Vital statistics
Model Volkswagen Eos Sport 3.2 V6 FSI
Engine 3189cc, six cylinders
Power 247bhp @ 6300rpm
Torque 244 lb ft @ 2750rpm
Transmission Six-speed DSG automatic
Fuel 30.7mpg (combined cycle)
CO2 219g/km
Acceleration 0-62mph: 7.3sec
Top speed 153mph
Price £28,427
Rating
Verdict Nice engine, but overall, so-so
Choosing what car to buy next is probably more fun than actually buying it. And on that basis, one of the most fun sectors of the market right now is the small convertible with the folding metal roof. What’s it to be? The Renault, the Peugeot, the Ford, the Vauxhall, or the subject of this morning’s review, the Volkswagen Eos?
I’d been looking forward to this car because I like convertibles and I like the Golf GTI, and when all is said and done, the Eos is a convertible Golf GTI. Better still, the model they sent round was the 3.2 V6. So actually it was a convertible Golf R32. Yum.
It certainly looks good, mainly because the roof breaks down into five sections rather than the usual two. This means the boot doesn’t have to be the size of the Boeing factory to accommodate it. It also means you get more space in the cabin. Most cars of this type bill themselves as four-seaters but they’re nothing of the sort. In the Eos, there really is space in the back for two adults. Though obviously they won’t want to sit there when the roof’s down because, as I’ve explained many times, the only person who ever looked good in the back of a convertible was Hitler. Everyone else just looks windswept.
Other good things. Well, there’s a sliding glass sunroof for when you don’t want the entire roof folded away. There are two rollover bars that spring from the rear headrests if sensors think you’ve overcooked it. You get the brilliant DSG gearbox as standard. And with 247 horsepowers on tap, it’s pretty sprightly.
Then things start to go a bit wrong. First of all, the car I tested is a whopping £28,427 and even if you go for the 2 litre turbo, it’s still a mildly stratospheric £23,667. This might, just, be all right if you felt like you were sitting in a car with noticeably better quality than, say, the Ford. But you aren’t. Everything you touch – the window switches, the gearlever and the plastic around the key slot – feels cheap. And you get scuttle-shake.
VW says the Eos was designed to be a convertible from the ground up, but it sure as hell doesn’t feel like that when the roof is down. It feels like the front and the rear ends are connected by Plasticine. But worse still is the handling. Utterly devoid of any sense of flair, it feels rubbery and disconnected and completely uninterested in providing the driver with anything that might remotely be called “a thrill”. This would be fine, I suppose, if it were a refined and comfortable cruiser, but it isn’t – the ride is far too harsh.
Sadly then, the Eos doesn’t really cut the mustard. It’s clever and it looks good but the Ford Focus convertible is nicer to drive and much cheaper. Go ahead and have a test drive in both. It’ll be fun, since neither Ford nor VW will make you do it in a superheated phone box while being pounded by music you don’t like.
And no matter what shape you are, I guarantee they will have one in your size.
driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article1903692.ece
