Date: Thu, 12 Jan 95 11:08:30 CST
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject: gak! another road test: 1993 VW Eurovan
Volkswagen EuroVan
It's a whole new vehicle, but VW's "bus" is still space generous
and power hungry
European Car, December 1992
After more than 40 years producing rear-engine, read-drive vans (with
sales numbering some 6.7 million), Volkswagen brings to market a front-
engine, front-drive van called EuroVan (Caravelle and Transporter in
Europe). It's an apt nameplate, because this totally new, fourth-
generation vehicle was really born of, and designed primarily for, the
needs of the European customers -- not that it won't find adherents in
America.
Its key strength is that it was engineered to accomodate a tremendous
variety of body and passenger configurations. Because it fulfills that
function brilliantly, the vehicle is a success in Europe. If fact, VW's
huge Hannover plant has been working to capacity churning out the many
variations of the EuroVan theme, from extended cab work vehicles to a
wind surfer package. And last May a jury of European journalists from
13 countries awarded the Transporter "International Van of the Year"
from among 13 other vehicles in its class.
The phrase VW uses to sum it all up is "The World's Largest Van For Its
Size." This is no hyperbole. EuroVan is not a mini-van, not is it a
full-size van, yet it manages to combine aspects of both without too
many compromises. However, offering simply a high level of utility
probably is not enough to ensure acceptance in the U.S. market, which
has come to expect certain levels of comfort, luxury and performance in
every kind of road vehicle. The question for EuroVan is whether its
practical features are enough to offset a character that is rather
"cold," for it still retains a bus-like nature, particularly in the area
of noise, which means a less comfortable, car-like ambience than is
encountered in the myriad minivans on the market.
The U.S. will get three models -- CL, GL and MV -- each powered by a
109-hp inline 5-cylinder engine and seating seven. A 5-speed manual
transmission is standard; a 4-speed automatic ($895 option) is also
offered. Prices range from $16,640 for the CL, $20,420 for the GL
and $21,850 for the MV. The popular pop-top version, still built by
Westfalia but now called the Weekender, is a $2,530 option of the MV
model.
EuroVan's lineup is distinguished from the crowd by a combination of
full-size spaciousness and minivan economy. A few numbers of
illustration: At 201 cu ft of cargo space, EuroVan CL provides 82
percent more room than the Mazda MPV's 110 cu ft and 73 percent more
than the Dodge Caravan. Yet the VW is shorter than a Volvo station
wagon, the Toyota Previa, and Dodge Grand Caravan, and it's less than
two inches longer than the Honda Accord sedan.
This size advantage wasn't accomplished by simply enlarging the box
over the wheels. Compared to the third-generation Vanagon, EuroVan's
wheelbase has been increased a whopping 18 in., despite an overall gain
of less than 7 in. Front and rear track is, surprisingly, slightly
narrower than the Vanagon's, but a new all-independent suspension and a
lower overall height means that chassis control has been improved
without diminishing the van's "garageability." Other dimensional
improvements include a new shape that has reduced the Cd from 0.44 to
0.37, for less wind noise and improved fuel economy (21 mpg EPA
highway); a larger 21.1 gal fuel tank; larger wheels and tires
(6 x 15s with 205/65Rs); bigger brakes, lower side door step-in height
(14.5 in.), lower rear loading height (20.3 in.), and more towing
capacity (4400-lb trailer, braked; 1500 lb, unbraked).
One noteworthy dimensional disadvantage in the new package is an overall
weight gain of some 400 lb (over 600 lb for the Camper versions). The
new engine's 19 additional horsepower and 23 more lb-ft torque offset
(somewhat) that added avoirdupois.
And that brings up the EuroVan's major weakness -- engine power. The
question is not whether the 109 hp is adequate -- it is, for almost
every road challange. The glitch is that the inline five doesn't
providea comfortable margin of performance for those instances when a
reserve of power is required -- passing, climbing long hills, pulling a
trailer. When the driver slams the accelerator pedal, the result is a
cacaphony of motor that overwhelms the relative quiet of the van's
passage through the air. When cruising, or when the throttle is closed
during descents, EuroVan is downright quiet. Given its limited output,
the engine does provide a nice, wide powerband, with a torque peak a
full 1000 rpm lower than the Wasserboxer engine. But, with several
passengers and attendant weekend gear, EuroVan continually sounds as
though it's working too hard for the results. For instance, at 65 mph,
the engine is turning just over 3000 rpm.
This lack of power also requires active use of the gearshift lever, but,
unfortunately, neither the 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic is an
example of smoothness. First, both levers, as before are mounted on the
floor, and because of the upright driving position all but the very
long-armed have to hunch forward slightly to comfortably reach them,
particularly if the right armrest is being used.
The manual has those vague, long throws characteristic of earlier vans,
and a general loose feeling. But, the correct gear isn't hard to find,
including reverse, which was a bear to locate in previous Vanagons.
The automatic, which is much like the unit found in Passats and
Corrados (where it hasn't distinguished itself), suffers from a short,
inline gate that doesn't offer clearly defined detentes. Even though
there is a gear indicator within the instrument cluster, it is difficult
to get it right. It was too easy to skip third gear when upshifting
from second or downshifting from drive. Even though lock-outs prevent
inadvertent choosing of park or reverse, it becomes very annoying having
to finesse every shift to avoid bypassing the desired gear. (It would
perhaps be a good idea for future versions to use a column-mounted
shifter.)
Kickdown using the pedal is also an option for the automatic, of course,
but the action is so abrupt, and the engine responds with such a loud
cry of revs, that the driver starts to feel he's hurting the engine by
asking it for more oomph. Also less than suave are the automatic
upshifts; the lower gear tends to be held too long after accelerator
pedal pressure is reduced. An electronic transmission program,
activated via a dash switch, allows the choice of Economy or Sport
shift points, but given the available power supply, it's an almost
ludicrous offering.
On the other hand, deserving of praise are the EuroVan's steering and
braking systems. The power-assisted rack and pinion setup is direct and
perfectly assisted, both when turning and in straight-ahead cruising.
A relatively tight 38.4-ft turning circle, though about 3 feet longer
than the Vanagon's, allows the EuroVan to negotiate the urban maze with
alacrity. Parking is a snap.
The ventilated front disc/rear drum brakes utilize a proportioning valve
to help keep the rear wheels from locking up. It's activated by body
movement, not only during hard braking but also during hard cornering
and when the payload is unevenly distributed. Bosch anti-lock brakes
are an $835 option. Pedal feel is nicely linear, and during our stint
with the two models we drove, the brakes never showed indications of
being extended beyond their ability to haul the heavy van to an
efficient stop.
Squat and dive is kept to a minimum by the only independent suspension
in the van market. Body lean is present, and it's necessary to help
keep the "chop" out of EuroVan's road manners, but it doesn't feel
like it's going to keel over in a tight bend. Transitional response is
as good as it gets in such a vehicle. With a little stiffer
spring/shock rate, EuroVan could be called a "handler." As it is,
transmitting a fair amount of road rumble is the suspenion's only
significant fault. Side winds, once the scourge of VW van owners, are
still felt but they're no longer worrisome. Another advantage of the
independent geometry is its compactness; it steals almost no passenger
or luggage space from the huge interior.
It's within the cabin's four walls that EuroVan shines. A new climate
control system includes front and rear heaters with separate controls,
while GL and MV models get a standard front and rear air conditioning
system with separate controls. It works quickly and efficiently, the
roof-mounted outlets in the rear of the cabin providing ample
ventilation for passengers.
No one can argue with the adaptibility and spaciousness of the area
behind the front seats. CL front buckets are cloth with vinyl trim
and have adjustable heatrests. GL and MV front buckets are full cloth
and add adjustable, fold-down armrests.
In CL and GL models, the two-passenger middle seat, with arm rest and
beverage holder on the end, can be removed easily for more hauling room.
In the GL, it can be folded forward to convert to a tray table, complete
with four cup holder depressions. In lieu of the center bench, the MV
has two rear facing seats directly behind the driver and front passenger
seats. Both seats have adjustable armrests and seatbacks. The seat
cushions fold up, theater-style, for more center cabin room, and they
can be easily removed. With the optional Weekender Package, the
driver's side seat is replaced by a fixed seat with a refrigerator in
the seat base.
The rear, three-passenger bench in CL and GL models both folds and
tumbles forward to greatly increase luggage capacity. There are
armrests and adjustable headrests for each passenger, and the seat can
be removed with a simple hand tool. In the MV, the rear bench pulls
forward, and the seat back folks down to form a two-person bed
measuring 72 x 55 in. The MV also features snap-on curtains for privacy
and two storage bins beneath the rear luggage deck.
Dual sliding windows are available with CL and MV models, but they're
deleted on CL models with air conditioning.
Westfalia's camper model, the Weekender, features a pop-up roof that
houses a two-person bed; side window and rear hatch screens; fixed
left-hand rear-facing seat with refrigerator; auxiliary battery;
gathered/sliding side curtains; and deletion of the rear a/c unit.
An important component of every Volkswagen is safety, and the EuroVan
is no exception. The previous Vanagon had one of the best safety
records on the road, scoring behind only the Saab 900 in terms of
fatalities per miles driven, and the EuroVan follows a similar
engineering approach. The body is a virtual steel cage of pillars and
cross members, and a larger crumple zone in the front section provides
better head-on crash protection. There are as yet no airbags available.
Additional safety touches include three-point belts for all outboard
seats, adjustable headrests on all seats, a safety fuel tank, child
safety locks on side and rear doors, a center, high-mounted brake light
and a safer interior design that has no sharp edges. The EuroVan
has passed all four NHTSA crash tests and also passend eight internal
standards, including a fixed barrier front impact test involving 36
percent more energy than NHTSA requires.
The entire EuroVan line is protected by a comprehensive five-year/50,000-
mile powertrain limited warranty; a six-year/unlimited-mileage warranty
against corrosion and rust perforation; and a two-year/24,000-mile
bumper to bumper limited warranty that covers virtually all components
against defects in materials and workmanship, including light bulbs and
windshield wiper blades. The CL is available in Spicy Paprika Red,
Arctic White, Platinum Gray Mettalic, and Smoke Silver Blue Metallic,
with Light Gray interior. GL models come in Arctic White, Jamaican Aqua
Blue Metallic, Bordeaux Red Metallic, Light Sahara Sand Metallic, Deep
Atlantic Blue Metallic and Smoke Silver Blue Metallic. MV's are painted
Bold Caribbean Teal, Arctic White, Bordeaux Red Metallic, Jamaican Aqua
Blue Metallic and Deep Atlantic Blue Metallic.
All VW base coat paints are now water-based, and the top coats contain
no lead chromates or cadmium pigments; the a/c is free of CFC's, said
to help deplete the earth's ozone layer; the clutch and brake linings
are asbestos-free; and many of EuroVan's parts are made from recycled
plastics, and others are designed to be recycled when (and if) a
recycling infrastructure is established in the U.S.
As we said, VW calls it the biggest van for its size in America, and
that's about all you have to know about EuroVan's raison d'etre. If you
don't need to haul around a bunch of people or gear most of the time
it is driven, then there are a lot of other vehicles that make more
sense. If you need an adaptable, stable hauler for your big family
or carpool or weekend recreational toos, the EuroVan comes close to a
perfect balance between utility and passenger comfort.
1993 VW EuroVan
ENGINE STEERING
Type .... 5-cylinder, inline, front- Type ............ Power-assisted
mounted traversely, cast rack and pinion
iron block, aluminum alloy Ratio ................... 19.3:1
head, spur-belt driven Turns, lock to lock ..... 3.5
overhead camshaft, Turning circle, ft ........ 38.4
hydraulic lifters
Bore/stroke, mm .......... 81 / 95.5 CAPACITIES
in ........ 3.19 / 3.76 Engine oil w/filer, qt ..... 5.9
Displacement, cc .............. 2461 ltr .... 5.6
cu in ........... 150 Fuel tank, gal ............ 21.1
Horsepower (SAE net). 109 @ 4500 rpm Cooling system, qt ........ 12.2
Torque, lb-ft ....... 140 @ 2200 rpm ltr ....... 11.5
Fuel/ignition .. Digifant electronic Trailer towing, lbs
braked ......... 4400
DRIVETRAIN unbraked ....... 1500
Type.............. Front wheel drive Cargo volume, cu ft
Transmissions ....... 5-speed manual CL model ............... 201
optional 4-speed automatic GL/MV (seats removed)... 195
SUSPENSION FUEL ECONOMY
Front..Independent double wishbones, City, mpg
torsion bars, 23mm stabilizer bar Manual 5-speed ....... 17
Rear..Independent with semi-trailing Automatic 4-speed .... 17
arms, mini-block coil springs Highway, mpg
Manual 5-speed ....... 21
BRAKES Automatic 4-speed .... 19
Type ....... Dual diagonal circuits, Maximum driving range, mi
power-assisted, load-sensitive Manual 5-speed ....... 443
optional ABS Automatic 4-speed .... 401
Front ............ 11.0-in. diameter
ventilated discs WHEELS/TIRES
Rear ...... 11.3-in diameter drums, Size ............... 6J x 15-in.
self-adjusting stamped steel with
205/65R-15S radials,
DIMENSIONS full-size spare
Wheelbase, mm/in .... 2920 .... 115
Track, front ........ 1575 .... 62.0
rear ......... 1540 .... 60.6
Overall length ...... 4740 ... 186.6
Overall width ....... 1840 .... 72.4
Overall height ...... 1920 .... 75.6
CL/GL ............ 1920 .... 75.6
MV ............... 1900 .... 74.8
Weekender ........ 1965 .... 77.4
Ground clearance .... 160 .... 6.3
Curb weight, lbs
CL ......................... 3806
GL ......................... 3839
MV ......................... 4246
Payload, lbs .................. 1750
Drag coefficient .............. 0.37
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(sidebar)
A SOTO MEMBER DRIVES THE NEW VANAGON
I have three copies of the John Muir publication "How to Keep Your
Volkswagen Alive - A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat
Idiot" or, simply, the Idiot Book. The really grimy copy is in the
garage, the semi-grimy one is in the laundry room and the barely grimy
cpy is under the TV remote in the family room. They have helped me
maintain my VW's since the mid 70's when I purchased my first car --
a 1965 Transporter. I would later own a 1972 bus, then a 1973, 1977
and 1978, and I would become a member of the Society of Transporter
Owners (SOTO). Like many other bus owners I knew, I had little money
and liked the imagery a VW bus conjured on the street. The bus was
above all a highly utilitarian vehicle, capable of carrying copious
amounts of photographic equipment while staying low profile. As far as
imagery goes, that starving artist bit loses some of its luster after a
wife, two children and a really big dog.
Although I'm still not rich, I am no longer starving and found it
possible to put my family into the last generation of the wasserboxer
Vanagon, a Carat model. It was a choice I made after haphazardly
checking out my other options: Mazda, Chrysler and Ford vans. I really
didn't want one of those; I wanted another Volkswagen because that's
the car I grew up in and grew to love.
When Editor Brown asked me to jot down my impression of VW's latest
transporter, I was just coming back from a 1200-mile trip in my 1991
Vanagon. It was an ideal time to compare the new van to its
predecessors.
The immediate view from the driver's seat of the EuroVan GL's dashboard
and controls is reminiscent of a recent model Jetta -- though with a
rather upright driving position over a flat steering wheel. That
car-like impression abruptly ends when the motor starts. The 2.5-liter
Audi engine produces a surprisingly high-pitched noise for an inline
five. Through the gears (five of them in the GL I drove) the EuroVan
engine continues its buzzing under acceleration, quieting only when the
throttle assumes a total cruise attitude. At 65 mph the five is turning
over at better than 3000 rpm. With maximum torque of 140 lb-ft achieved
at 2200 rpm, the EuroVan is certainly quicker out of the hole, but
I doubt if anyone would consider it as a two vehicle for, say, your
average ski boat. However, the impressive 0.36 drag coefficient is very
apparent at higher speeds when the van feels like it hunkers down in an
aerodynamic crouch. This is when the Vanagon <sic> really starts to
shine; like the locomotive of the TVR train.
Through mountain terrain, the Vanagon's <sic> new torsion bar front
suspension geometry excels, capable of outmaneuvering all the vehicles
of its type but the the best of the car-like mini-vans. Engineered with
a longer wheelbase, larger 6 x 15-in. wheels and lower aspect 205/65
radial tires, the EuroVan manages road irregularities in a very
capable manner. Braking too is improved from the previous generation
with ABS and slightly larger ventilated discs; then again, the EuroVan
is nearly 400 lb heavier, so better brakes were definitely required.
In terms of cargo capacity and ride height, the third and fourth
generation Vanagons <sic> are virtually identical. The seating
arrangement ensures that you can indeed fit seven people in this vehicle
and provide the people in the aft of the cabin with their own AC unit.
This is a good idea as there are no functioning windows in the GL
behind the drivers seat. There are also a few more cup holders than
before (replacing those awful holders perched precariously between the
front seats of the Vanagon, which the average owner -- or owner's kids
-- would break within two weeks of ownership. I broke both of mine on
the first road trip), but they still aren't of the best design,
allowing my medium diet soda from Mickey D's to flop around
precariously.
Yes, i'm being picky on the cupholder thing, but I also plunked down a
lot of money for my Vanagon. EuroVan owners will do the same, and
VW can't really afford a near miss in today's crowded market. I still
love my Vanagon, and there's little about that EuroVan that would
make me want to abandon my wasserboxer in favor of the new front-driver.
-- by Les Bidrawn
| 
