Volkswagen Eos vs. Golf Cabrio: Comparison

Volkswagen’s drop-top stable mates are very different cars targeting very different demographics. But one is so good it just about has the other’s territory covered as well...

Volkswagen Eos 103 TDI  vs. Volkswagen Golf Cabrio 118 TSI
Comparison Test

Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet 118 TSI
Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $36,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Satellite navigation RNS510 $3000; Reversing camera with parking sensors $2990; Bi-xenon headlamps $2100; Leather upholstery $3300
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 6.6
CO2 emissions (g/km): 155

Volkswagen Eos 103 TDI
Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $49,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Satellite navigation RNS510 $2500; Dynaudio audio upgrade $2000; Metallic paint $700
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: Diesel
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.9
CO2 emissions (g/km): 156

Also consider:  Audi A3 Convertible (from $57,750); BMW 1 Series Convertible (from $53,200); Peugeot 308 CC (from $50,990); Mazda MX-5 (from $42,460); Renault Megane CC (from $45,990) 

Volkswagen is on a winning streak like no other auto maker at the moment, and here are two cars that prove why.

For a start, they show just how well the company knows its niche marketing, here lobbing at different demographics two drop-top models similar in size and yet very different: one a pure Golf-based soft top, the other standalone folding hardtop sharing more of its underpinnings with Passat. There’s a fair bit of overlap in amenity and aesthetics, both inside and out. But the most important thing they share is their maker’s deft engineering-for-the-price formula.

The differences between the two extend well beyond the roof, as the $10K-plus price difference suggests. Golf Cabrio arrived here late in 2011 to loud applause. It comes in one spec, using the company’s 118kW 1.4-litre twin-charge petrol engine -- a little marvel using a sequential combination of supercharging and turbocharging to give it a full boost quotient from idle to redline.

Quick and charismatic, it has enough torque over a broad enough band -- 240Nm from 1500-4000rpm -- to make a pleasure of its six-speed manual shift. The stick doesn’t have the shortest throw in the world, but it’s light and precise, helped by a pleasantly weighted clutch with a just-right take-up threshold. That makes it a terrific round-town drive, with enough mid-gear flexibility to minimise the transmission’s demands for attention. It dispenses with the only annoyance marking a good manual shift with standard brake-hold for hill starts.

For those who have to have an auto, another $2500 gets you a seven-speed DSG. While we haven’t tested it in Golf Cabrio, it proved a neat match for this engine in Jetta.

Get Golf Cabrio out of town and on to a decent back road and there’s much to enjoy. If it’s not entirely free of flex and scuttle shake, it’s taut enough for its charter and target market. While it’s more sporting than Eos, it’s no GTI. It might be to do with the 114kg weight penalty, but the suspension tuning feels softer than that of a stock Golf hatch. Nevertheless, it’s capable of negotiating a decent bend with reasonable sureness of foot, turning in with clarity. Good quality Continental tyres helping to maintain its line through the apex. And there’s enough torque to give it a good shove out the exit in the right gear.

Inside Cabrio is pure Golf. Our test car was optioned up with satnav, leather and parking sensors/camera, which made a good thing even better.

And the roof? Our week with Golf Cabrio laid on some of the most ragtop-hostile weather in Sydney’s history. A savage thunderstorm one evening saw wind gusts so violent and rain so heavy that we were slowed to 10km/h and even forced to pull over for a minute or two. In other words, things could not have been better for putting Golf Cabrio’s canvas to the test. It remained at all times snug, taut and absolutely free of leaks and squeaks.

And if it’s not totally free of wind and road noise, it’s remarkably quiet for a car of its price. I’ve driven soft tops costing up to five times Golf Cabrio’s price whose tents were no better than this; a couple of them in fact were draughtier and squeakier.

Come time to let the sun in, it takes just nine seconds to drop it. It folds neatly into its own area in the top of the boot, in a way that puts its protective side out, meaning it forms its own cover when it’s down. In motion, it worked fine for us at speeds between 15 and 20km/h.

While there’s enough about their interior look and feel to connect them by brand, the $49,990 Eos feels as different to Golf Cabrio as it looks. Although it looks considerably larger on the outside (it’s 70mm longer, 9mm wider and 20mm lower). Most surprisingly, it’s shorter in the wheelbase, albeit by 1mm. It’s also a little broader in the track, front and rear.

The biggest difference is in weight: at 1596kg, it’s the best part of 200kg heavier than the 1424kg soft top. A hunk of that goes into the complex work of engineering wizardry that is its roof (more about that shortly), but the engine’s partly to blame, too.

The base Eos gets VW’s familiar 103 TDI 2.0-litre oiler, which adds 45kg to the weight of the up-spec 155kW TSI petrol model ($51,990).

At 10.3 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint, the 103kW oiler is palpably slower off the mark than the 8.4-second Golf Cabrio. As always, though, once it’s running it’s a terrific midrange puller. Turning on its peak 320Nm through a narrow-ish band (from 1750-2500rpm), it’s skewed towards cruising over darting and cornering. To prove its intent, no manuals here -- it’s six-speed DSG only in both specs.

Eos’s five-section roof has drawn plaudits enough to warrant registration as the ninth wonder of the world. There’s nothing like it, certainly not anywhere near the price. As versatile as it is elegant, it’s the only such convertible to incorporate a sliding glass sunroof, allowing for partial or full exposure to the elements. It’s also tight as a drum when it’s up. No rattles, no squeaks, very little wind noise -- save for the compromises in rear seat width, it feels like a normal tin top.

Reflecting its wider skew towards relaxation, Eos' roof is decidedly slower the Golf Cabrio’s, taking 25 seconds to open and fold into the boot. It gives the cargo space a hiding when it’s down, too. With the fold-down luggage containment box in place, it shrinks from 380 to 205 litres. By comparison, the Golf Cabrio’s 250-litre boot remains unaffected if its roof is up or down. And, by virtue of the space left beneath the roof storage area, cargo space is extendable through a split-fold rear seat.

Eos doesn’t match Golf Cabrio for handling, even though it feels firmer in the bouncy bits. The steering’s lighter and vaguer, and it feels easier to upset the suspension through corners over rough surfaces. As more evidence of its maker’s intentions, it was a beautiful thing on the cleaner stretches of our drive across the mountains to Bathurst.

Perhaps surprising, too, is that with the tops down, by our reckoning VW’s fluid dynamics people have done a better job with Golf Cabrio than Eos. While neither car’s rear seat is a joy to behold over 80km/h, Golf Cabrio provides better protection, particularly with the windows up. Indeed, this six-footer found Golf Cabrio more comfortable in the rear, full stop. It’s also less draughty in the front, although the seats aren’t a match for Eos’s nicely shaped and bolstered sports chairs.

This brings us to another predictable point of difference between the two: equipment levels. The kit difference is what you’d expect given the price difference and Eos’ older, more sedate target market. The hardtop gets full leather interior with better bolstered sports seats, shiny metal pedals and floor mats. The audio system has eight speakers (over Golf Cabrio’s six) and a six-CD stacker (over Golf Cabrio’s single).

The multifunction centre screen that comes with the satnav option on Golf Cabrio is standard in Eos (although the ‘nav is optional), and it comes with park-assist graphics, too. Eos also gets electrochromatic wing mirrors that dip for reversing and fold when the car’s locked up. They come with puddle lamps, too, as part of a better auxiliary lighting package that extends to the rear footwells.

It gets a comprehensive alarm system with motion sensors and tow-away protection. That means for inner-city dwellers who have to park their car on the street, the choice here is a no-brainer. Just ask anyone who’s come out to find their canvas top slashed. From their point of view, Eos is near perfect. In dark, quiet streets it’s more secure than many a normal tin top.

But for those untroubled by such issues, Golf Cabrio’s the go. It’s even worth a look if you can afford an Eos -- and if you want the extra goodies you can option it up to Eos money and beyond.

We’re surprised by just how good it is. It has so much going for it in so many ways: a sweet drivetrain (manual or auto), a nicely balanced ride/handling package, decent bootspace open and closed, Volkswagen build quality and the feel that goes with it.

All under a roof that is, in its own way, engineered with the same integrity as Eos’. It’s simple, speedy, compact when it’s down and -- we’ve proved it -- absolutely weatherproof when it’s up; all at a price that should leave other car makers shaking in their boots.

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