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Eos: VW rolls out its new steel-roof convertible at the Detroit Auto Show

By Tom Janiszewski

Can you remember the last time Volkswagen offered two different convertibles in the United States? Many of you may not because you weren’t alive yet. During 1973 and 1974, VW dealers very well could have had a Beetle Convertible sitting next to a Karmann Ghia Convertible and a Thing.

This fall, the cutting-edge Eos will join the New Beetle Convertible in showrooms all across America. If you’ve wanted a VW convertible but the New Beetle is just not your thing, then the more masculine Eos may be just what you were waiting for.
Eos is a VW convertible unlike any you’ve ever seen. If the roof is up, the uneducated will easily mistake the car as another sedan because Eos is the first VW ever with a folding steel roof.

The concept of a motorized retracting hard top is hardly new. If you do remember all three of those air-cooled VWs in showrooms, then perhaps you’ll also remember the Ford Skyliner convertibles from the late ’50s with their one-piece hardtop section that stowed under the trunk lid. Eos shares more in common with the Ford than with any other VW that has come before it.

VW is calling Eos a convertible coupe — the world’s first four-seater car with a five-section roof that combines the characteristics of a coupe, sunroof sedan and convertible all in one vehicle. When closed, the car has a sleek, masculine coupe-like appearance. Eos bodywork shares no components from the new Golf, Jetta or Passat despite the fact that all share the same platform. Up front, Eos is graced with the same chrome grille treatment that, unfortunately, is also found on the new Jetta and Passat. The chrome grille is a shot of “bling” that distracts from the elegantly styled headlights and the sporty lower three-piece grille and fog light arrangement. Order the car in silver or a lighter color, and the grille doesn’t yell “HERE I AM” quite as much.

Side panels are simple yet sporty — sharp body lines around the wheel arches, just under the beltline and a deep contour along the rocker panels give the car a firm, grounded look. Large 16-inch alloy wheels are standard on cars with VW’s renowned 2.0T, 200-horsepower, four-cylinder engine while those with the 3.2-liter, 250 horsepower V6 will sport 17-inch wheels.
Around back, the taillight design is similar to the Jetta and Passat: large, a round white lens section flanked by red sections that wrap around the rear corner for the car with sections that continue on the trunk lid. The overall tail design is clean and elegant. A large VW logo in the center of the trunk lid is not just there for decoration —press the top of the logo, and the trunk lid opens.

And the Eos’ trunk will be one of the most interesting interiors you will ever see. Pop the lid, and you’ll see a divider attached dead-center to the trunk floor, creating a storage bin within the trunk. Because the collapsed roof panels and hardware need a fair amount of trunk space, cargo space is limited to the area inside bin. The opening into the bin is narrow, but the divider easily lifts when the roof is closed and can be snapped into an open position for easier access or for added storage space. The divider can be removed to increase trunk space as long as the roof is not going to be lowered. Think the New Beetle Convertible’s trunk is small? Despite Eos’ large rear deck, trunk space is just about that of the New Beetle Convertible if you’re planning any top-down motoring. Folks who need to carry skis or other long items will appreciate the fold-down arm rest that allows longer items to fit when the roof is closed.
While the trunk is interesting, the roof itself is amazing. When closed, you can hardly tell that the car is a convertible. The only hint is a narrow seam between panels in the C-pillar area. Inside the car, it’s even harder. Volkswagen convertibles were known for their hand-made, fully lined convertible tops since the air-cooled Beetle days. While you could often see sections of the roof frame in other convertibles, this was never the case with the Beetle, Ghia, Rabbit or Golf convertibles.

Eos continues the tradition. From inside, the roof looks like that of any typical sunroof sedan: fully lined with a sliding panel to cover the smoked glass sunroof. If you don’t want to lower the roof completely, the roof’s first section is a glass tilt/slide sunroof section which provides one of the largest sunroof openings one can get. To open the roof completely, flip a switch and the roof automatically disappears in less that 25 seconds. When driving at higher speeds, wind buffeting can be diminished by raising a wind deflector in the windshield frame.

The Eos interior is a mix of familiar elements (light, air conditioning and radio controls), as well as many that are unique to the Eos. Power-adjust front seats are a VW first, and their longitudinal settings can be saved and restored at the touch of a button. Door panels are unique to the Eos as is the cockpit and rear seat system. Speaking of the back seats, legroom for the rear seat passengers is good, and the seating position is a bit more comfortable than that in the Beetle.

As with most new VWs, most options are standard: ESP, air conditioning, fog lights, power windows and ambient lighting. Options will include a 600 W Dynaudio sound system with 10-channel amplifier and 10 loudspeakers, bi-xenon headlights with dynamic and static cornering lights.

Safety features front and side air bags for front seat passengers. Rollover protection is provided by headrests that extend upward in a quarter of a second should the car roll over.

So, how much are you going to need to get yourself the most high-tech VW convertible? When Eos goes on sale later this year, prices will start at around $28,000 for the four-cylinder model with loaded V-6 models in the $35,000 range.

Overall, Eos is a great-looking car that addresses some of the shortcomings found in prior VW convertibles. There’s no boot cover to manually attach, rear visibility with the top down is as good as it gets, and folks opting for the V-6 will get the power critics missed in VW convertibles (turbo New Beetle Convertible not included).

Eos will give buyers another German convertible that comes in above the New Beetle, but far under Mercedes and BMW. Just as the air-cooled Beetle and Ghia convertibles sold happily together, so will the New Beetle.