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21/08/2011, 20:32
Car Review By MURRAY HUBBARD
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There’s an old saying that says ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ You could easily apply that to the new Volkswagen Eos coupe-cabriolet. Volkswagen have tinkered around the edges - added a bit here and there - but in essence the Eos has changed little from the previous model. It was always a good thing, somewhat conservatively styled, and this latest model continues that tradition.
Our review VW Eos was the 2.0 litre 155 kW turbocharged TSI petrol engine variant - the other choice is a 2.0 litre turbo diesel - which has plenty of get-up-and-go to match the car’s sports car tag. With six speed manual transmissions accounting for few sales in the previous model both the petrol and diesel Eos now only offer the dual clutch DSG auto transmission.
Eos is a coupe-cabriolet thanks to a five-piece auto hard top that at the touch of a button retracts into the boot. That exercise is a sight to behold - it resembles the ‘Transformers’ cartoons - and is a party trick in it’s own right with flaps going up and down and in and out. Current Eos owners - about 5400 of them - already know the car’s shortcomings: just 205 litres of boot space with the roof down and a tight back seat more suited to luggage than legs. Keep the roof up and you have 380 litres of boot space, but the usability of that space is limiting through design necessities.
BODYSTYLE
Eos is the only car in its convertible class with a tilt and slide sunroof standard. It’s just a push button affair. We prefer the all-or-nothing approach of either being a coupe or a convertible, so the sunroof for us in Queensland does not hold a lot of currency. The roof by the way opens and closes in just 25 seconds at the touch of one button. The roof folds flat into the top section of the boot and leaves enough room for a couple of airline-size take-on cases. Eos has been given new headlights and between these three black horizontal bars provide a simple, yet effective VW family grille. Down back VW has reworked the two-part LED tailights and re-designed the bumper with diffuser.
POWERTRAIN/PERFORMANCE
If you are looking for outright performance in Eos then the engine to go for is the 2.0 TSI as tested. The 155 kW engine takes the Eos to 100 km/h in just 7.8 seconds compared to a fairly pedestrian 10.3 seconds from the diesel. Like always there is compromise involved. The diesel laps just 5.9 litres/100 km while the petrol engine chews through 7.7 litres/100 km. More to the point though if most of your driving is done in the city/urban environment the diesel rises to 7.4 litres/100 km while the petrol slurps at 10.4 litres/100 km. On top of that the petrol uses a minimum of 95RON premium petrol. The petrol engine develops 280 Nm of torque between 1700 - 5200 rpm which means Eos is always ready to go, no matter the speed it starts from. For about the first time in a VW Group car we did not notice any low-speed hiccups from the 6-speed DSG transmission, so maybe there’s some refinement going on in the gearbox department.
SAFETY
Having a retractable roof means the Eos misses out on curtain airbags although it still has front and side airbags for the front seat passengers. Oddly it also misses out on a driver’s knee airbag that is available with sibling VW Golf. Stability control, ABS brakes, brake assist, hill start assist and an electronic diff lock to help control wheel spin come standard. Rollover protection barriers pop up in the event of the car turning over and active head restraints are included to reduce whiplash if rear-ended.
INTERIOR DESIGN/FUNCTIONALITY
While the two-seat rear pew is tight, it is at least easy to get into and out of with the front seat pushed forward and the upright also leant over. Let’s face it though these seats are really a last resort as Eos is aimed at young couples or singles. While the roof is fast to come down or go up there are some other issues. We found from 80 km/h with the roof down there was a lot of wind disturbance inside the cabin - side windows up or down - so much so that papers were flying about as if we had been hit by a mini twister. If you really like to feel the rush of wind in your hair, the Eos might just be the right car for you. We have just reviewed a string of drop tops and Eos wins our Cyclone Tracy award. What we did like was the user-friendly layout of the rest of the car, particularly from a driving aspect. In that respect it is simply brilliant.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
This is where Eos excels. It has the feel of a sports car and can be pushed readily into and through corners with no fuss. There is excellent feedback through the steering and with torque on tap and a tight suspension of a fairly rigid chassis, Eos loves winding roads and hills. This is also where the DSG transmission comes into its own. Around town you might leave the car in automatic mode but for the real driving sensation there’s the sense of being in control when you flick the gear lever over into Tiptronic mode and shift gears manually. The DSG is razor sharp in this environment - let’s not forget DSG has a race car heritage - with changes faster than humanly possible. Volkswagen engineers have done a great job in reducing understeer to a minimum. Our only complaint is with the intrusive amount of road noise that comes into the cabin at highway speeds.
MODEL RANGE AND PRICING*
2.0 litre turbo diesel $49,990
2.0 litre turbo petrol $51,990
(*Pricing does not include government or dealer charges)
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: standard
Air Conditioning: standard
Automatic Transmission: standard
CD Player: standard
Central Locking: standard
Cruise Control: standard
Dual Front Airbags: standard
Front Side Airbags: standard
Stability Control: standard
Traction Control: standard
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.984 litres
Configuration: in line
Compression Ratio: 9.6:1
Bore/Stroke: 82.5 mm x 92.8 mm
Maximum Power: 155 kW @ 5300 rpm
Maximum Torque: 280 Nm @ 1700-5200 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: front
Manual Transmission: N/A
Automatic Transmission: 6-speed DSG
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4407 mm
Wheelbase: 2576 mm
Width: 1791 mm
Height: 1443 mm
Turning Circle: 10.9 metres
Kerb Mass: 1551 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 litres
Towing Ability: kg (kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts with lower A-arms
Rear Suspension: Independent four link with coil springs
Front Brakes: ventilated discs
Rear Brakes: discs
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 7.8 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: 95RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.7 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 7/10
Air Pollution Rating: 7.5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
3 years/ unlimited km
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