Retro Road Test Volkswagen Eos & MG B
May 19, 2008 by Matt Brogan
The Eos name, like most in the Volkswagen range, comes from a word pertaining to wind, in this instance Eos is the Greek goddess of dawn and wind, and to anyone taking a back seat in the car with the top down I am sure the latter would be especially true – best option the wind breaker.
Offering not only style and comfort through its many creature comforts, the Eos also packs quite a punch with its Golf GTi sourced 2.0 litre turbo charged four cylinder offering a very tidy 147kW @ 5,100rpm and 280Nm from just 1,800 rpm. Though driven through the front wheels the Eos is still quite poised in terms of handling and offers performance around the eight second mark for the sprint to 100km/h.
Along with such impressive performance times the Eos is nonetheless a pleasure to cruise in managing around town traffic just as easily as a quick sprint down some meandering country corners. The DSG box is brilliant and although it misses the paddles of the GT and GTi Golf, is still very responsive in Sport mode or with the use of +/- mode on the gearshift.
Boasting a raft of safety features including ABS, EBA, EBD, ESP, Front and Side Airbags, Seat Belt Pre-Tensioners and Traction Control, the Eos makes for confident motoring even with the five piece roof in fold down mode with Active Roll Over Protection rounding out the standard safety features.
The Individual Pack (referring to interior trim – as shown) allows a more personal touch to what is already a reflection of one’s tastes and means owning an Eos really sets you aside from more common place sedan based convertibles that seem to be so very prevalent on our roads.
One thing I’d really like to have seen offered for the Australian market is the brilliant 3.2 litre V6 engine offered in North America and Europe which also comes with paddle shift DSG, though perhaps that’s just the petrol-head in me.
When all is said and done, the Eos perhaps best demonstrates just how good a modern convertible can be and though the MG is a lovely old car, I think given the amount of vehicle on offer for the price, I’d be hard pressed to choose it over an Eos for the pace of modern life’s motoring.
You may very well be onto something here. The sort of people you see in the Eos are very much like the descendents of those =with funny caps who were seen in Morris Oxford convertibles (sorry, MGBs) in the late sixties.
The condition of that MG looks OK in photos. DOn’t suppose you guys have the same problems with wire worm as we do in wet n soggy UK.
Mines the EOS too – but in diesel format please. Regardig the wind maker, i’m sure my wife will tell you I already have enogh on that. Ha Ha
What about the Alfa Spyder 2000 series with a manual fabric roof which you could drop or put up on the fly in less than 15 secs. A whole lot better looking and a much better performer than the rather slow MGB.
True – I was more an Austin Healey fan myself when all is said and done, and yes Alfas were brilliant then too, but sadly the MG was my only option given the time frame.
MG capable of nearly 1g cornering??? Don’t dare put a small bump in the road while attempting this!!!! And make sure you’re running slicks as well…..
Mazda cashed in big time on the market that sadly missed the MG-B’s demise.
My accountant (60+) is a diehard MG afficionado and has a number of them, all have been fully restored, and a couple are daily drivers. I’ll have to suggest to him that he get an EOS (with the amount he charges me, he’ll easily be able to afford it) as it should suit his ageing image a little better!
It’s great occasionally to see how far we’ve come in the motoring world – the old saying “they don’t make them like they used to” is so, so true – thankfully :)
1g – a Pal of mine has a Jensen Healey which could do 1g. Awsome
Another vote for the Alfa Spyder. Mum used to have one when I was a kid and she’d let me sit on her lap and turn on the indicators. Haha, imagine doing that in this day and age!
Nice article, thanks. Kind of pointless, but valuable and enjoyable all at the same time.
Retro Road Test is an awesome idea. Looking forward to seeing more of them!
Eos looks lively, I am not sure if it targets the same market with the MG B but it sures is an excellent attempt by VW to enter a french dominated market.
Does anyone else not see how badly mis-matched these two cars are? Other than both being ‘convertibles’, where else are the similarities? I absolutely love the idea of a retro comparison, but this article is like comparing a new Bentley with a 70’s Ford LTD just because they have ‘big chrome grilles’. All of the articles on CarAdvice are excellent, well researched, on topic and well written – this one is no exception, except that it is kind of pointless and frustrating. If future retro compo’s are going to be written, I’d prefer the subject cars to have some tangible relevance to each other. Like I said, great idea though.
2 similar style cars that offer similar experiences to their owners. would have been similar cost when new and probably marketed to and purchased by similar people. both cars fall into the not cheap but not expensive fun, enjoyable convertable category.
the cars are what 30 years apart so obvioulsy they are going to be wildly mechanically different, however, Im not seeing your point Shaun, perhaps you might you might need to explain your point of view.
of course, if on rainy days water makes its way into the EOS cabin from all angles like the MG they would have to be perfect for comparison…..
Mmmmm MGB classic. Veedub not and Fugly.
Excellent concept CA!!!!!!!!!
Learned a bit more about the MGB too! Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback everyone. We’ll keep you posted on the timing of the next one and welcome your suggestions for future Retro Roadtests.
Maybe a comparo between a mazda rx-8 to a rx-2 would be good to see how far the rotary engine has come written up in a nice little review like this? would make for a good topic.
How about a comparo between the Fiesta XR4 and Escort RS2000?
My wife drives an Eos & loves it, You don’t have to wear a hat like some of the comments,you hardly get any wind so its
not a problem It’s a Great Car.
Cheers AL
I own 1967 MGB and love it. Set up and driven properly there are not too many cars that will out handle a B on tight and twisting roads. Having said that I am sure that the VW is a fine vehicle. My problem is every time I purchase a new car I get sick of it in about one month and go back to enjoying the old MG. There is just something about it.
I have a USA 1974 1/2 MGB, (yes i do like the rubber bumper models too!!!) I get a new car every few years , and as another reader, just get bored and go back to my B as much as possible. Needs a new engine though!!! Good article!
Steve , Melbourne
Oh,,, and I have a Jag XJ6 S2 which I am slowly restoring, although I love driving it…It is a sickness (old british cars) ;-)
Was the first Monocoque M.G. the 1955 Magnette ?
The “Y” Type a Sedan and the Magnette both had windup windows and gloveboxes ! Probably earlier models did too ! SA, WA,etc, etc.
The M.G.B. received synchro on first gear in about 1966-7 or so and retained it to the end !
Finally, will the VW Eos be as loved for the same period of time as any of the M.G. Models ?
Good one, Matt Brogan, good one !