What’s it like to live with?
When the top comes off anything, you want what follows, to be better than if the top had stayed on. As I pressed the button to take the top off this Golf-based coupe cabriolet, I wondered why it wasn’t actually called a Golf?
It looks like a Golf from most angles, it handles like a Golf and the interior is a Golf. Watching the clever roof fold itself quietly into the boot – all glass and metal sliding neatly past each other – I bet that it would be as reliable as a Golf too.
So, what is it that makes Volkswagen feel putting the Golf badge on this car will damage the Golf’s reputation? They’ve done it before when cabriolets were just fold-down soft tops.
I didn’t have to wait long for an answer. It’s not the cruise – there are no ‘scuttle shake’ vibrations. You can crunch thousands of motorway miles in an Eos and you will find it to be quiet and comfortable.
It’s not the handling; it has poise and balance on B-roads. It might be that the boot space is limited once the roof has folded away – but it is no more limited than any other coupe cabriolet.
So I have to conclude that the reason we call this car an Eos rather than a Golf is the small collection of ‘plasticky’ knocks, rattles and creaks; it’s more like driving a Toyota than a Volkswagen. They really are small, and occasional, depending how much time you spend on poor quality road surfaces. But they do spoil the enjoyment of the car – especially if you are used to the silent, pot-hole absorbing Golf.
It’s a particular shame because on a sunny day, it is rather lovely to be able to feel the wind rushing through your hair, especially in what still feels like a Golf most of the time. Like many things where the top should perhaps have stayed on, I still enjoyed it.
What’s the right time to buy?
Depreciation is steady, so there are no key times to get in or out of Eos ownership. The older it is, the cheaper it is. The newer it is, the better condition it will be in.
Two and three year old cars, which have lost at least something to depreciation, are where we would look. At the time of writing three year old cars with average mileage of 18,000 start at £14,000, which is a worthwhile £7,000 less than new.
What else does this budget buy?
There are ‘CC’ cars from most of the mainstream manufactures, and they divide into two categories. The cheaper ones: Ford Focus CC, Vauxhall Astra CC and Renault Megane CC. The more expensive ones: Volvo C70 and Mercedes E-Class.
You will turn more heads in a Mercedes, but pay for the privilege. You can pick up some very cheap Fords – half price after 18 months, some £6,000 less than an Eos - but they are the ugliest CC ever made. So the Eos sits neatly in the middle.
Summary
A stylish, if effeminate, cabriolet. Apart from the odd rattle, it is the epitome of what a coupe cabriolet should be.