2012 Volkswagen Eos news, pictures, and information

2012 VOLKSWAGEN EOS: BEAUTIFUL DESIGN, RAIN OR SHINE

The revised exterior styling introduced for 2012 brings the Eos into line wîth the latest Volkswagen design DNA. Extending between the new swept-back headlamps is a prominent, slim new grille featuring three gloss-black blades, each trimmed wîth a narrow chrome strip.

The new lighting system features the option of Bi-Xenon high-intensity headlamps wîth bright-white LED Daytime Running Lights, plus Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS). This can turn the headlamps up to 15 degrees for increased nighttime visibility around curves.

A new bumper design incorporates a deep, restyled air dam wîth horizontal blades matching those of the grille. Mounted at the edges, halogen reflector-lens fog lights have a corner-illuminating feature.

At the rear, the Eos has reworked, two-part LED rear lights wîth fiber-optic technology and a redesigned rear bumper wîth lower black diffuser and chrome, dual-tipped exhausts.

Top up or down, the 2012 Eos has a sleek, elegant profile, highlighted by a swept-back windshield, slim roof pillars to ensure great all-round visibility, and a bold-muscular body line that starts by the front wheelarch and sweeps back all the way to the rear light.

Folding Hardtop

To see the Eos's electro-hydraulically-operated five-piece steel and glass roof in action is like watching a mechanical ballet.

In the 25 seconds it takes for the top to lower, the five elements form a compact 'sandwich', stacking neatly and elegantly on top of each other so as to take up minimal space inside the trunk. The mechanism itself is activated from the front seat by a press-and-hold lever beneath the center armrest. Thanks to the way the mechanism operates, the roof can be opened or closed in most garages.

This is how the roof lowering process works: Once the switch is pressed, the sunroof section slides backwards and the side windows are lowered. Almost simultaneously, the entire rear section of the roof, from the C-pillar up to the 'imaginary' B-pillar is lifted upwards. The sunroof then slides under the rear area of the roof forming a 'sandwich'.

Now the hydraulic control system folds the entire roof cover deck lid, along wîth the lid of the trunk, backwards. Then the lateral roof spars of the windshield frame slide back as well. The sunroof and the rear part of the roof are completely lowered into the rear of the car, while the roof spars slide into separate cavities (covered by lids) near the rear side window.

In total, the Eos's roof is made up of 470 components, including an eight-cylinder electro-hydraulic pump located under the luggage compartment cover behind the spare wheel.

A unique feature of the folding roof is its sliding glass sunroof that's integrated into the car's metal roof. At 44 inches wide and 22 inches deep, it is far larger than a traditional sunroof. At the touch of a button it can either be tilted, partly, or fully opened. There's also an integrated, manual sliding sunshade to reduce sunlight glare.

A key design element of the roof is that the section behind the sunroof is made of matching tinted glass, giving the visual impression that the Eos's entire roof is made from glass.

To reduce wind-buffeting when the top is lowered, the Eos comes wîth a removable, foldable wind-blocker that can be mounted behind the rear seats, plus a neat pop-up mesh wind deflector that deploys from the top of the windscreen.

Interior

Adding to the considerable versatility of the 2012 Eos is its ability to carry four adults in comfort, and still have space for their luggage.

With the Eos's top raised, the trunk offers a generous 10.5 cubic feet of storage space. With the roof fully-retracted, there is still a usable 6.6 cubic feet. For longer items, a lockable pass-through is integrated into the Eos's rear seats.

Just stepping into the cabin of the Eos you are instantly aware of the high-luxury features and the exceptional quality and fit and finish of the materials. From the soft-touch feel of the plastics, to the elegant use of chrome and brushed-aluminum-look 'matte chrome', to the beautifully crafted seat stitching, the Eos is firmly in the luxury-car category.

On Lux and Executive trim levels, genuine Burled Walnut, or the more technical aluminum Black Peak, add luxury and style to the fascia and door panels. It's accompanied by rich, supple leather seating surfaces in a choice of Cornsilk Beige, Atlantic Blue, Titan Black or Red. And all Eos models are equipped wîth a leather-wrapped multifunction §teering wheel and shift knob.

From the sporty, side-bolstered front seats wîth standard 12-way power adjustment for the driver (eight-way for the front passenger), to the supportive individual rear seats, the Eos is exceptionally comfortable and accommodating.

To make it easy for passengers to climb in the back, the front seats in the Eos are available wîth an electric easy-entry feature. Pressing the rocker switch allows the seats to power forward so passengers can step in, and then return to their original position.

With the top folded, one might think that would be all the air conditioning an Eos driver would need. But standard on all models is a dual-zone Climatronic climate control. The system allows driver and front-seat passenger to adjust their own air temperatures individually and independently. The Climatronic system even takes into account the amount of sunlight coming into the cabin, and makes separate calculations to compensate on both the driver and passenger sides.

For entertainment, all Eos models come standard wîth an eight-speaker touchscreen sound system complete wîth crystal-clear HD Radio technology, an in-dash six-CD changer, and a Media Device Interface (MDI) wîth iPod® cable to seamlessly navigate playlists, albums and more, plus Bluetooth® connectivity.

Standard equipment wîth the new, top-of-the-line 2012 Eos Executive is a 10-speaker premium sound system from the Danish hi-fi specialist Dynaudio. This 10-channel system delivers up to a true 600 watts RMS without generating unwanted vibrations in the vehicle structure, setting a new standard in this class.

Engines and Transmissions

	Vital Stats
Engine : 2.0 L., 4-cylinder Power: 200 hp Torque: 207 ft-lbs
6-speed Manual

The 2012 Eos features Volkswagen's award-winning 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder gasoline engine that delivers such an exhilarating driving experience in the latest Volkswagen GTI.

This advanced, technically-sophisticated, direct fuel-injection powerplant produces 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque and features drive-by-wire throttle control and maintenance-free hydraulic lifters. One of the key reasons for the engine's lively, responsive performance is that it produces all 207 lb-ft of torque from just 1800rpm, allowing for rapid passing and fast exits from tight curves.

For 2012, the front-wheel drive Eos features the remarkable DSG® six-speed dual-clutch transmission as standard. This fast-shifting automatic enables the Eos to deliver an EPA fuel economy rating of 30 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg in city driving.

DSG combines the comfort and ease-of-use of an automatic, wîth the responsiveness and economy of a manual. The six-speed, transversely-mounted DSG unit features two wet clutches wîth hydraulic pressure regulation. One clutch controls the 'odd' gears—1st, 3rd, 5th and reverse—while the other operates the even gears. Essentially it is two gearboxes in one.

With DSG, the set-up allows the next-higher gear to be engaged, but remain on standby until it is actually selected. In other words, if the Eos is being driven in third gear, fourth is selected but not yet activated. As soon as the ideal shift point is reached, the clutch on the third-gear side opens, the other clutch closes and fourth gear engages under accurate electronic supervision.

Since the opening and closing actions of the two clutches overlap, a smooth gearshift results and the entire shift process is completed in less than four-hundredths of a second. In addition to its fully automatic shift mode, DSG has a Tiptronic® function to permit manual gear selection.

For even livelier performance, the DSG in the Eos also features a Sport mode, which makes the transmission even more responsive to the throttle and will hold on to gears longer.

Suspension