IT'S taken precisely three years for Volkswagen's stunning Concept C to progress from show car to production car but, now that we've driven it on home soil, the wait appears to have been worth it. Joining the growing throng of coupe-convertible models on sale Down Under, Eos has some hot competition in Renault's Megane CC, the Puegeot 307 CC and, not least, Holden's new Astra TwinTop. But with a clever sunroof system incorporated into its five-piece folding hard-top, plus sharp sub-$50,000 pricing and the choice of turbocharged petrol and diesel engines, the sylish, solid and safety-packed Eos should find at least as many homes as the Golf Cabrio it replaces did.
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Volkswagen Golf III Cabriolet
Released: March 1995
Ended: March 2003
Family Tree: EosAs the most direct predecessor for the Eos, the last Golf Cabriolet sold in Australia was the Golf III-based Series II cabrio launched here in October 1998 and discontinued in March 2003 - three months before the Beetle Cabriolet launched here. Effectively a Golf III cab with front-end and interior styling from the Golf IV hatch, the revised and final Golf Cabrio comprised 66kW/145Nm 1.8-litre CL and 85kW/166Nm 2.0-litre GL variants, featuring five-speed manual and four-speed auto transmissions. The CL was last sold in June 2000 at $46,790, while the GL's final sticker price was $52,350.
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