By Tushal Bhadang
VOLKSWAGEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN for producing some of the best cars with a variety of engine options on offer. Combine that with a new body form that defies the logic of convertible hard top cars, the new Eos is all that and a whole lot more. At first glance, with the top up, the Eos is easily mistaken for a regular two door coupe with a sun roof. But the rabbit in
VW’s hat of tricks is that the whole roof folds back to reveal a cabriolet. Though it takes 25 seconds to eventually get the roof completely down, its well worth the wait and a watch too.
Our test car was powered by a 200 bhp, 4 cylinder, 2 litre FSI Turbo charged engine, which is one of the most popular engines in the VW/Audi portfolio and finds itself in many of their cars. A 6-speed automatic double clutch DSG transmission tames the wild horses. (Eh? What’s this?) The double clutch system actually prepares the next gear for shifting so that there is minimal lag in gear shift and also the smoothness of the shift is impeccable. So while you’ve shifted
into 3rd gear via the flappy paddle shifter on the steering wheel, the Eos was keeping the 4th gear ready for you to shift into before you even wanted to shift. It’s also possible to shift
into manual mode via the paddle shift when in D or S (Sports) mode. The D mode also has tip-tronic shift system at the gear shifter. Too many options I feel. Sports mode is the most fun
with the engine red lining in all gears. 0-100 kph comes up in 8 seconds with the roof up.
Running on 215/55 R16 Adelaide alloy wheels, the Eos tracks straight and tight. Loading 200 bhp onto the front wheels of a car is often a waste as the wheels have to deal with both steering and also power delivery. VW have turned this into a fine art, getting the rear to swing out in a front wheel drive car is no easy feat, push a little harder and I’m sure it’d go into tripod mode. The front bumper is a bit lower than expected so caution at speed breakers in advised. The chassis seems derivative of a Golf GTi. The standard braking package of ABS, EBD and ESP find their way into the Eos, reliable. Feel safe with 6 air-bags to cocoon you in an impact. Bi-Xenon lights for high beam and low beam find their way up front supported by fog lamps in thebumper. Unique static cornering lights complete the look and purpose in the front by lighting up the kerb when turning. Parking sensors are essential as the view from the rear glass is vague. The sensors also provide important warning about rear clearance in case the roof has to be pulled up or down. Turn signal indicators on the wing mirrors are snazzy. The rear view mirror and driver
side wing mirror also tint themselves when the roof is down at night, useful feature. Efficient and eco friendly LED braking lights signal the stops. Ergonomics in the Eos are spot on with excellent
adjustable lumbar support. Driving position is adjustable for best comfort with height adjustable seats and steering adjustable for rake and reach. The steering wheel also has controls for the 6-disc 8-speaker audio and interactive display in the speedometer console (which doesn’t play MP3’s!) but can be upgraded to the optional GPS Navigation system. Though VW claim that the car can seat 4 passengers in comfort, which would only be possible if the two in the rear
were dwarfs. There isn’t much in terms of rear leg room. With the seats set for taller
people it’s impossible to get in. The rear does tend to get a little claustrophobic because the rear
windshield is quite low.
Last Word
The Eos is without doubt an engineering masterpiece. Performance on the road with short turning radius and excellent power to weight ratio give a good overall balance. Interiors are comfy but practical only for two full size adults. There is no B pillar, the rear quarter glass and pillarless door glass are sealed by rubber strip which lets some air in thereby creating some wind noise at high speeds. Only the sun roof has auto retract and close option, if you want the whole roof drawn back, you’ll have to toggle onto a small button for the whole 25 seconds. The clean classic black interiors don’t make it a very bright space to live in but the beautifully blue
and red backlit console makes up for the dreariness. Good buy if you’re a couple and a little more, great for the metro-sexual. Just bury the pedal for tarmac shredding performance!
Rating 3/5
Car supplied by Behbehani Brothers, Kingdom of Bahrain
VOLKSWAGEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN for producing some of the best cars with a variety of engine options on offer. Combine that with a new body form that defies the logic of convertible hard top cars, the new Eos is all that and a whole lot more. At first glance, with the top up, the Eos is easily mistaken for a regular two door coupe with a sun roof. But the rabbit in
VW’s hat of tricks is that the whole roof folds back to reveal a cabriolet. Though it takes 25 seconds to eventually get the roof completely down, its well worth the wait and a watch too.
Our test car was powered by a 200 bhp, 4 cylinder, 2 litre FSI Turbo charged engine, which is one of the most popular engines in the VW/Audi portfolio and finds itself in many of their cars. A 6-speed automatic double clutch DSG transmission tames the wild horses. (Eh? What’s this?) The double clutch system actually prepares the next gear for shifting so that there is minimal lag in gear shift and also the smoothness of the shift is impeccable. So while you’ve shifted
into 3rd gear via the flappy paddle shifter on the steering wheel, the Eos was keeping the 4th gear ready for you to shift into before you even wanted to shift. It’s also possible to shift
into manual mode via the paddle shift when in D or S (Sports) mode. The D mode also has tip-tronic shift system at the gear shifter. Too many options I feel. Sports mode is the most fun
with the engine red lining in all gears. 0-100 kph comes up in 8 seconds with the roof up.
Running on 215/55 R16 Adelaide alloy wheels, the Eos tracks straight and tight. Loading 200 bhp onto the front wheels of a car is often a waste as the wheels have to deal with both steering and also power delivery. VW have turned this into a fine art, getting the rear to swing out in a front wheel drive car is no easy feat, push a little harder and I’m sure it’d go into tripod mode. The front bumper is a bit lower than expected so caution at speed breakers in advised. The chassis seems derivative of a Golf GTi. The standard braking package of ABS, EBD and ESP find their way into the Eos, reliable. Feel safe with 6 air-bags to cocoon you in an impact. Bi-Xenon lights for high beam and low beam find their way up front supported by fog lamps in thebumper. Unique static cornering lights complete the look and purpose in the front by lighting up the kerb when turning. Parking sensors are essential as the view from the rear glass is vague. The sensors also provide important warning about rear clearance in case the roof has to be pulled up or down. Turn signal indicators on the wing mirrors are snazzy. The rear view mirror and driver
side wing mirror also tint themselves when the roof is down at night, useful feature. Efficient and eco friendly LED braking lights signal the stops. Ergonomics in the Eos are spot on with excellent
adjustable lumbar support. Driving position is adjustable for best comfort with height adjustable seats and steering adjustable for rake and reach. The steering wheel also has controls for the 6-disc 8-speaker audio and interactive display in the speedometer console (which doesn’t play MP3’s!) but can be upgraded to the optional GPS Navigation system. Though VW claim that the car can seat 4 passengers in comfort, which would only be possible if the two in the rear
were dwarfs. There isn’t much in terms of rear leg room. With the seats set for taller
people it’s impossible to get in. The rear does tend to get a little claustrophobic because the rear
windshield is quite low.
Last Word
The Eos is without doubt an engineering masterpiece. Performance on the road with short turning radius and excellent power to weight ratio give a good overall balance. Interiors are comfy but practical only for two full size adults. There is no B pillar, the rear quarter glass and pillarless door glass are sealed by rubber strip which lets some air in thereby creating some wind noise at high speeds. Only the sun roof has auto retract and close option, if you want the whole roof drawn back, you’ll have to toggle onto a small button for the whole 25 seconds. The clean classic black interiors don’t make it a very bright space to live in but the beautifully blue
and red backlit console makes up for the dreariness. Good buy if you’re a couple and a little more, great for the metro-sexual. Just bury the pedal for tarmac shredding performance!
Rating 3/5
Car supplied by Behbehani Brothers, Kingdom of Bahrain
2 comments:
Hey are you a professional journalist? This article is very well written, as compared to most other blogs i saw today….
anyhow thanks for the good read!
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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