EOS – Hardtop Convertible, Volkswagen Style
For those of us who are hankering for a Mercedes SLK, but cannot afford to buy one, and are considering a Peugeot 207 CC, but don’t think it is classy enough, the good news is, there is always the EOS, Volkswagen’s latest offering in the world of hardtop convertibles.
First introduced in May 2006, it will make its first appearance here in Malaysia sometime in the second half of 2008. We expect it to be priced very much below a Mercedes SLK, but quite a little higher than a Peugeot 207 CC. Indeed, it is positioned somewhere in between the two.
You can get your EOS with a choice of four petrol engine options, with power ratings of 115 PS, 150 PS, 200 PS and 250 PS. In addition, a diesel engine with 140 PS is also available. For the Malaysian market, we expect that only two engine options, both petrol, will be made available, and they will most likely be the 2.0 litre, 200 PS engine, and the 3.2 litre, 250 PS engine.
On the invitation of Volkswagen Group Malaysia, AW had the chance to take the 3.2 litre version for a three-hour drive on the German Autobahn and the country roads around Munich recently. In the cool, end-of-summer, September temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius around Munich, it was great fun driving with the roof down, but only because we were wrapped up in sweaters and warm clothing. Of course the operation is electrically powered, and all you have to do is to press a switch to get it done. The EOS has the distinction of having a convertible that has a sunroof built into it. This means that if you are driving with the hardtop up, you can also open the sunroof, so that you can still enjoy the sun and not have your hair blown into your mouth when you are going fast.
When we started off in the morning, it was still a little chilly, but when the sun came out a little later, we began to appreciate why the Europeans like to have cars like these. They see so little of the sun for such a short time each year that they want to spend as much time as they can in it. In Malaysia, one would expect to drive around most of the time with the top up, and have it down only in the evenings when it is cooler, or after the rain when the air is fresh and cool. I suppose a convertible with a hardtop would be preferable to a soft-top for security reasons. The only drawback about driving with the top down is that sometimes when you pass farms, especially farms that have animals in them, or where fields have just been fertilised, you get not only the sights, but the smells as well. It is especially bad when you go past fields that have had manure put in recently. Still, where the air was clear, and the sky was blue, it is great to feel the wind in your hair.
On the road, we find the EOS to be an enjoyable car, with enough power to have fun driving, but not enough to make it a road burner. I would say that this would be a great car for someone who really does not need out and out speed, but enjoys going at a fast clip. The suspension is set up to be on the comfortable side of firm, and gives a little under hard cornering. Still, it goes through the country roads pretty well, and the driving is easy. The relatively soft suspension sure helps to keep your behind from getting sore, especially if you are traveling long distance.
If you like high speed cruising, the EOS is comfortable at anything between 180 km/h to 200 km/h. With a little bit of pushing, we managed 235 km/h on the open stretches of autobahn, and the car is quite stable at this speed. We had to slow down a little whenever there was traffic; it was not that heavy that day, and even though we know the German drivers are generally more disciplined, and will not make any sudden lane changes, my experience on Malaysian roads makes me tend to lift off and be a little more careful when approaching traffic from behind. To give credit where it is due, most European drivers generally signal before changing lanes.
On the country roads, the EOS rides the uneven surfaces very well, although it must be said that German roads are generally quite smooth to start with; you don’t get all those potholes and sudden depressions that are so common on our roads at home.
Fuel consumption? We drove only the 3.2 litre model, and the distance we covered was not quite enough to polish off the tank of gas, so we will have to leave that for another day, perhaps when the car gets here. Anyway, if you are in the right income bracket (read that as ‘high income’) to buy one of these, the fuel consumption will not be on the top of your priority list.
All in all, the EOS is a very enjoyable car to have; fast enough for one to have reasonable fun in, without suffering from any idiosyncrasies, with enough performance without being too thirsty, seats four (which is better already than the strict two-seaters) and exclusive enough that you will not see them running about all over the place.
