Cars of Fall, the Review: 2012 Volkswagen Eos Lux

Are you a convertible person, but just can’t live with a soft top through the Colorado winters? I can totally understand where you are coming from and so can the long time makers of aftermarket convertible hardtops. The addition of the hardtop used to be the way that diehard convertible lovers could try and justify driving their beloved cars through the winter months. Of course, there was that annoyance of having to install it on the car…and store it during the summer months. And all the accessories like the garage crane and storage system. Who am I kidding it was real pain in the tailpipe. Then the retractable hardtop technology started to become more prevalent on cars that weren’t pushing $60K or $70K. I mean when a Mazda Miata offers a retractable hardtop, you know it is possible to get economies of scale. Enter the Volkswagen Eos.

The Eos has been around for awhile; heading into its 7th model year. It was introduced to replace the Golf Cabriolet and at the time VW stepped up to the plate with an offering of a retractable hardtop convertible (with panoramic sunroof) when the major players were really only the BMW 3-series, Infiniti G Convertible and Volvo C70. That is some pretty high-class competition, especially when the cheapest of these cars, the Volvo, starts above $40K. The Eos was literally a breath of fresh air with a starting price just under $35K. In fact, the Eos has built a loyal following since introduction because it is truly a car that you can live with year round and still exhibits that German engineering that many people dream to own. However, sometimes things look good on paper or in advertisements, but are less thrilling in person. That is what I sought to find out in this cars of fall excerpt.

For 2012, the VW Eos saw a moderate facelift bringing the front and rear end designs inline with that of the Passat, Jetta, CC and the SUV siblings. The majority of the change can be seen right off the bat from the front of the Eos wher the front fascia has been completed redesigned with the more aggressive and horizontal design of the current VW design architecture. There are bits of bling in the grille and in the lower air damn that set of the look in a refined and classy manner. Out back, the Eos has gained a more rectangular light configuration forgoing the circle taillights seen on previous generations. LED lighting is also found in the rear. Ironically, the back of the car saw little change for the update to the design with the only real need to change the taillights being an updated bumper cover. Everything else is status quo.

Something else that is new for 2012 that 2010 or older owners wouldn’t have had is the Executive package. This is one step above the Lux package; the package our test car was outfitted with, which had it ringing in at $38,355 with delivery and destination charges. All in all, not bad considering that gives the consumer leather interior, heated seats, power seats with adjustable lumbar (something I have to have), navigation satellite radio and, of course, the retractable hardtop. I know what you are thinking, but there really isn’t anything missing. The Eos also has a 200 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine that will push you along to 60 mph in a brisk 6.5 seconds. Other automotive magazines have compared the Eos to the current V6 Mustang noting that the Eos is quicker to 80 and only a few tenths slower around their test track. In short, she is now slouch honey.

Equally impressive is the trunk space. With the top down you might be disappointed as you really only have 6.6 cubic feet. However, if you are willing to do your heavy shopping and traveling with the top up, the trunk space increases to a usable 10.5 cubic feet. To put that in perspective, with the top up I was able to get a friends 24 inch roller, 20 inch roller and large 50 plus pound duffel bag in the trunk without having to struggle to get the lid to close. Even I was impressed. You will want to watch where you put things though as if you get them where the big warning signs say not to put cargo, you can not only damage your cargo, but break the hardtop mechanisms or shatter the rear glass.

This truly was one of our favorite cars to drive for this time of year. Being fall it is warm enough during the day to throw the top down and leave it down into the twilight hours. The beauty of the hardtop convertible is that you don’t have to worry about the top shrinking or stretching. You also get a lot better heating (and cooling) when you opt to have the top up. I am a huge fan of driving with the top down during the cool fall nights. Throw on the heated seats, crank up the dual climate control and you have yourself one of the best experiences in Colorado. So you can see this is an excellent choice for viewing the fall colors. Sun shy? Have no fear, when the top is up you can completely close the light off with the solid sunshade that covers the panoramic sunroof. Or, you can also choose to just open the sunroof if you aren’t looking for the full top down experience. This is a really nice feature as gives you all the functionality of having a sunroof in a coupe along with the tilt feature to help keep the car cool when the weather is warm.

As I mentioned before, the Eos has power, but it also has the DSG dual clutch 6-speed automatic transmission. Not to get to into the weeds here, but basically that means it transfers the power to the wheels efficiently. It also means you can lay rubber from a stoplight anytime you choose, even with the traction control keeping you in check. Since it is front-wheel drive it does exhibit some torque steer (pulling when you accelerate hard), but it is well managed by the advanced stability control and suspension setup. The ride is not to soft and not to firm. I call this a touring convertible, which means it will absorb the bumps well, but will also let you get a little aggressive out on the curvy roads. After all it is German engineered and they do like the Autobahn. One other thing to note is the driving position. I noticed, from the many sports cars I have driven, that the steering column position in the VW Eos is more at an angle the way you might expect a crossover or SUV. Again, I feel like this speaks to it touring nature instead of being a pure sports car. Bottom line, it is hard to find a better car that get 22/30 mpg city/hwy, goes 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and gives you both the attributes of a coupe and a convertible for under $40K. I even fell for the Black Oak Brown Metallic Exterior color…a real surprise to my lime green, bright orange and pearl white color sensibilities.