Volkswagen Eos Hardtop Convertible -- A Hardtop for the Rest of Us
In times past, you had a price to pay for owning a convertible. The ragtop, or soft top, sported by most could be tough to clean and tended to look really worn, really fast -- especially if you left them outdoors. Manually opening and closing the top was often difficult. When I lived in Manhattan and Philadelphia in the '80s, the soft tops were often slashed by car thieves or vandals. What a hassle!
Comparatively, today's convertibles are, yes, a breeze. Electronic
controls have largely replaced manual ones. Soft tops are made out of far better material and they wear
better. But what I've always lusted after is a
hardtop convertible -- all off the style and freedom with less of the
hassle. But until recently, hardtop convertibles were reserved for the
very rich. Now
comes a car like the Volkswagen Eos, whose price is expected to be in
the $30,000 range when it hits the showrooms this summer.
The Eos will compete with the upcoming Volvo C70, and may even steal a
few customers from BMW's 3 series convertible. It features VW's DSG
(direct shift gearbox) transmission, which is always appreciated because it's a shiftable automatic.
What's outstanding is the "CSC" hardtop, of course. It's a new
combination of coupe (closed
position), sunroof (glass sliding/tilting), and convertible (open
position). This gives drivers the ultimate in flexibility: The
quiet security of a closed coupe, the sun-on-your-shoulders
appeal of a sunroof, and the wind-in-your-hair feel
of a full-fledged convertible. As someone who loves features that
do double (or triple) duty, I find this feature irresistable. Unfortunately, though, the Eos' exterior lines are
a bit plain vanilla for my taste. A sportier look would have worked
better. Judge for yourself.
On the practical side, even with the hardtop down, there is still a
fair amount of usable cargo space in the trunk. Enough, in fact,
to hold some groceries. In my book, this makes the VW
Eos worth considering even if you're not an single woman or a divorced middle-aged man.
The interior is classic
VW: nice materials, well laid out, air conditioned glove
box and all. New features include electronic controls on the sides of
both front
seats that allow for easy entry and exit to the rear by moving the seats fore and aft. Moreover, they remember the front
driver/passenger's position. I still found it takes some work to climb
into the back seat, though, as the door sill seemed high to me. Once
inside, the rear seats were quite tight in the tush, and wouldn't be
comfortable for women with bigger bottoms.
That said, the Eos is worth a look. $30K should buy you a lot of fun in the sun.
- Posted by
- Joanne Helperin January 4, 2006, 3:49 PM
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The first VW in ages that I would consider, very nice. The kids can't ride in my Miata, so this will get a look.
And yes, I've had my top vandalized, a hard top is very useful.
Is is definitely worth a look, and I think it will be more affordable than the other hardtop convertibles. But having sat in the back seat of it (I have kids too, so I always test it out), the back seat is really tight -- my arm was right up against the side of the car, and the seat bolsters were uncomfortably tight. I kept thinking that if there were an accident, the back seat would be a really dangerous place to be. And if you have car seats, the dimensions could be a real problem.
The new Volvo C70 hardtop convertible, on the other hand, while definitely more expensive, had a terrific back seat -- very roomy and comfortable. My only complaint about the C70 was that to get into the back seat, you have to climb over the seat belt leading from the pillar to the front seat. Volvo did this intentionally because it's safer to attach the belt to the car frame itself than to the back of the driver's seat, which is what VW (and BMW?) do. So it's a conscious decision, but it's a pain.
I'll be interested to see more pictures of it. Kind of hard to tell what it looks like from this one. I am very picky about convertibles. They have to look good with the top on, too. I can't stand the Lexus SC. Something about the proportions is off.