We recently wondered how Volkswagen models' traditionally staid exteriors will change after Walter Maria de Silva takes the reigns as head of design. The 2007 Volkswagen Eos may be a sign of things to come: Launched in the United States late last year, Volkswagen seems to have taken cues from de Silva who was previously in charg
e of design at Volkswagen' daughter company Audi.
While the Eos may arguably not be on cutting edge technology wise, its design attracted a lot of attention and got people asking me questions in France, where people usually just don't come up to you and start talking about your car. I can only image the reactions of passersbys in the United States.
Indeed, the Eos is more sporty than the usual Volkswagen fare, is a fun drive and offers some features usually reserved for higher-end car models--the car's sticker price starts at $27,990. The EosI drove had a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter engine, with 200 horsepower--a
3.5-liter version just became available. The model has a retractable hard roof with multi-folding components--also uncommon in this segment--cornering headlights, a 600-Watt sound system, and a dual-zone climate control system that adjusts to whether the top is down or not.
