Eos coupe-cabriolet

May 2011 saw Volkswagen introduce the facelifted Eos range, bringing with it freshened styling, revised technology and a streamlined model line-up, including the culling of the manual transmission option.

While the car retained reserved, well-proportioned (for a folding steel hard-top at least) styling, its new letterbox grille brought it up to speed with the rest of the Volkswagen range. The more slippery exterior design was credited for minor fuel economy improvements.

Both the 103TDI diesel and Golf GTi-sourced 155TSI petrol engines were unchanged, although the number of variants was whittled down to two - one DSG automatic-only specification per engine.

Standard safety gear included a full suite of airbags, electronic stability control and steel roll hoops that popped up from behind the passenger seats in a rollover.

Along with gaining standard Bluietooth connectivity, standard features for both the diesel and petrol models included 17-inch alloy wheels borrowed from the Passat, rain-sensing wipers, leather trim, heated front seats, iPod connection, cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity and audio streaming (plays your iPod or iPhone music without a cable), automatic headlights, a low-pressure tyre monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors and dual-zone climate control.

Options included satellite navigation, a premium audio system, biXenon headlights with cornering function and daytime LED running lights, 12-way electrically adjustable front seats and Park Assist, which enabled the Eos to park itself with little driver input.