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There are a few Volkswagen models that seem to resonate highly with women.  One was the ‘New Beetle’ that was an instant hit.  Maybe it was the flower pot?  Maybe it was the cartoonish styling?  The second was the Volkswagen Cabrio.  I hate to stereotype here but I’m going to.  The Cabrio was a chick’s car.  An anemic powertrain and powder puff looks had me thinking back to the last time I rode in one in college.  Oh and that picnic basket look was just a major eyesore.  Urban Dictionary even calls the Cabrio the Bitch Basket.  It was embarrassing, noisy, and not something I wanted an encore of.  So, is the Eos an improvement over the defunct Cabrio with better styling, powertrain, and design or is the Eos still the flagship for the feminist movement?  Let’s find out…

Yeah I had a bit of a cringe when I heard about the Eos landing on my doorstep.  Would I just need a disguise to drive it?  What would the neighbors think?  Man card in one hand and the steering wheel in the other, it took all of about 30 yards for me to realize that the Eos is not the Cabrio with a new name.  The Eos feels incredibly solid.  Maybe that is due in part to the over-engineered hardtop.  The extra heft gives the Eos a Panzer tank-like feeling of solid engineering.  The Eos isn’t a car you’d want to take to the local autocross but it is fun on the moderately twisty roads.  The tiniest rear view mirror shimmy won’t be noticeable to any but the obsessive compulsive perfectionists.  Oh yeah, and the interior is everything that you get with that premium VW pricing.  My Komfort trim rang in at $34,000.  The materials are soft and the grained plastics are expensive looking.  No hints of the new Jetta’s recipe for cost cutting in here.

The Eos features an innovative roof that allows for you to open a trick sunroof or fully drop the top.  The hard top isn’t like any other hard top you’ve seen before.  It is essentially German origami.  The way that the rear glass folds down and up is impressive.  Everything seals tight.  Couldn’t find even a drop of water in one of those touch-less car washes, which are the devil incarnate for convertibles.  Wind noise was minimal, leading me to believe I was in a coupe instead of a convertible.

The white pleather seating in my tester wouldn’t be my first choice for material or color (white!) but it does a nice job of keeping the heat at bay when the top is down.  I was able to pop my two-year-old in the back seat without any issues.  This is no small feat in most convertibles.  The access to the rear was better than some recent pony cars I’ve had.

The 2.0L turbo four-cylinder is a proven performer for VW.  If it were my car I’d probably have to opt for for power by means of a software upgrade.  The dual clutch transmission is still one of the best in the business and returned fuel economy over 30 MPG.  Not bad when you consider that the Eos is more than 500 pounds heavier than a two-door Golf.

So, the Eos still has some feminine flair but I think that applies to certain color schemes.  I really like the Eos, as it has matured into a polished gem of a convertible.  With the right colors, wheels, and a horsepower upgrade…I might be able to see myself in one.  I mean, I love drop tops and with the gene pool connecting the Eos to the GTI, well, I really shouldn’t be so embarrassed, right?  A decent family convertible for all climates with no sacrifices for a weak engine, extra noise, or glaring faults.  Yeah, a convertible for the people, even those of us in the snow belt.