Volkswagen Eos (2006 - 2014) 2.0T Sport FSI 2d (2007/07) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

Wanted a slightly different family car.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

Nice, but with four seats there's never room for an extra passenger. Quite a drawback.

Would you buy this car again and why?

Probably not. Convertible is fun, though over time you use it less often, waiting for the weather to be just right - the novelty wears off after a few years. Also soft-top convertibles are better, but because of where we were parking the car (under a sticky tree), there was no way we would get a soft-top. In future, a soft-top convertible, garaged.

What are you likely to buy next?

Lexus LS460.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchised

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£13,500

When did you buy the car?

January 2011

Did you get a good deal and why?

The deal wasn't great. They threw in a wind deflector which we never used as it turns the car into a two seater, but otherwise no discounts.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Was looking for a 3/4 year old convertible with hard-top.

What was the dealer like?

No problems.

What's it like to drive?

The car has 200bhp and 0-60 in around 7s. It feels very nippy and revs nicely. It's a manual with five gears and the gear ranges are nice and wide so you don't have to change all the time. On the negative side the 17" wheels are pretty bumpy, and it's a definitely a car that's better to drive than be driven in. With the roof open, you will get a lot of wind in the back - for four seater use you will want to avoid motorways. Also unlike other convertibles although you do get seat heating in the front, there's no air scarf for your neck, and the rear passengers get nothing to keep them warm. The car takes 30 seconds to close the roof so you need to be pulled over to close it.

What's it like to park?

It's easy enough to park. Parking sensors on mine at the rear, no camera.

Have you had any problems with the car?

The car has had some minor problems, the ABS sensor went, this cost around £400 to fix, but VW reimbursed the cost. Surprising given the age of the car and done at an independent garage. This is a common problem and not expensive to fix. The roof leaked, but this turned out just to be a drainage problem with the drains, fixed by cleaning them with a pencil! Lots of reports of leaks, usually fixed by applying Krytox lubricant. The wing mirror metal corroded, again a common problem. The passenger mirror broke, this was caused by rainr/rust of the cables that run the car. Around £250 to fix at an independent - they replaced the housing. We have cream leather interior, and it's not very practical!

What's most practical about your car?

The car with the 2 litre petrol turbo is pretty fast. The boot is not a bad size. The car is not huge and therefore easy enough to park. It has four seats, and unlike soft-top convertibles, the roof is unlikely to rot.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

My car was fitted with the standard CD player. I replaced it with an ebay VW original RNS-510 satnav. This adds DVD playing, hard drive juke box, and sat nav. It costs about £500. Unfortunately it also requires a CANBUS upgrade on early model EOSes, which will cost another £200 in programming and replacement CANBUS costs.