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Follow-Up Test: 2001 Volkswagen EuroVan
It's Called the EuroVan, But Should It Be Your Van?
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By Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com
Date posted: 11-26-2001
We last visited the EuroVan
in 1999, when it was reintroduced to the American market after being yanked
5 years earlier due to poor sales. For the 1999 relaunch, Volkswagen gave its
box-on-wheels a dose of horsepower in the form of a VR6 powerplant that made 140
horsepower. Engineers also worked to improve the van's structural rigidity and
cabin insulation, and the company saw fit to include a host of items, from air
conditioning to daytime running lights, as standard equipment.
While the structural, safety and horsepower improvements all made the 1999 version
better than the previous offering, they didn't address the EuroVan's basic failings
that had torpedoed it in the early '90s: a combination of floppy handling, archaic
ergonomics and a lack of family-friendly features. Even the more powerful engine
didn't make the 1999 EuroVan a form of rapid transit; though it did elevate the
boxy people-mover beyond "slug on Valium" status.
Now it's two years, several features and 61 horsepower later. Even the price was
slashed by almost three grand for 2001. With all these improvements, the latest
Vee-Dub van should surely rival the current domestic and Asian models, right?
This year, Volkswagen has again bumped engine performance while also adding items
like tinted glass, remote central locking, additional reading lights, an upgraded
stability control system and available captain's chairs (as opposed to the standard
bench seat) in the second row. And, just like two years ago, Volkswagen has done
a commendable job at making the most of an ancient platform. These changes, however,
can't make a 10-year-old platform feel like a 21st Century minivan.
For instance, while the new engine now makes 201 horsepower, it still took 11
seconds to haul the van up to 60 miles-per-hour. The quarter-mile passed in a
similarly relaxed 18.1 seconds. Despite these numbers, all drivers agreed that
the engine felt plenty capable for real-world driving. Passing power was more
than adequate when stuck behind slower-moving traffic, and the engine remained
relatively smooth and quiet even when pushed to redline. The transmission also
received high marks for its responsive downshifts, though the illogical placement
of the shifter itself (way down on the floor between the two high-riding front
seats), combined with the occasional premature upshift kept road testers from
giving the transmission better-than-average marks overall.
If the drivetrain offers a mixed bag of emotions, the EuroVan's suspension and
handling characteristics are quickly and easily labeled: tipsy. While the rest
of the industry has worked, with varying degrees of success, at making their minivans
more car-like, Volkswagen continues to push a product that feels as contemporary
as big hair and parachute pants. This type of side-to-side swaying was acceptable
on the first Chrysler minivans of 1984, but today's consumer isn't prepared to
keep Dramamine in the glove box for every time they encounter a twisty road. The
EuroVan's floppy handling is perplexing when one considers that, other than the
Odyssey, it's the only minivan that currently utilizes an independent rear suspension.
Steering feel and braking characteristics are acceptable, proving responsive and
confidence-inspiring — as long as the road remains straight. Roll through
a set of switchbacks, however, and it's airport shuttle bus time, complete with
a nagging fear that the inside wheels might separate from Mother Earth.
Driver comfort and overall interior design were two more items that had editors
pining for a Honda or Chrysler minivan. The driver's footwell area, for example,
proved a constant annoyance for one driver with size-11 feet. He found it nearly
impossible to operate the gas pedal without also, unintentionally, operating the
brake pedal, due to the tight spacing between them. And while his right foot tried
in vain to separate gas- and brake-pedal inputs, his left foot continuously bumped
against the wheel hump that comprised most of the left side of the footwell area.
Did we mention the non-tilting or telescoping steering wheel that further contributes
to airport shuttle bus comparisons? How about the lack of upper back support in
the front seats? Well, Momma always said if you don't have anything nice to say...
Of course, by that logic, we also can't talk about the excessive wind noise at
highway speeds, no doubt due to the EuroVan's tall, upright windshield and generally
boxy shape. We'll also leave out any discussion of the inaccurate external temperature
display (110 degrees along California's coast in October?) and the quirky dual-zone
climate control that isn't really dual zone at all. Sure, you can adjust each
side in the front, but when you do, it changes the other side by a similar amount.
So if the driver wants to drop three degrees, from 74 to 71, the passenger, who
is already at 71 degrees, drops down to 68 degrees.
No, we can't explain this.
We did figure out how to fold the third-row seat flat, but only after three
editors spent about 10 minutes trying to figure it out (you have to yank the cargo
shelf and pull two levers). Our test vehicle had no owner's manual, so it was
the old "What's this lever do?" and "Try pulling that strap" method. Ten minutes
doesn't sound too bad, but most people can drop the Odyssey's third-row seat into
the floor, or even pull the Grand Caravan's rear seat completely out, within 2
minutes of first encountering those vans. Even after figuring out how to drop
the third-row seatback, we couldn't figure out how to remove the seat completely.
Obviously, an owner's manual would have helped here...but we've never needed one
for seat removal in the current Dodge and Honda offerings.
Almost every other minivan comes with dual-sliding doors, too, but not the Volkswagen.
As a former Odyssey owner, I was repeatedly annoyed after exiting the driver's
door and turning around to retrieve my three-year-old son before realizing "Oh
yeah, no door over here." Our staff likes to hammer on the various minivans out
there that have yet to incorporate a disappearing third-row seat, but this is
only because we thought we were past hammering on the ones that don't offer dual-sliding
doors. We were wrong.
Is there a compelling reason to buy a EuroVan? Not in this staff's collective
opinion. The basic design is 10 years old, and despite numerous updates over the
past three years, the core DNA hasn't changed at all. Throw in the price, which
is roughly equivalent to a better-equipped Honda Odyssey EX, and any appeal the
Eurovan might offer to those who want something different falls away.
In this case, all the things that make the EuroVan different also make it a rather
poor minivan (tippy handling, no driver-side sliding door, no fold-flat seating,
pricing that rivals more modern vans from Honda, Toyota and Dodge). And with only
color changes in store for 2002, the much-needed redesign is still a ways out.
Please, Volkswagen, hurry up with the Microbus!
See all the Ratings: 2001 Volkswagen EuroVan GLS 3dr Minivan (2.8L 6cyl 4A) Road Test Scoreboard
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(Enlarge photo)
Boxy is as boxy does. Looks a lot like a 10-year-old cargo van, doesn't it? In this case, looks aren't deceiving.
(Photo by Scott Jacobs)
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