It seems like everyone is rushing
to bring out a convertible hardtop this year. The first one I ever saw
was a couple years ago, when the Mercedes Benz 550 SLK came out. But
that’s a $100,000 car, and it wasn’t until last winter that the Volvo
C70 came out at about $40,000 – still on the high side for the average
buyer. But now you can get a Mazda MX-5 Miata and a Pontiac G6 with the
same kind of roof, and Volkswagen has just joined the parade with their
all-new Eos. All these cars are under the magic $30,000 price point,
and all should sell well.
But in this new and rapidly expanding segment, the Eos is special. The
high end will always belong to Benz and its peers, and Volvo has a
dedicated following as well. The MX-5 is a two-seater and aimed at a
totally different market. That leaves the G6 as the only real
competition for the Eos – and frankly, that’s no competition at all.
Like too many General Motors products these days, the G6 feels flimsy
and tinny and it’s underpowered. By contrast, the Eos is nothing short
of amazing.
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