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Horses to EuroVan Copley News Service Volkswagen sold 265,000 vans between 1967 and 1971 and they became an automotive icon for liberated ideas.
The modern interpretation of that van, the EuroVan, is true to the original concept of maximum space and versatility. However, only about 2,500 EuroVans found a home last year -- victim to a somewhat underpowered engine and overpowered price. Volkswagen has suddenly awakened to the potential of the EuroVan and hacked $5,300 from the price tag and pumped an additional 61 horsepower into the six-cylinder engine. For 2001, the EuroVan is a little more competitive with the other minivans on the market, even though it's not really a minivan -- not in how it drives, its interior space and, especially, not in image. The EuroVan -- it was advertised as a station wagon in the middle '60s -- has an air of individuality earned from its predecessors. It is a different kind of passenger van and it is not for just any minivan shopper. Still, with the '01 improvements VW should easily move the 10,000 to 20,000 it hopes to sell in the next year. Introduced in 1992 with a dutiful 109 hp, 5-cylinder engine, the EuroVan has gone through a decade of improvements. It had to. It was being ignored in the United States, and because of that VW pulled it from the U.S. market for about four years in the mid-1990s. It returned in 1998 with a 140 hp VR6 engine, but it was still hobbled by price. Volkswagen has simplified the buying process by offering only two models: GLS and MV, or MultiVan, the foundation for a camping experience. The GLS starts at $26,850, including the $650 destination charge. Standard equipment includes ESP, or Electronic Stability Program, which helps keep drivers out of the spin cycle by computerized intervention of the anti-lock brakes and throttle. Anti-slip regulation, ASR, is also a standard safety feature to help keep the front-wheel drive van moving through snow, loose dirt or rain-slicked roads. All EuroVans also come with dual zone automatic air conditioning with back seat controls, power windows-mirrors-locks, remote locking, 16-inch tires and alloy wheels with a full-size spare, six-speaker stereo and fog lights. The MV starts at $28,350 and comes with basic on-the-road living features: The back seat folds into a double bed. A small table folds out from the side wall between the rear-facing -- and removable -- second-row seats and rear bench seat. There's a fluorescent light in the ceiling for nighttime card games. Add the Weekender Package for $3,235 and your van will have a pop-up roof, a bed for two, window screens and sliding window curtains, a big screen for the rear hatch, a small refrigerator, second battery and heavy-duty alternator. Voila! It becomes the in-laws' flat when you aren't traveling the backcountry. VW also makes a camper version through Winnebago that adds a stove, sink and more, but prices have not been set. The price is still on the expensive side, and it's hard to identify where the cost comes from. The chassis is a decade old, the engine is used in other VW cars and it lacks many of the contemporary minivan safety and convenience features. Still, no equipment was deleted to meet the price cut, it was all through the lower production costs and a favorable deutschmark exchange rate, says Frank Maguire, Volkswagen's marketing chief. To anyone who has driven a Microbus, there will be much that is familiar about the EuroVan, especially its big-bus driving position for the driver and the big-box interior. The seats are firm, the ride is taut and like any new VW, it is fun to drive. Minivans are many things, but fun is seldom part of the description. To anyone who hasn't driven a VW van lately, the acceleration will astound. This one is almost nimble, and the 201 hp V-6 pulls sharply from the stoplight and remains vital for 80 mph highway cruising, even uphill. The only transmission offered is a four-speed automatic, which does an adequate job, but a five-speed might give smoother shifts and better highway fuel economy. Fuel mileage reflects the added horsepower: 15 mpg around town and 20 on the highway. The EuroVan has much appeal in its power, function and funk, but it lacks some safety and convenience features found on other minivans. And despite the electronic stability and traction controls, there is some yester-tech VW in the parts and pieces. For example, there are no side air bags or side curtain air bags. The steering wheel does not tilt or telescope and there is no height adjustment to the driver's seat. That won't be an issue for shorter drivers, most of whom will be able to see comfortably over the hood and over the shoulder without restriction. It might be an issue for the taller drivers or those of long torsoes who may wish to lower the seat to get a little more head room. Also, the front cup holders let water bottles go flying. There are limited storage bins and compartments -- not including the huge cargo area -- and it does not offer dual sliding doors, a design that would compromise body rigidity and the German standard for driveability, say the engineers. Like all its predecessors, the EuroVan is built at the factory in Hanover, Germany. And like its predecessors, it was built as a commercial vehicle, but like many such vehicles it works especially well for passengers, especially in the United States. The EuroVan is not car-like, yet it is accommodating, and it shows the 35 years of improvement over the Microbus, which was little more than a box cabin fitted to a Beetle chassis. Further improvements to the EuroVan -- cosmetic, design or engineering -- are unlikely. While the reintroduction of the EuroVan represents the "next step" in the re-emergence of Volkswagen, this van is in its retirement years and about as evolved as it can get. It will have done its job if it brings more van buyers to VW as the company moves into its truck phase in 2003 when it launches a small sport-ute followed by the EuroVan's replacement -- renamed the Microbus -- by 2004. That's the van that will showcase all the safety, design and engineering finesse of Volkswagen. For all the areas the EuroVan might not meet the expectations of the modern minivan buyer, there is something endearing about its personality and individuality. After all, for many family shoppers, a minivan represents a life change and the loss of freedom. A Volkswagen van, however, is a lifestyle, and still carries the warm memories of youthful adventure, all-night parties and picnics along the side of the road, waiting for the tow truck.
Safety equipment -- Front air bags, side-door beams, Electronic Stability Program, Anti-Slip Regulation and anti-lock brakes, height-adjustable front 3-point belts with pretensioners and load limiters. Standard equipment -- Dual zone automatic air conditioning with back seat controls, power windows-mirrors-locks, remote locking, six-speaker stereo and fog lights, rear wiper and washer, 2-speed front wipers and heated washer nozzles, Immobilizer anti-theft system, cruise control, electric rear window defroster, lockable storage box in driver's door, locking fuel cap, illuminated visor vanity mirrors, dual armrests on front seats, fold and tumble rear bench seat.
Base MSRP -- $26,850 including the $650 destination charge. Price as tested, $27,350. Options on test truck -- Power sunroof with sunshade, $500. Where assembled -- Hanover, Germany
PLUSES -- Good robust Volkswagen van personality, but with power to spare. High ride height gives a big view to go with the big-bus driving position. Fun to drive and capable of enthusiastic driving despite the big box styling. The image of adventure in a box. MINUSES -- No height adjustment to the driver seat or steering wheel. Awkward step-in to the front seats around the wheel wells and no driver's footrest because of the intrusion of the wheel wells. No options for side air bags or an air curtain. Premium fuel requirement and modest fuel mileage. News Index | Features Index |
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AutoWord Copyright© 2001 Copley News Service |
Today, these vans -- nicknamed "Microbus" for their small bus-like appearance -- still have a presence, often seen along the roadside waiting to be towed or chugging along in the fast lane of the freeway holding up traffic.