Named for the mythological Greek goddess of the dawn, the Volkswagen Eos is a four-seat two-door, folding hardtop convertible with a glass sunroof. Built on a shortened version of the front-wheel drive platform underpinning Volkswagen’s Passat, but sized to replace Volkswagen’s Golf Cabriolet, the Eos is perhaps best thought of as a short wheelbase Passat convertible.
And, in fact, the Eos is also equipped more like a Passat than a Golf.
In typical Volkswagen fashion, Eos features high-quality interior componentry, an outstanding feature set, peppy engines, and a distinctive style. Yet, while even the base models are packed to the gills with outstanding comfort and convenience features, the retractable hardtop is what really sets the Eos apart.
Volkswagen refers to the EOS as a CSC (coupe-sunroof-convertible). The model’s five-panel roof assembly stows completely into the trunk in about 25 seconds, making it easy to go from closed coupe to open convertible at a traffic signal. The articulated hardtop employs a heated glass rear window and a transparent sunroof. This enables the Volkswagen’s occupants to retract the roof and enjoy completely open-air cruising when the weather is conducive to doing so. A driver can open just the sunroof for partial open-air cruising when it is not. Even with the roof deployed and the sunroof closed, the people in an Eos still enjoy a light and airy cabin—thanks to the transparent sunroof panel.
Introduced in 2006 as a 2007 model, to date there has been but one generation of the Volkswagen Eos offered.