Forgotten Cars: VW Eos

"LJ909" (lj909) 08/31/2020 at 12:00 • Filed to: volkswagen, Volkswagen Eos, forgotten cars

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2015 VW Eos

Considered to be a successor to the much loved Golf Cabriolet, and the first production coupe in the US for VW since the Corrado , the Eos (the word Eos is the name of the Greek goddess of dawn) was…..cute.

The production Eos was previewed back at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show by the Concept C. The design was penned by Peter Schreyer, the current head of Kia design since 2006. (his work includes every current Genesis, nearly every Kia since 2008, including the Borrego and Stinger, and also the original Audi TT.) The centerpiece of the concept was its 5 part metal folding roof. Back in ‘04 this was impressive in that the roof managed to fold and incorporate a full sunroof.

2006 VW Eos

This surprisingly made it to production when the final version of the Eos was shown first at the Frankfurt show in ‘05, and the LA auto show in ‘06. The Eos was produced at VW’s Autoeuropa plant in Portugal for its entire run.

The Eos and VW made sure that customers knew this thing was a comfortable cruiser before anything. It had no sporting pretensions about it. Riding on the VW A5 Modular Platform (which it shared with a whopping 18 other vehicles including the first gen Tiguan, Golf Mk5 & 6, 3 different SEAT’s, the Mk2 A3 and TT and the first gen Q3) it shared most components with the Mk5 Golf with a wheelbase also matching it and the Jetta. At the time it came into the VW lineup, it was positioned above the Beetle convertible (a base Eos started at $27,990 to the Beetle Convertible’s $22,120).

Here in the US we got two engine choices: a 200 horse 2.0L turbo 4 powering the front wheels through a choice of either a 6 speed manual or an optional 6 speed DSG, or the more powerful 3.2L V6 with 250 horses.

Of course, the manual wasn’t available with the V6. 0-60 was reportedly a not too bad 6.9 seconds. The V6 brought that down to 6.5. International engine choices included 4 gas engines and one diesel. Suspension tuning was for cruising and comfort more than anything. Steering was reportedly numb and vague feeling which isnt surprising. Meaning this thing was a top down blouvaider before anything. Competitors at the time were Pontiac G6 and the Volvo C70 among others. A bragging point for some reason was the complex top took nearly 30 seconds to lower as well. Which is pretty long but understandable given the complexity of the roof.

Most automotive publications were pretty neutral on it. It did what it did non offensively. It was a comfortable 4 seat convertible with styling that for the most part was invisible. The main complaint I could find about it was that the folding top severely compromised trunk space when it was stowed. From what I could see as well, no one had any severe problems with them. Though with this being VW I could be wrong. It was produced from 2006-2015. It was never a strong seller. A high price combined with it being less practical than not only the segment leader at the time (the Chrysler Sebring Convertible) but also everything else insured that it was pretty much a niche here in the US. Its best year here only saw 12,837 sales. And that was 2008. Sales never touched 8k. Dealers were selling less than 500 units every month. Its a wonder that the thing stayed in the lineup for 9 years.

Thomas Donohue > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:22

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The replacement is coming soon....a bit higher and beefier!

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:23

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Also, you could fit a VR6 in one.

LJ909 > Thomas Donohue 08/31/2020 at 12:23

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Hell no.

ttyymmnn > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:27

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and the first production coupe in the US for VW since the Coronado

Corrado?

Yeah, I had forgotten about the Eos too. 

LJ909 > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/31/2020 at 12:28

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That’ s.... impressive. And makes me wish they would’ ve done an R version. Especially if the AWD system and things bolt right in. That being said, I couldn’ t imagine dropping the kind of money these mods would require in an Eos.

LJ909 > ttyymmnn 08/31/2020 at 12:30

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Stupid ass spell check.

ttyymmnn > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:32

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I figured. 

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Thomas Donohue 08/31/2020 at 12:33

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Well I don’t hate it any more than a Evoque converti ble, or Murano Cross Cabriolet.

It needs the roll bar to really nail the VW bitch basket vibe.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:33

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SiL owned one and loved it. Largely, the market did n’t care.

I fear the Arteon slips into that notch in the market awareness, too, but it seems like a nice car.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:34

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The FireFlite Coronado... My grandpappy remembered it well.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/31/2020 at 12:35

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Ich m ochte ein W-12.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:39

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A friend in high school had one in dark gray with the fun red leather interior . It was notable for being the only convertible at the high school with a working top (including a Sebring and Solara with a broken top) so evidently the mechanism was quite stout. So was the rest of the car. It never gave her any trouble from what I could tell.

The top does take a long time to go down though. No one minded because it was fun to see in action. But yes, the trunk is basically nonexistent with the roof folded. Like there was room for a few clothes and that’s it. You’d always have to shuffle things around to get the top down.

Funny thing about it being a four seater. Even the rear two passengers are a bit squished together and leg room is nonexistent. It wasn’t very smart but on a few occasions it became an impromptu 5 seater. It was pretty uncomfortable.

I actually like the Eos way more than its contemporaries but it was smaller, less practical, and more expensive than most. 

Milky > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:42

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Google tells me a 2006 Golf started at $ 16k, how the eff did they think they could charge over 50% more for a different top? Surprised they sold any.

Also I didn't realize until now that the T-Roc isn't coming to the U.S.  

LJ909 > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 08/31/2020 at 12:44

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Oh yea the Arteon is in the exact spot. You can mostly blame VW though for the market not caring. Like the Eos, they are nice cars, but also not what people would expect from VW. Pricey, disappears when compared to the competition , and in the case of the Arteon , almost Audi like.

Svend > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:44

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My neighbour loves his manual 1.8TDi. Finds it fast and responsive enough for his needs.

fintail > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:45

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I saw one of these in a junkyard crusher youtube video not long ago.  That says a lot.  I think these could be very troublesome,too.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 08/31/2020 at 12:46

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I mean, in theory they could do the exact thing they did with the crazy MKV concept. (I’m assuming that’s what you’re referncing?)

LJ909 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 08/31/2020 at 12:50

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Your friend must’ ve had parents that spoiled them, because to have an Eos in high school is pretty impressive.

With how impractical it was never made sense to me. Especially with it sharing a wheelbase with the Jetta. They should’ ve just made it a two seater. How do you make a 4 seat convertible that’ s as impractical as a 2 seater?

CompactLuxuryFan > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:52

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I definitely had not forgotten the Eos and I still see them frequently enough but what had never fully registered in my head was that you could get the 3.2 V6 in them! VW really was completely off its rocker when they were trying to sell this thing! 

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/31/2020 at 12:54

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It is. the TG guys (and the magazines that looked at it) all concluded it was a real handful to drive/handle— for reasons that still elude me.

It should have been a pure, virgin form of “awesome” distilled into a nice package. But apparently it was Bruce Willis’ date in “Blind Date” after 5 shots of vodka. only crazier and harder to control. and more likely to kill you in public.

(That is another movie impossible to make these days...)

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 12:55

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Oddly, AUDI does probably “put a lid” on how far upmarket VW can climb.

But, I still want a Phaeton.  There.  I said it.  I want a Phaeton.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 08/31/2020 at 12:58

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In my extremely unknowledgeable opinion , I’d guess it was a combination of a short wheelbase,  lac k of time tuning the suspension and chassis (which is understandable given it’s concept status), and lack of all wheel drive.

SiennaMan > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/31/2020 at 13:00

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When you put it next to it's competition like that , I dare say this is possibly the least offensive of three..

Mercedes Streeter > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 13:00

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I’ve always thought there were just restyled Sebrings. No idea where I originally heard it from but it actually impresses me even more that it isn’t just a really tarted up Sebring.

*Looks up VW Routan just to be sure* Okay, THAT’s still a rebadged Chrysler. lol

LJ909 > Milky 08/31/2020 at 13:02

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Its all in the top. I think that’ s where they thought they could justify the price Especially with it having a build in sunroof (which admittedly is impressive engineering). They might have sold more had it been an actual ragtop, but it would’ ve looked weird.

Yea the T-Roc isn’ t coming. From what I’ve read its for a couple reasons:

There’ s no more capacity at the plant that its made at due to high demand from Europe.

It would be expensive to import it from Germany.

So they are making a small, sub Tiguan crossover specifically for the US because of those facts. And its going to be built in Mexico. It supposedly going to be shown at the end of the year.

LJ909 > Svend 08/31/2020 at 13:03

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I give it to VW for being ballsey enough to have 2 diesel powered convertibles in their lineup. We will probably never see anything like this again.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/31/2020 at 13:03

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Yeah, I just re-watched the clip. I had, in fact, forgotten that they didn’t use the full R8 AWD set-up. So, yeah, too much power in a RWD car with absurdly low polar moment.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 13:07

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Well, they bought it around 2015 I think so that their two daughters could use it in high school and then buy it at a discount if they wanted it afterwards. Probably a 2008 model.

I talked about my unusual HS parking lot here actually. It was a mid range private school that had everyone from people who could barely afford it to people who don’t know what it is like to not afford something. More of the latter but a lot of people in the middle.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/on-high-school-parking-lots-1844406681

I had parental assistance with my first car, but I also was driving my sibling to school and back every day and still spend some of my own money to get what I imagine was the cheapest car available at the time with bluetooth. I bought my Cruze for being nearly factory fresh and low miles, not because it was the newest thing I could find, but it is rare to find both below 5k. 

LJ909 > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 08/31/2020 at 13:07

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I wouldn’ t be surprised if that is true to a degree.

Also, same. Have wanted a Phaeton since I was a teen. Getting harder to find as the years go on.

LJ909 > Mercedes Streeter 08/31/2020 at 13:15

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I used to think that they were just a tarted up newer Golf convertible until I found out it was its own model. I found them weirdly alluring. Fun fact: The Sebring was the best selling convertible in the US for years.

They didn’ t even try with the Routan. They must’ ve been really desperate for a van at the time.

Milky > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 13:21

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FWIW the hard instead of soft top Miata is like $3k more.  They got greedy.  

CobraJoe > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 13:22

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We had a Passat from that era with the 2.0T and the 6 speed manual.

It wasn’t exactly a sporty transmission, the shifter was numb and didn’t like to move quickly.

Perhaps it would have been more popular if they offered a stiffer GTI version?

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > SiennaMan 08/31/2020 at 13:36

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That, and if it’s built on the4 MQB platform (I’m assuming it is, basically all VAG cars are), then that means you can drop the 5 cylinder 2.5 in it, which can then be tuned to over 1,000 hp. Wh ich seems like a no-brainer if you buy one.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Mercedes Streeter 08/31/2020 at 13:47

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The Sebring is way different in proportions and size. Seeing them next to each other you wouldn’t mistake them. And the VW was way more reliable too. 

Svend > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 14:00

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They came in 1.4TSi, 1.6FSi, 2.0FSi, 3.2 V6 FSi a nd 2.0TDi.

But most of them I see are diesels.

Strangely, it doesn't list the 1.8 Bluemotion, though it is a Bluemotion and my neighbour says it's a 1.8. I've just taken it as it is. 

Mercedes Streeter > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 08/31/2020 at 15:47

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I never saw the two occupying the same space...nor have I particularly paid much attention to the Eos design outside of thinking it to be decently nice . You’re right on all counts though, haha. No idea how I came to that conclusion for admittedly quite a few years.

I bet the VW was more solid, too. Last time I rode in a Sebring convertible I couldn’t stop laughing at how the whole thing seemed about as floppy as a Ranger with a rusted out frame. lol

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Mercedes Streeter 08/31/2020 at 16:07

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At my high school the Eos was the only convertible with a working top. That says a lot. Great little cars if you don’t need practicality or want a corner carver. Just a fun cruiser, especially with the top down at night.

duurtlang > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 16:38

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In Europe at that time it was a no brainer. Much lower running costs and lower depreciation (back then). They simply made sense . I see a nd hear diesel convertibles all the time in Germany.

Nauraushaun > LJ909 08/31/2020 at 16:51

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I really like those first gen ones. It’s a neat, clean design. A lot of cars really mess up the folding hardtop thing.

I actually didn’t know that the Mk5 Golf didn’t have a cabriolet, and this was effectively it.