2007 Volkswagen Eos

click above image to view gallery of 2007 Volkswagen EOS Even though Volkswagen has one of the fullest lineups in its history of selling cars in the U.S., these aren't the best of times in North America for the German automaker. Since 2005, VW has lost somewhere around $2 billion in the U.S. and the company has decided to lay off 30% of its workforce by moving its U.S. headquarters from Detroit to Virginia. Horrendous Euro to Dollar exchange rates are certainly part of the problem, but VW is having much more trouble offering Americans vehicles that fit our tastes. The Volkswagen EOS hit the scene with surprisingly little fanfare, even though it combines the sporty 2.0T engine and athletic driving dynamics of a Rabbit with a killer hard-top convertible. The EOS appears to have everything it takes to be a summer classic, a claim we put to the test by inviting the car into our Autoblog Garage for a week. %Gallery-7493% click any image to enlarge When looking at the Volkswagen EOS from the outside in, we see a cool car wearing the trademark Volkswagen front end, a totally trick hard-top convertible, and the best rear end in the VW lineup. The soft lines of the sheetmetal are slightly feminine, a feeling that was reinforced by a couple of Woodward Dream Cruise participants calling the EOS a "girl's car." Regardless, the design is crisp and clean, and the vehicle attracts attention when the top is up. When the top was down, we also experienced several long, jealous stares. The engineering ninjas at VW also managed to put a moonroof into the state-of-the-art hard top, a design feature that no competition within $10,000 of this price range can match. Volkswagen put plenty of expressiveness into the design of the headlights and taillights, which gives the EOS a different identity than the otherwise similarly-styled Jetta or Rabbit. Our model came equipped with terrifically-bright bi-Xenon lamps, which further advanced the cachet of the EOS. VW always seems to find a way to employ the use of attractive, large wheels and tires to fill their fenders, and this four-seat drop-top is no different. The 17s-inchers on our Fire Red EOS made for a much more sporty look, and the provided grip of the Pirelli rubber helped keep honest the well-respected 2.0T engine. While some may feel the design of the EOS is a little soft, the little 2.0T engine is anything but. What a blast! The power that comes from this little turbocharged engine surprises with every push of the pedal, and turbo lag is nowhere to be found. The only issues we had were some torque steer under very heavy acceleration and a tendency for the EOS to take off on you if any throttle is applied when up-shifting. The first couple of times this startled us, but we got used to it quickly. Another issue with the engine is that it's quite loud for such a small motor, and the injectors …
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