The new Volkswagen Eos is the latest in a long line of VW convertibles which stretches back over 50 years. The launch of their new Eos in the UK takes place on 14 July. In the past VW Beetle and Golf convertibles or cabriolets have proved very popular with lady owners of all ages but the new and larger Eos will extend the appeal, not only to 'executive women' but to men as well. Having the metal folding roof, instead of canvas, allows the Eos to make inroads into the company car market as it is larger and for the added security the hard top brings to the vehicle.Unlike the Beetle and Golfs, Volkswagen says this is a purpose built four-seater coupe/cabriolet. It has a clean sheet design, not a saloon or hatchback with the roof removed, so it has greater torsionally rigidity and strength. It is also not a derivative of the new Golf or Passat models say VW. At 4,204mm in length it is 203mm longer than the Golf and 358mm shorter than their Passat. The styling characteristics with the roof up make it look like a well proportioned hard-top coupe.The Eos has a five part electronic folding roof that takes 25 seconds to open or close. The unique feature of this roof, in its class, is that it has a tilt and slide sunroof. Using a five part roof means the front pillars are kept fairly short and upright and the boot section, where the roof is stowed when down, does not encroach into the interior of the car improving the interior space for rear seat passengers. With the roof closed there is 380 litres of boot space; with it folded down the luggage capacity is 205 litres.Two trim levels are available: standard and Sport and prices range from £19,370 to £28,095. All models feature ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme), and twin front and combined curtain and side impact airbags for front and rear passengers. Semi-automatic air conditioning, fog lights, electric windows, electric heated and adjustable wing mirrors, radio/CD player, 16-inch alloy wheels, parking sensors and lockable load through provision are also standard.Moving up the range, Sport trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, upgraded audio player, aluminium-look pedals, decorative aluminium dash inserts and a tyre pressure monitoring system.The Eos is offered with a choice of five engines: four petrol, including a turbocharged FSI direct injection unit, and one diesel.These are the 1.6-litre FSI 115 PS; 2.0-litre FSI 150 PS; 2.0-litre T-FSI 200 PS; 3.2-litre V6 250 PS; and 2.0-litre 140 PS TDI. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, while the 200 PS petrol and the TDI will be offered with Volkswagen's innovative DSG automatic gearbox; this 'box is standard with the V6 engine. V6 and DSG models can be ordered but deliveries will not take place for several months. It is on the cards, say VW, that their new technology TSI, supercharger and turbocharger 1.4-litre petrol engine just launched in the Golf and Touran ranges will be added to the Eos line-up in the future.The Eos, named after the Greek goddess of the dawn, is built at Volkswagen's AutoEuropa factory in Setubal, Portugal. VW say The UK is expected to be the third largest international market for Eos behind Germany and the USA.Volkswagen UK expects to sell 2,600 Eos vehicles in the remainder of this year and 4,000 units in a full year. Fleet customers should account for around 30 per cent of UK Eos sales and females are expected to feature highly as users. Diesel models are expected to attract 20 per cent of Eos customers. Overall the likely best selling variants will be the 2.0-litre FSI 150PS models with manual transmission priced at £20,790, or £21,735 for the Sport specification version.The UK's convertible market is growing rapidly as more and more models are added and the Ford Focus coupe-cabriolet is due later this year. In 2005 sales for small-medium sized cars were 70,460 units, representing a 2.9 per cent share of the total new car market. Market leader last year, according to industry data experts EurotaxGlass's, was the Megane Coupe-Cabriolet followed by the Peugeot 307CC, Mini Cabriolet, Peugeot 206CC, Saab 9-3 Convertible, Vauxhall Tigra, Audi A4 Cabriolet, Ford StreetKa and the BMW 3 Series Cabriolet.In its class the Eos goes head to head for sales with the new Astra Twin-Top, the well established Renault Megane CC and Peugeot 307 CC all of which are cheaper. The expensive Volvo C70 is also an option but can be discounted really because of its sluggish performance, staid handling and high price. The Eos is better in most ways than all these. If you have more money to spend the Audi A4 cabriolets, starting from £25,730, are certainly worth consideration because of the exemplary build quality and badge appeal. Another consideration for the future will be the Ford Focus coupe-cabriolet that will be competitive for price, performance and specification and is being reported as having prices starting from 17k.On paper the new Eos, against the Peugeot, Renault and Vauxhall competitors, looks expensive but everything about this newcomer is superior and the long-term trade-in values should be higher as well.During this week's Media first-drive the only Eos versions available for a pre-launch test drive were the Sport 2.0-litre T-FSI models, not the anticipated best seller and priced at £23,315. Of course the test car was fitted with a long list of addition extra cost options so the real price, if you choose to add from the long list of extra goodies, could set you back nearly a further £6,000 and then you are in Audi A4 cabriolet territory.With its four-cylinder, turbocharged, direction injection petrol engine with 200PS of power and gutsy torque of 207 lbs ft from 1,800 to 5,000rpm, this particular Eos is a fast and very responsive vehicle. Top speed is 144mph and the 0-62mph time is just 7.8 seconds. These figures speak for themselves. Average fuel economy should be around 33.6mpg and my test car over a 100 mile route of A, B roads and motorways returned a good 30.1mpg. The refinement, responsiveness and in-town driving flexibility of this unit with its slick six-speed transmission is by far the most 'social' of all the go-faster engine options available in this sector. VW's view is that most customers will go for the 150PS FSI non-turbo engine and this will not disappoint owners either. Alternatively the 140PS turbocharged TDI diesel unit will provide good and economical motoring. You can see this is a very comprehensive and well thought out range that will have a broad appeal for all types of owners.The handling of the Eos is also the most refined in the sector. There is virtually no body shake or wobble associated with these cars with the roof down. The suspension is very compliant but not too soft and wallowy. It has sharp handling, plenty of grip, little body roll and very stable.The Eos deserves further praise for its clever roof. The main feature is that it folds cleverly into the boot and does not limit the amount of space for rear passengers. This is a true four seater unlike most of its competitors. There is a downside in the fact that the roof does take up considerable boot space because of its packaging when stowed. I would prefer to have space within the car and could live with the congested boot. To be honest the car looks better proportioned from the outside than the Peugeot and Megane CCs that have huge rear ends.Inside the Eos is a class act. Good specification as standard but be aware of the expensive extra cost goodies. The quality is best in its class, no doubt about that and the attention to detail of the switches and controls is good. Many of course are directly from the Golf and Passat so you expect the Eos to be a quality product. Unlike the Astra Twin-Top the must-have rear wind deflector is an extra cost £230 item. This covers the rear seat area so it cannot be used with rear passengers in the car but it works really well to limit 'wind-spill' and buffeting inside the car if only the front seats are occupied.MILESTONES:Volkswagen Eos Sport 2.0-litre T-FSI.Price: £23,315 (as tested £29,000+).Engine: Four-cylinder FSI direct injection petrol with turbocharger, 200PS, 207lbs.ft of torque.Performance: 144mph, 0-62mph 7.8 seconds, 33.6mpg (30.1 actual),CO2: 202g/km.VED: Band F £190.Insurance group: 15.For: Exemplary drive, refined, good quality and comfort, clever folding roof incorporating a sunroof, roomy rear seating, overall styling.Against: Costs more than most in its class but residual values should be better, expensive options, tight for luggage space.
