2014 VW Eos Review |
| Posted: 29 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT  Share this Article When the 2015 model year comes to an end, the sun will set on the final Volkswagen Eos. The company has decided to euthanize the convertible coupe that has been on sale mostly untouched since 2006, but why?
The Eos was relatively popular in its heyday, but people just aren't buying it the way they used to. For answers, you don't need to look any farther than Volkswagen's own lineup. It's hard to ignore the Beetle Convertible if you're after a stylish compact convertible coupe because it sells for a lower price and offers a recently revamped look and feel. What Makes it Tick?Should Volkswagen have shown the Eos the door while letting the Beetle move in on its territory? Let's look at some of its merits for the answers. Power for this small VW comes exclusively from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant that makes 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. With a 3508-lb curb weight, the Eos jumps to speed rather quickly. There is a slight delay before boost from the turbo kicks in, but a smooth rush of acceleration washes over the car when it hits. It doesn't happen in a dramatic fashion, but before you know it you're hitting highway speeds. Torque steer is mitigated well in the car and the handling is also nicely balanced. The Eos treads the fine line between comfort and sporty dynamics well. It's not deadly stiff with uncomfortably heavy steering, or pillow soft with a lifeless wheel. It sits right in the middle. Two Forms of Freedom
But more than the way it drives, the convertible top is probably the biggest selling point for this car. The Eos' biggest claim to fame is its sunroof that is incorporated into the hard top. It's large enough to give you two options for open-air motoring. Budget 25 seconds to take the entire top from "up" to "down." Opened up, the Eos is somewhat of a charming car ideal for casual cruising. The soft friendly styling also lends itself to the feeling that this Volkswagen was built mainly for play, with practicality taking a back seat.
Comfort and predictability are the name of the game when it comes to the front seats and interior. Our tester was fitted with a tan leather interior contrasted by black plastics on the dashboard. There is nothing particularly exciting about the insides of this car, though there is also nothing really negative about it. The navigation controls can be a little slow, but really that's the only issue we uncovered. Quality is fantastic and everything about the Eos feels like it was put together carefully. PricingOur Eos Komfort model rang in at just over $36,460 including delivery and that's probably its biggest weakness. If you're just interested in a convertible, but not specifically the Eos, you can get into a Beetle Convertible for just over $25,000, while a fully loaded model tops out at just over $33,000. Similarly, the Mini Cooper convertible can be had for just about $26,000, while a sporty John Cooper Works Model will leave showrooms for around the same price as the base VW Eos. Any way you slice it, the Eos winds up looking expensive. |
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Posted: 28 Sep 2014 05:00 PM PDT
Around the end of the last decade, every American automobile manufacturer abandoned the midsize pickup truck segment. The Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota and Chevrolet Colorado were all cancelled and each brand proclaimed the small truck market dead.
FAST FACTS |
| Engine: 3.6L V6 with 305 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque or a 2.4L I-4 with 200 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque. Transmission: Six-Speed automatic. Six-speed manual available on base model. Fuel Economy: 4-Cyl. 4WD: 19 mpg city, 26 highway, 21 mpg combined. V6 4WD: 17 mpg city, 24 highway 20 mpg combined. Price: Colorado ranges from $20,995 to $34,990 for Z71. Canyon starts at $21,880. Capacities: Max towing is 7,000 lbs. Max payload is 1,590 lbs for Colorado, 1,620 lbs for Canyon. |
However, Toyota and Nissan soldiered on with the Tacoma and Frontier, although neither of the two brands has seen the need to significantly update their trucks since then. So anyone who wanted a small pickup had two options: buy an outdated product, or suck it up and get a half-ton. Not anymore.
More Choice
Now the only company with a three-truck strategy – spanning midsize, half-tons and heavy duties – General Motors offers more choices than any other brand in the truck game. Not only does GM have three different sizes of truck, it also offers workhorses under two different banners: Chevrolet and GMC.
The advent of these new trucks comes a year after GM launched the re-designed Silverado and Sierra and many of the lessons learned on the half-tons are being adopted by the Colorado/Canyon twins. At launch, there will be two different engines available using the same technology to keep fuel consumption down as their larger counterparts: direct injection and variable valve timing.
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Best is Yet to Come
Two engines will be offered initially for both trucks. At the base, an inline four cylinder will take on motivation duty, putting out 200 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque. The big daddy engine currently and the one that GM expects to be in the highest demand is a 3.6-liter V6 that cranks out 305 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque. In 2016, a small 2.8-liter Duramax diesel is on its way, bringing oil-burning propulsion into the world of modern midsize pickups.
Efficiency is a huge part of the appeal of these trucks. After all, why give up the practicality of a larger truck if the benefits aren't clear? Outfitted with the four-cylinder motor and four-wheel drive, the Colorado is pegged at 19 MPG in the city, 26 on the highway or 21 MPG combined, while the V6 is rated at 17 MPG in the city, 24 on the highway for a combined 20 miles per gallon.
Over the V6-powered Tacoma, the Colorado claims a two-MPG advantage, while the four-cylinder GM trucks beat the Toyota by five MPG on the highway, though the combined rating is identical.
Trouble is, the four-cylinder model only offers marginally better fuel economy and the price difference between it and the V6 isn't drastic. Despite that, it represents a big gap in output, giving up 105 hp and 78 lb-ft of torque.
The important part of this equation is that the bigger engine costs roughly $1,200 more, making the four banger much less relevant. It will likely be the choice of fleets around the country, but few who regularly tow or haul will want the smaller engine. And that is emphasized by the fact that V6 is just enough for this truck.
Handles Weight, Doesn't Own It
Unfortunately, our time with the truck was limited, so I didn't get a chance to sample the four-cylinder version. However, a full day with the V6, including pulling a 5,000 boat around the hills of San Diego, gave me a great sample of the new midsizer.
In every application, the V6 feels like it has enough power, but I never felt like it truly "owns" the weight. The six-cylinder is adequate, but only just and considering that, I'm skeptical of the four-cylinder's merit.
If I didn't know the diesel was coming I might have been more disappointed, but because this V6 will effectively serve in the middle of a three-engine lineup, its performance is acceptable.
Size was another worry I had before ever setting foot in a Colorado or Canyon. In the longest configuration there is a full 15 inches of length difference between Colorado and Silverado, but what is instantly apparent is the fact that there is more than a five-inch difference in width.
The maneuverability advantage is obvious while driving and welcome in a world of ever growing trucks. Nicely weighted electronic power steering helps with squeezing into tight spaces and always had the truck feeling planted. Riding in the truck, you still feel about as tall as a half-ton and ground clearance is nearly the same between the midsize trucks and half-tons. But still, my seat-of-the-pants meter indicated that the Colorado feels considerably smaller than the Silverado.
It's true that the new midsize GM truck twins are ahead of the competition with better powertrains and on-road user friendliness, but not to the degree that GM would have you believe. Despite the Colorado's decade lead, the Tacoma's engine still feels roughly as powerful on the road. It loses the most points for cabin isolation and interior quality where GM really trumps its geriatric competition.
Interior Refinement
Most of the innards have been adopted from the half-tons, which is not a bad thing. Soft touch dashboard materials, touch-screen infotainment systems, digital read outs in the gauge cluster, available 4G LTE WiFi, numerous USB ports and comfortable seats leave the Tacoma looking like a relic. Adding to the premium feel is a wonderful quiet cabin and smooth unloaded driving characteristics. More so than larger trucks, these GM mid-sizers feel like small crossovers or even large sedans thanks to the dialed in suspension. There is some chatter on gravel roads, but pavement, even when cracked or broken, never drew out a rough or unpleasant ride. The Tacoma and Frontier don't even compete.
The business end of these pickups has moved past its competitors as well thanks to Chevy's smart ideas like the bumper-integrated step, damped tailgate and new Gear On system. This is a series of cargo hauling accessories that fit directly into the existing tie-down cleats in the bed, which are located high and low and make it easy to secure a load. Many of the Gear On accessories have very specific hauling needs in mind. Racks for bicycles, surf boards and kayaks are just some of the options that can be fitted into the bed, an easy process thanks to the simple engineering of the Gear On setup.
Pricing
The advantage of offering three truck sizes is clear, giving customers plenty of choices. But they play dangerously close to their bigger half-ton family members and that must have been a huge concern when GM established the pricing structure. The Colorado starts at $20,995 while the Canyon has a base MSRP of $21,880 thanks to a few more premium bits in the interior and some extra chrome on the outside.
The 2015 Silverado carries a base price of $27,300, meaning that the gap is supposed to be $6,000 from base to base. The trouble is that incentives on those half-ton trucks have been at record highs lately, seeing them leave dealerships for much less than the sticker price. If GM has customers walking into dealerships and seeing that the Silverados can be had for a nominal fee over the Colorado, these trucks may be dead before they even get started.
The Verdict
If it were my money, I would probably hold off on buying right away to try the diesel model. I'm convinced that it will be that much better. That isn't certain, but one thing is for sure.
GM is offering a level of refinement that can't be found anywhere else in this segment right now, swiftly bringing midsize trucks into the modern era. And when the diesel finally arrives, odds are that this truck will go from good to great.
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