2012 Volkswagen Eos – Sporty Small Convertible Does It All

Reviews

May 24th, 2012

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Advantages

Ample feature content; groundbreaking retractable hardtop with incorporated sunroof; efficient and strong engine; solid interior quality.

Disadvantages

Built for comfort, not speed; tight rearseat.

Introduction

2012 Volkswagen Eos is a stylish and unique all-season cabriolet with an incorporated power panoramic sunroof, which sets it apart from all other retractable hardtop cabriolets in the market. It deserves more consideration, than it gets. It provides the build quality and features of a more expensive luxury model, making it a smart choice for drop-top sun seekers. For 2012, its front fascia more closely resembles the new Jetta, while the interior gains Volkswagen’s next-generation climate and infotainment controls. The DSG automated manual transmission is now standard equipment, while HD radio and keyless ignition and entry are now available options. Brighter as compared to regular or halogen filament bulbs, the optional Bi-Xenon headlamps provide light by creating an arc of electricity inside a bulb filled with xenon gas. It’s so effective that both the low and the high beams can use the same bulb. The Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) comes standard with Bi-Xenon headlamps and actually turns the headlight up to 15 degrees around corners, helping you to effectively see into the future.

The Volkswagen Eos is basically a 4-seater retractable hardtop coupe cabriolet, launched as a successor to Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet in 2006. It is the company’s first production coupe since the last Corrado in 1995 and the name Eos is derived from Eos, a Greek goddess of dawn. The Eos integrates into its 5-piece folding roof an independently sliding and incorporated glass sunroof, making it the only retractable hardtop of this kind. The roof folds automatically into the trunk in 25 seconds, thus reducing trunk space from 300 to 190 L. Before production, the Eos was showcased as a Concept C vehicle at 2004 Geneva Motor Show, developed and engineered by a team headed by Peter Schreyer, Head of Volkswagen Design in Wolfsburg. Other sources attribute the design of Eos particularly to Slovenian Robert Lesnik.

The White Night edition is a special edition with custom black interior, a black and white color scheme package and custom wheels. It integrates Deep Black Pearlescent colored roof, Candy White colored body, 18-inch Budapest wheels and cherry-red LED taillights. Other features include black door and side trim and Nappa leather seats, Sill panel strips with White Night letters and black steering wheel with light-colored seams, trim strips and radio trim in Candy White. Other features include sports chassis lowered 15 mm, heated front seats and Climatronic climate control system. It had a base MSRP of €33,140 and is offered with all non-V6 models. The Volkswagen Eos was introduced in North America in the 3rd quarter of 2006 and in Europe in the first quarter of 2006. Right hand drive market Japan started sales in October 2006 followed by Australia and New Zealand in 2007. It was showcased in South Africa in the 2nd quarter of 2007.

It is all about the cabriolet. The automatic folding hardtop of 2012 Volkswagen Eos complete with heated rear glass window and sunroof; is the one which disappears into the trunk in just 25 seconds. That magical tractor beam of engineering and design, which that makes you turn your head every time you see one drive by. Just think, if you were driving an Eos, you would have 360 degrees of visibility to spot all other Eos drivers. And then quietly nod and smile. The brake lights, turn signal lights and rear markers are all illuminated using light emitting diodes. LEDs illuminate almost instantly, last significantly longer and use less energy unlike standard light bulbs. Using built-in turn signals on your side mirrors provides one more way to help people around you to see where you are going.

The appearance of 2012 Volkswagen Eos follows the company’s design DNA, which is marked by horizontal, clearly structured lines. Extending between the new headlamps now is a radiator grille protector comprising of 3 shiny black struts, each trimmed with narrow chrome strip. The main headlamps can be ordered in halogen or optional bi xenon format. Within the housings of bi-xenon headlights, 14 LEDs form a daytime running light. The new optional extra for both types of headlamp is a Light Assist main beam assistant. When turned on, it takes over the function of switching between main and dipped beam, automatically adapting this to the traffic situations. Offering enhanced safety as standard on all models, in the mean time, are foglamps which hat now feature incorporated cornering lamps.

The side profile of 2012 Volkswagen Eos benefits from new range of alloy wheels. It is supplied as standard with “Barcelona” 16-inch alloys and type 215 tires. Other 17-inch, 18-inch and 16-inch sets of wheels are available as options. The Eos can be recognized from behind by its redesigned, rear bumper and 2-part LED rear lamps, which, in keeping with the front one, has also been redesigned. A stunning feature of visual and technological structure of 2-part rear lights is a stylized M which integrates LEDs for the brake and tail lights.
The 2012 Volkswagen Eos does much the same thing with its unique built-in sunroof or retractable hardtop convertible roof. It tends to be forgotten amongst the cabriolet ranks in spite of its many advantages. In addition to its pioneering roof, it has a turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine shared with GTI, delivering high fuel economy and punchy power, and DSG automated manual quick-shifting transmission. The impeccable interior is built to a standard which exceeds similarly priced convertible models, and provides abundant standard features which hat help justify its price premium over other rivals like Ford Mustang, Mini Cooper and Chrysler 200. With its front wheel drive layout and size, the Eos claims a middle ground between those cheaper models and luxury drop tops like BMW 3 Series and Audi A5.

Variants, Body Types and Features

The 2012 Volkswagen Eos is a convertible with a retractable hardtop roof that features an incorporated sunroof and offers comfortable seating capacity for five passengers. It is available three trims: Lux, Executive and Komfort.

Standard on base Komfort include foglights, 17-inch alloy wheels, a wind deflector, heated mirrors and windshield washer nozzles, cruise control, keyless entry, “leatherette” premium vinyl upholstery, heated eight-way power seats with 4-way adjustable lumbar support, Bluetooth and a leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter. The standard eight-speaker stereo system features an iPod interface, an auxiliary audio jack, satellite radio, HD radio, a touchscreen interface and a CD player.

Opting for Lux will get you parking sensors, different 17-inch wheels, keyless ignition and entry, power folding mirrors, leather upholstery, automatic wipers, a navigation system (HD radio is deleted) and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. The Executive adds 18-inch wheels, a 10-speaker Dynaudio sound system which restores HD radio and a sport-tuned suspension. The Tech package offered on the Executive and Lux includes LED running lights, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, a color trip computer display and headlight washers.

What’s Beneath the Hood of 2012 Volkswagen Eos?

Motivation for the 2012 Volkswagen Eos comes from a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine, which is good for pulsating 200 horsepower with 207 pound feet of torque. The engine is mated to six-speed automated manual transmission called DSG that sends power to the front wheels. In performance testing, it accelerated from 0 to 60 miles per hour in the time range of 7.3 seconds and offered the fuel economy of 30 mpg highway, 22 mpg city and 25 mpg in combined driving.

Safety & Reliability

Standard safety features on 2012 Volkswagen Eos include traction and stability control, antilock disc brakes, front side airbags which extend upward for head protection and pop-up rollover bars. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave VW Eos its top rating of “Good” for both side impact and frontal offset tests.

Special Features and Cockpit Design

The main attraction of 2012 Volkswagen Eos is its 5-piece retractable hardtop that includes an incorporated sunroof section which slides and tilts for times when you don’t want full exposure. As the company knows you will spend a lot of time in your Eos, its seats are all about comfort. They not only have three degrees of warmth for you to enjoy, but are also bolstered for extra cushioning around corners. The driver’s seat has an option of 8-way adjustability, including lumbar support to ensure that your drive is a comfortable one, no matter how long it may be. One touch of available supple Vienna leather seating surfaces and you will never go back.

You would think that regulating temperature would be simple. But at times you are too cold and your passenger’s too warm, which is precisely why the company offers an option of dual climate control. So it also allows you to customize your comfort in nearly every way. The touchscreen stereo you have got AM/FM radio with crystal-clear HD radio technology, SD card reader and an in-dash six-CD changer, all playing tunes through 8 premium speakers. Plus, all of that entertainment, music and more can be easily navigated using intuitive touchscreen interface right in the dash of your Eos.

Driving Impressions

The 2012 Volkswagen Eos is for those who want a relaxed touring cabriolet. The engine in Eos comes with FSI, which precisely directs atomized fuel into the combustion chamber of each cylinder. Well, it drastically increases the efficiency of the engine unlike conventional injection engines. As the Eos comes standard with turbocharged engine, Volkswagen thought you would appreciate the option of a 6-speed DSG automatic transmission with Tiptronic as well.

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