Volkswagen Eos (2006-) Review

Overview

• Next: Reliability and Quality

It really was only a matter of time before Volkswagen joined the folding-hardtop convertible brigade, as it has now done with the Eos. Named for the Greek goddess of dawn for cringe-makingly obvious reasons, the Eos goes on sale July 2006.

The first and most difficult task faced by any designer cooking up a folding-hardtop convertible is making it beautiful. Well, nobody's yet managed that trick with four-seater versions. Peugeot's 307CC is a lumpen mess and while the Renault Megane CC is quite a good effort, it's still back-end-heavy. In fact, that's where the compromise has to happen, aft of the C-pillar where the sectioned hard roof panels have to find space to live. So the best any of this lot can hope for is 'pretty'.

From some angles, that's what the Eos is. But from most, it's dumpy and squat, especially with the roof up. That's less true with the roof down, but trust us, you won't be buying this car for its looks.

The Eos's roof is a very trick piece of design, with a five-piece (instead of the usual three) construction. Those five sections are animated by an electro-hydraulic pump with a total of eight hydraulic cylinders. Its complex, but its 25-second opening or closing operation is a very smooth (and mesmerising) production.

The other thing that VW is keen to emphasise - and it's a fair point - is that this isn't a convertible Golf. The nose looks family-familiar, but it's all new, and the body doesn't share one single panel with any other VW. It's longer than a Golf, and sits on a wider track. And the front suspension is pure Golf, while the rear set-up is derived from the Passat.