2014 Volkswagen Eos Reviews, Expert Car Reviews on AOL Autos_5

but pleasant enough to look at.Its low-slung design is short and stubby in profile, almost like a toy.Styling updates for 2012 freshen the Eos's appearance without radically changing its familiar lines.

The Eos is categorized as a subcompact by the federal government.Its width and wheelbase (the distance from the center of the front wheels to the center of the rear wheels) are identical to Volkswagen's GTI and Jetta models, but bumper to bumper the Eos measures about eight inches longer than the GTI hatchback and about six inches shorter than the Jetta sedan.

With its folding hardtop up, the Eos doesn't look anything like a soft-top convertible.Its windshield has a low, sloping rake and, keeping with the coupe theme, the Eos has no middle roof pillars.The rear pillars are narrower than those on a traditional soft-top convertible.The trunk lid is expansive and flat, making room for top stowage underneath.

The 2012 Eos styling changes start in front, where a three-bar grille connects re-shaped light clusters.Each grille slat is shiny black and trimmed with a narrow chrome strip.The two-part taillights are re-shaped, too, spanning the trunk lid and rear fenders with LED elements, and no conventional bulbs.The rear bumper is smoother than before, with a single twin-tip exhaust pipe poking out under the left side.