Volkswagen Eos Used Car Buyers Guide: 2007 – 2012
First shown in production form at the Frankfurt auto show in November of 2005, the Volkswagen EOS was a welcome replacement for the aging Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet. However, rather than standing pat in the Golf Cabriolet’s market segment, VW’s product planners made a conscious decision to move its open car farther upmarket.
More of a premium product than a true luxury offering, the Eos nicely bridged the gap between the two market segments, while offering a remarkably refined automobile for the price. Two engines were offered at launch, a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which made 207 foot-pounds of torque and a 250-horsepower 3.2-liter narrow angle V6, a configuration Volkswagen terms “VR6”.
Buyers had a choice between a six-speed manual transmission, and a six-speed version of Volkswagen’s direct shift gearbox transmission (DSG). The DSG permitted manual shifts when desired, but would operate automatically when left alone. Steering wheel-mounted paddles enabled the driver to execute shifts on demand.