Gentlemen,
I cannot stand it anymore, I have to say something here!
These negative reviews about the EV is not the first. The problem is,
most of the reviews from magazines of this calibre tends to be biased
towards the non-imported brands. These writers have believed that
Chrysler "invented" the mini-van, hence everything out there is
measured up to their definition or understanding of the "minivan",
however limited that may be.
Everytime I read something like this, I get worked-up and would like to
email to the writer of that article and "educate" him about the benefit
of NOT being ignorant, but if I were to do that, I would have to quit
my day job.
So, the point of my ramblings is, there isn't one. Only that, we will
see these types of psycho-bablic reviews from time to time. As far as
the validity of it, well, thats another story.
By the way, I drive the most basic of EV, the CL and like it. I live in
Wisconsin where it snows pretty good and have NEVER had any problem
getting the EV around.
Thank you for listening...
sea2rive-@... wrote:
original article:
This is A test drive report from Fortune City website to which Dirk
van Ulden
referred us. The report is quoted below and is also published at
QUOTE
The 1999 Volkswagen EuroVan
Base Price Range: $31,300 - 32,800
* (One Star -- Substandard.)
If the new Beetle has made you fall in love with Volkswagen, the
EuroVan
will make you want a divorce!
Volkswagen will only sell 1400 of the EuroVan?€?s in the U.S. this
year, and
that?€?s good. Because if they sold any more, it may be considered an
act of
war.
I thought the whole purpose of a minivan was to have the utility of a
van, in
a vehicle that drives like a car. The EuroVan has few amenities. You
sit
high, with cupholders on the floor that are almost out of my
reach--and I?€?m
6?€?4?€?. The drive is very trucklike. The seats are uncomfortable.
I couldn?€?t figure out how to open the one sliding door from the
inside. And,
despite the additional room, the basic EuroVan only seats seven, just
like
your average minivan.
Controls are pretty basic, with one exception, the gear shift lever.
It sits
on the floor, and has no light, so you have to guess which gear you
are in at
night.
I never did get comfortable in the EuroVan. Because of the wheel
well?€?s
location, there?€?s really no place to put your left foot. The seats
just
weren?€?t comfortable.
The EuroVan has a slight resemblance to the early Chrysler minivans.
It?€?s
very boxy, but a little higher and a little skinnier, which makes it
feel
unstable in corners. The steering and the brakes were very rough. The
engine
was adequate.
I know Volkswagen?€?s have a nice following, and I know I?€?m going
to get angry
e-mails from EuroVan owners saying I don?€?t understand. You?€?re
right, I don?€?t
understand. I don?€?t understand why people would pay 32,000 dollars
for a
vehicle that rides rough, is a menace in parking lots, and has
uncomfortable
cloth seats.
There are a lot of good things happening at Volkswagen. The new
Beetle is a
runaway hit. The Jetta is cute. The Passat is practical. The EuroVan
needs to
be re-done, into a 21st century version of a Microbus. That would
work. This
vehicle doesn?€?t, with one exception.
There are customized versions of the EuroVan that are said to be very
nice,
especially the limited edition camping version. If you camp a lot,
you may
want to check out the EuroVan. But for all of the other uses that
people find
for minivans these days, the EuroVan comes up short.
About that price...it?€?s not a misprint. I did a survey with other
reporters
who cover the auto industry who hadn?€?t driven a EuroVan. I asked
them to
guess the price. They fainted when they saw the sticker. Thirty-two
thousand
dollars would buy a lot of comfort in a competitors minivan.
You can get the EuroVan is three trims, GLS, MV and Camper. Standard
equipment includes air conditioning, cruise control, rear window
defroster,
etc. The MV gives you some extras like a folding table, florescent
light over
the rear seat, and seats that fold down into beds. The camper adds a
refrigerator, a gas stove, sink countertop, screened windows, furnace
and a
pop up roof with an overhead full-size bed.
While the camper sounds pretty neat, I drove the basic EuroVan, with
a 32
thousand dollar sticker price. It was far from adequate, and nowhere
close to
the competition.
Let?€?s pray for the return of the Microbus, and give the EuroVan a 1
on our 1
to 5 scale.
END QUOTE
