Vehicle on test
Volkswagen Eos
Good:
Looks, ride & handling, equipment
Not so Good:
Price, boot space
Overall:
These days, the new car market is all about niches. Take Audi, for example. Ten years or so ago, their range consisted of around seven or eight cars, but now it’s nearer twenty; everything from a family-sized hatchback (A3) to a large off-roader (Q7) and even a supercar (R8). They – and others – have realised that only so many customers want to buy a small estate or an executive saloon and so they’ve had to branch out.
It’s a bit like that with Audi’s parent company, too. Volkswagen’s range now goes from an entry-level hatchback (the Fox) to a mini-limo (the Phaeton) and even a large 4x4 (the Touareg) with more niche models to come. No real surprise, then, that the current trend for four-seaters that have a folding hard-top roof has seen VW come up with the Eos, a real alternative to the likes of the Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet, the Vauxhall Astra Twin-top and the Peugeot 207 CC.
First impressions; the Eos is an attractive car with the roof up or down, although to be fair, you’d have to be trying really hard to design an ugly coupe-cabriolet. You mustn’t think of it as a Golf with a clever roof – it’s far more than that. Two trim levels (standard and Sport) are available, with an impressive amount of kit on the standard model that includes ESP, air-con, parking sensors and lots of airbags. Opting for the Sport adds bigger alloys, a better sound system, sports suspension and a tyre pressure warning system.
Offered with a choice of five engines – four petrol and a solitary diesel – the Eos range starts at £19,695 for the 1.6 FSI and rises to £28,400 for the 3.2 litre V6 Sport. We tested the 2.0 litre FSI Sport, the model VW reckon will be the best seller, and were impressed by the way it drove. It feels well built and handles well, although it’s quite a heavy car and so its performance isn’t stunning. That’s missing the point of owning a car like the Eos, though – you don’t need to go quickly when you’ve got the wind in your hair.
The Eos has one major problem, however - its price. Volkswagens have always been on the pricey side and the Eos is no exception. Our test car started off with a price tag of just over £22,000 but when leather seats, “Chicago” alloy wheels, a wind deflector, a multifunction steering wheel and a luxury pack were added, the price rose to around £25,000. Equivalent cars from Ford, Vauxhall and Peugeot cost several grand less, so we’d probably ignore the VW badge and suggest opting for one of the Eos’s cheaper rivals if asked.
Report by Mark James
