roof, about the marketing pitch and technology - without looking at photos, a long, lean and graceful car is to be expected, particularly since its named after the Greek goddess of dawn. In actuality, the Eos is a bit different. Rather, it looks squat and remarkably compact, | | Tail end not too long, and not too square. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) |
appearing just as small as the Rabbit. This can be explained by the illusionary effect of the wide body width. Lineage observed, I must say that the Eos filled out well, with flared hips and a pert little tail, but its more girl next door, than outright supermodel. Cute still rules in VW design. Nevertheless, there is nothing less than forward progression in the category of folding hardtop convertibles. Its derriere isnt at all dumpy looking, XXL-sized nor does it look like its wearing a box, and the shape of the roof line is more natural looking than what it runs up against in Europe.
Along those lines of being something different, if theres one thing that Volkswagen is capable of stressing, its that the Eos is not a Golf convertible (or, would that be a Rabbit convertible?). The brand has been extra vocal about this, pointing out that not a single body panel on the Eos is shared with any other Volkswagen, and theyre not making this up either. But under the skin, | | Light colored interior really elevates the sensation of luxury in the Eos. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) |
its a case of technicalities. The front suspension system is a carbon-copy from that of the Rabbit/Jetta/GTI, as is the length of the wheelbase, while the rear suspension is from the Passat. But then again the Passat is a spinoff from this main compact front-wheel drive platform. Regardless, that still makes the Eos a made-to-measure vehicle, a branch on the platform-sharing tree thats sprouted only for this car, and kudos to VW for taking the plunge on development costs.
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