New And Used Volkswagen Eos (VW): Prices, Photos, Reviews, Specs
The Volkswagen Eos is the automaker's outgoing hardtop convertible. 2 seating in a vehicle halfway between a compact and mid-size car, and its lines flirt with the edge of the luxury market. The Eos is a unique model in the Volkswagen lineup鈥攊ts folding hardtop that collapses into the trunk is unique too鈥攁lthough it's built on underpinnings from various earlier generations of Golf, Jetta, and Passat. The Volkswagen Eos competes with the Buick Cascada, the Mini Cooper S Convertible, the discontinued Volvo C70, and perhaps the Mercedes-Benz SLC convertible. Despite offering a "Final Edition" for 2015, Volkswagen made available the Eos for 2016, which was the last year for the Eos. When it launched back in 2007, the Eos was intended to be the successor to its VW Cabriolet model that was based on an earlier generation of Golf hatchback鈥攁nd that's how VW pitched it. That Cabrio had a folding cloth roof, though, so the Eos was definitely a step up in insulation, weather protection, and comfort.
It's also a hit with kids, who will relish watching the folding roof lift up, separate into give panels that nest inside each other, and retract to drop itself into the trunk compartment鈥攁ll in less than 30 seconds. The Eos' unique style and packaging give it few natural competitors; the MINI Cooper S Convertible could be considered an alternative, as could the BMW 1-Series Convertible. The MINI is smaller, and the BMW can be considerably more expensive, however. The packaging is quite marvelous in the Eos, in fact. Its trunk is reasonably roomy, and the power top won't descend if there's anything in its path. The back seat is, surprisingly, roomy enough for kids鈥攐r even shorter adults, for brief stints鈥攁nd access isn't bad. Wind deflection isn't great at highway speeds, though, so you'll probably travel at speed with the top up. The Volkswagen Eos hasn't changed a great deal since its 2007 launch, except for some changes to trim levels and the loss of the VR6 engine option.
All models include a pop-up roll bar plus head and thorax side bags, along with more standard features than you'll find on VW's other small cars. In 2010, VW pared down the engines to a single 200-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, here paired with either a 6-speed manual transmission or the optional, and excellent, 6-speed automated manual gearbox. The first two years of Eos also offered as an option VW's 250-hp, 3.2-liter VR6, which came only with the DSG. What it gained in smoothness and exhaust note, however, the V6 gave up in fuel economy鈥攊t was much thirstier鈥攁nd it really didn't feel much faster on the road. The turbo-4 engine does well on fuel economy, with EPA ratings of 21 mpg city, 31 highway. On newer versions Bluetooth has been made standard and larger wheels have helped spruce up the Eos' appearance somewhat. And for 2013, VW furthered that by introduced a new Sport trim, with a lowered suspension, adaptive bi-xenon headlamps, fog lamps, and special 18-inch alloy wheels, plus a touchscreen audio system. Handling and roadholding are better than the car's conservative exterior might suggest. The Eos is a better-tuned, better-balanced vehicle than all the smaller cars in VW's lineup except for the GTI鈥攁nd it's considerably more refined than that hot hatch. Ride quality in the Eos is also supple and composed, especially for such a short vehicle.
I noticed a few egrets perching on timber frames and scouring for food in the mud. So i took as many shots as i could since i am not sure how many will be keepers. With 7 fps the EOS80D can be quite good for birds in flight shots. EOS80D image is quite noisy in dim light. Post processing will improve it. I tried to get a longer focal range by adding Kenko DGX Pro300 1.4x tele-convertor but the auto-focus became slow and hunting, i missed a lot of shots of the flying egrets. So, i decided to take it off and just use my Canon L EF 70-300mm lens only. 480mm equivalent which is not bad for short to medium range distance but wanting for longer range. So, that is all i got to show for my first birding session using my new EOS80D APSC body. I only had about two hours to test it on that day. I will do further testing in the next trip using my EF400mm f5.6 L lens and Sigma 150-500mm which will give me an equivalent 640mm and 800mm focal range respectively. I will post the photos here so those who are thinking about getting a good body for birding but do not want to spend a fortune can make an informed decision. You never know, EOS80D could just be the solution that you need. Until then, thanks for reading this post and happy birding.
