Football analogies
We make no apology for the fact that Motorvision is based in Munich, nor for the fact that in our offices many supporters of the Bayern München football team are to be found. Less than a week ago the Bayern team confronted in the second Bundesliga match of the year the team from Wolfsburg. Munich… BMW, in this instance the 650i. Wolfsburg… Volkswagen, today their Eos model. Both marques and both football teams have their unconditionally loyal fans. The mightily powered Bavarian soft-top has a turbo-charged eight-cylinder engine producing 407 horsepower (300 kW). Not only the motorization but also the level of equipment puts this car unquestionably in the premium class… wantonly stretched bonnet, red Nappa leather sports seats and 18 inch wheels leave no doubt that this is an auto which belongs to the cabrio Champions League. And playing at this level involves an investment well above a hundred thousand Euros. For the car made in Wolfsburg the version we tested had a price tag of 48,765 Euros. And its sporting character is also limited even with the top motorization currently available, a two-litre TSI with 211 horsepower (155 kW)… about half that of the contender manufactured in Bavaria. And thus it would appear that we are truly comparing the incomparable.
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- The soft-top of the BMW can be deployed much faster than the retractable hard-top of the Eos.
On the Autobahn
But the Eos springs alertly to life when the starter button is pushed. And it develops power far quicker than its bulky rear end… typical for a retractable hard-top model… would suggest. Fast sprints on the Autobahn? Using the ‘S’ mode this is no problem for the driver of the Volkswagen. The six-stage double-declutching DSG transmission is as smooth and rapid as we have come to expect from cars made in Wolfsburg and in 7.8 seconds the Eos has reached a hundred kilometres an hour. Pushing the car to its limit is a pleasure thanks to the kick-down function which reacts very promptly. But of course the Eos cannot rival the pure might of the BMW with its eight-stage automatic dealing with almost twice as much raw power. The Bimmer will be far ahead of the Eos, the heads-up display having shown a hundred already after only five seconds. When let loose and allowed to do its worst the 600 Nm of torque coming at between 1,750 and 4,500 RPM means that the BMW has no need to be pushy… the fast lane clears fast when the double-kidney grill and squinting, leering headlights are spotted in other drivers’ rear-view mirrors.
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- The VW Eos develops power far quicker than its bulky rear end… typical for a retractable hard-top model… would suggest.
Transformations
The whistle blows for half-time. Both cars head for the locker-rooms… in this case to a parking lot, both the eight-cylinder and the four-cylinder deserve a rest. It is… untypically for this German summer… a wonderfully sunny day. For the second half of our match the BMW will have its soft-top in place and the Eos will have its roof deployed, the roof with its complex folding metal construction. Unfortunately opening this steel helmet is not as dynamic as the car’s behaviour on the road. If there are any obstructions detected the system reports ‘insufficient clearance’. This is because the folding of the roof calls for several centimetres of lee-way to the sides, so that it properly folds and unfolds. With our test car the obstruction was as harmless as a curb-stone a good metre away from us, but it was enough to trigger the warning. Possibly the sensors had an over-sensitive setting. The actual ‘transformation’ takes place without any groaning or creaking hinges but takes a good deal of time. We found that closing the roof took 29.6 seconds, opening 25.8 seconds. In this respect the BMW is a good deal more eager to go topless. The hydraulic mechanism and two electric motors open up the car in 19 seconds and close it in 24, and these actions can take place while the car is in motion at up to 40 kilometres an hour. With the soft-top deployed the loading capacity of the boot increases from 300 to 350 litres, enough for a modest amount of luggage or reasonable shopping bags. In this respect the VW Eos is more generous when the roof is in place with 380 litres available. But once the roof has been retracted then 205 litres is hardly enough for more than a sports bag.
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- Fine wood trim and a choice of drive modes. But ‘Sport’ mode is hardly needed to appreciate the 407 horsepower of the cabrio made in Munich.
Back seat issues
Compared with the roar of the BMW even when driven open-topped the Eos must be credited as being far from noisy with only the flapping of the seat-belts disturbing the calm. With the BMW things are a bit different… it goes off like a rocket and sounds like one, too. Wind noise in the soft-top only becomes apparent at over 200 kilometres an hour. Neither cabriolet is much use for any who might wish to occupy the back seats… to continue our football analogy the term ‘reserve bench’ springs to mind. But the chic BMW delights with an interior finish with exotic woods and other highest quality materials. The instruments and fittings of the Eos are more modest, functional and unassuming. Neither car has really good visibility to the rear when the tops are in place and it is good that the onboard camera feeds a good view to the back onto the ten-inch computer monitor of the BMW. In the Eos there is only loud beeping to alert the driver to invisible obstacles behind the car. So, how does this match between unequals end up?
Extra time
Both autos deliver the real enjoyment of open-air driving. For this reason each will find ready buyers in their respective price classes. In everyday situations… in this case on Autobahns with countless ‘men at work’ signs and in congested city traffic… the relatively inexpensive Eos was more or less the equal of the rival from Munich. But it won’t turn as many heads. For those needing the ‘look at me’ effect the BMW 650i is perfect. Naturally in the context of bang for the buck the winner is indubitably the Eos, since two of them could be parked in the garage for the price of just one Bimmer! In terms of fuel consumption the Eos took 7.7 litres per hundred kilometres driven, close to the claim of the manufacturer. The BMW 650i needed 13 litres. But it is well known that sporting performance means that much should be drunk. By the way, Bayern München scored the single winning goal only in extra time.
