Test Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Eos Highline

By Kevin Harrison

A friend of mine commented recently on how many white haired men seem to be out and about in Ford Mustang convertibles this summer. These men, presumably fresh into their mid-life crises, are often seen in rural areas of my home province of Nova Scotia.

Isn’t that strange? Not the rural areas part, but the fact that convertibles (or cabriolet’s if you want to be European about it) are made for and marketed towards a young and youthful image and yet it seems baby boomers that are the ones driving them off dealership lots. We see young California university freshmen show up for class on in convertibles on TV shows, but in the real world, I know of no one in my generation that actually owns or wants a convertible, save for perhaps something more exotic like a Benz cabrio or a BMW cabrio, but even then I’d wager they’d opt for the more sensible choice of the sedan versions in the end. Why is that?

Well here’s the thing. In today’s age being flashy about everything you own is about as appropriate as fist bumping the Queen. And as many young people know, getting a job in an unrelated field is quite difficult, let alone getting a job in a related field. The world’s economy, despite what politicians may say to ensure their re-election, isn’t what it used to be. Also on the top of youthful minds is the awareness of our environment. We are the ones that are going to have to live on this planet well after the baby boomers’ time expire. So inefficient flashy convertibles, while once an attainable dream, are not nearly as desirable. And it shows.

Almost every automaker is reporting increased and sometimes even record sales this year except for in one segment. You guessed it, convertible sales are down for almost every automaker that offers them.

Volkswagen currently offers two convertibles in the form of the Beetle and the Golf based Eos. The former has just been redesigned and will be out next year and the latter has also been redesigned. Clearly Volkswagen still sees potential in this market. Does the Eos have what it takes to survive the sinking ship?

The convertible is one of the few vehicles where you pretty much have to get the exterior styling right or you can end up with, well, the Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible. Luckily the Eos has evolved nicely from the previous generation as it dons the Volkswagen corporate look which features a wide horizontal grille and reshaped headlamps. The rear also gets the corporate treatment with LED tail lights and the Highline trim level adds a diffuser and 18 inch wheels. With the top down, the Eos provides the classic convertible looks with a high belt line near the rear and a short angular hood. My tester’s bright red paint with its cream coloured exterior also helped it earn second glances, but the Eos also comes in much more sedate colours and trim levels for the discreet buyer. With the roof up, the Eos can look a bit awkward from certain angles, but overall the hard top does help it transform into a coupe decently. The Eos also offers a sunroof. Yes, you read that right, there is a sunroof on a convertible. I thought that was pointless too until I found myself actually using it rather than folding the entire roof down during the evening hours. So engineering a sunroof into a convertible really wasn’t just done for the sake to prove that it can be done, rather it does provide some usefulness as well.

Inside is typical Volkswagen fit and finish. The dash is nicely laid out, if a bit conservative looking. Volkswagen enthusiasts will be quite familiar with all the controls as only the gauges are unique to the Eos. Typically Volkswagen quality is unmatched and for the most part this is true for the Eos however I noted that the leather covering surrounding the emergency brake is quite easy to slip off accidentally, not to mention that centre pass through in the rear seats easily detaches itself completely. Still, there is adequate legroom in the back for short trips, however the polite thing to do would be to keep all the windows up with the top down so your rear passengers don’t end up with hair do’s from the 80’s.

Rear trunk space is quite limited, as you’d imagine, since most of it gets taken up from the folding hard top, which by the way, folds in a mesmerizing way. The good news is if you put any items in the trunk where the roof would otherwise be, the Eos will refuse to fold its top until you move those items. The roof folds fairly effortlessly by lifting a switch behind the centre armrest, however the switch needs to be held in place for the full 25 or so seconds that it takes to complete the transformation from coupe to convertible (and vice versa). This means you have to wait until operation is completed and you have both free hands for things like, like putting on your seatbelt, adjusting mirrors or choosing your favourite radio station. Speaking of the radio, my tester came equipped with Sirius satellite radio which was great for the first two days. Then the subscription abruptly ended and I was stuck with Halifax’s worst offerings in radio. The sound quality was excellent, however.

The Eos gets Volkswagen’s 2.0 litre turbocharged 4 cylinder engine which produces 200 horsepower and 207 pound feet of torque. This engine is mated to an automatic transmission only which would be a shame except for the fact that it’s a dual-clutch transmission which makes for quick and smooth shifts. Paddle shifters also help out for the seamless shifting. However when leaving the transmission to its own devices, it’s clear that it has been set up for fuel efficiency as it tends to upshift as quickly as possible making for a rather dull drive. The other issue is noticeable lag when hitting the gas from a standstill, but the turbo eventually spools up to catapult the Eos forward with gusto. Since there is a tendency with some lag, the Eos will easily chirp its tires once the turbo kicks in.

In sedate driving situations the Eos handles corners comfortably and effortlessly. The big wheels and low profile tires can make big bumps noticeable, however for the most part it feels like you’re driving a premium convertible. Put the Eos through its paces and it will have a tendency to under steer a bit with a heavy feeling front end. With that said, thanks to the Eos’ relatively small stature, the Eos is still quite tossable in the corners and you can have some genuine fun as long as you know where the Eos’ limits are. There is also a noticeable difference in how the Eos handles with the top up and with it down. The Eos has a more solid and rigid feel while cornering with the top up, but not so much with the top down as it looses its rigidity and the added weight of the roof in the trunk throws off weight distribution.

But all that performance stuff isn’t really what a convertible is about, is it. Convertibles are meant to be attention grabbers that allow for open sun casual relaxed driving by the countryside. They’re meant to be weekend cars, not track stars. As such, the Eos does exceptionally well and should you choose to run it as your daily driver, you’ll be mostly free from the harsh elements of winter with that hard top.

But really, the Eos is close to being that convertible that works perfectly for generation Y. It’s not too flashy and thanks to the 2.0 litre engine, it does decently well on gas. But here’s what I mean when I say it’s close, not a perfect ‘vert for gen Y: the price, as optioned out is $56,000. That’s hardly affordable for most young people. The real winner in the Eos’ trim level opptions is its Comfortline trim which not only helps to reduce some flashiness with no LED running lights and 17 inch wheels instead of 18’s, but more importantly it’s a good 10 grand cheaper.

Overall the Eos makes a good case for itself for the continuation of convertibles. While most convertibles may be down in the automotive indsutry, the Volkswagen Eos proves they’re not out.

Price As Tested: $56,381

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