Date:         Thu, 08 Jun 95 13:25:52 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      vw autoist again: shameless plug for Eurovan Camper. :)

VW Autoist, May/June 1995. p. 12

Eurovan Camper
- Converted Winnebago is a VW home on the road
By David T. Suchomel, Cedar Rapids, IA

Having camped before with three vans, and just coming off a bad
experience towing a small "pop top" travel trailer with a minivan,
my wife and I were ready for another van camper.  Our local Winnebago
salesman directed us to an article in the Winnebago Industries
magazine titled "Volkswagen Chooses Winnebago Industries For Camper."

I had seen a 1993 Wolfsburg Volkswagen conversion from Canada, but
until that time, Volkswagen had not offered a camper conversion in
the United States.  I did see the 1993 Eurovan "weekender" unit in
the States but quickly decided it was not adequate for any extended
travel.

In late spring of 1994, we made the trip to the Winnebago factory at
Forest City, Iowa.  We were cordially met by Mike Ebaugh and given
a tour of the Winnebago facilities.  At that time, no vans had been
delivered, but several vans were undergoing last-minute change.  We
were imporessed with the workmanship, and the extended wheel base of
the Eurovan gave the additional room needed for a decent conversion.
On the Aug. 15, we bought a 1995 Eurovan Camper from Ryan Bhattacharyya,
who is a salesman for Jordan Motors in Des Moines.

Jordan is the only dealer in Iowa that handles the Eurovan Camper, and
this was its delivery. We made the 125-miles trip to Des Moines and
planned to camp overnight with the new van in case we needed any last-
minute adjustments or had any questions after using the camper.

We bought the camper with all options except the center bench seat,
which cannot be used when camping.  It is strictly an option to add
more passenger space. The van has the five-cylinder, 2.5 liter high
torque engine with an automatic four-speed transmission. It also
comes standard with air conditioning, cruise control, AM/FM cassette
with six speakers, power brakes and steering, power windows, power
locks, rear wiper and defroster and captain's chairs for driver and
front passenger.  The conversion has the "pop up" roof, a two-cubic
foot three-way refrigerator, a two-burner propane stove, stainless
steel sink with electric pump, two double beds and a great deal of
storage space for extended travel.

I must admit that I was skeptical about the 2.5-liter engine. Would
it be adequate for a van this big and heavy, especially with an
automatic transmission?  Rest assured, this 2.5-liter engine is not
like any other engine this size that you have ever driven.  It is a
long stroke engine that really puts out the torque, and in cruise
control it takes a real hill to slow it down enough to shift into
third gear.

You won't race with this van, but it will sure keep up with traffic.
There is no comparison with our 1987 Vanagon, as far as handling.
With a front engine and front-wheel drive, it is a real pleasure to
drive, even on the windiest day.  My wife is not a truck or van person,
and even she enjoys driving it. (Praise can't get any higher.)

I especially like the automatic door locks.  If you lock the driver or
passenger door with a key, it also locks all the other doors, or you
can control the other locks individually.

The radio is a Sony, with a removable face plate as an anti-theft item.
I believe the most important fact of all is that we have not had one
single problem with the van.  It is also reassuring to have the two-
year bumper-to-bumper warranty, the five-year 50,000-mile powertrain
warranty, six-year corrosion warranty and the 24-hour roadside
assistance program.

I must compare the conversion with our previous Wolfsburg camper,
as it is what we were used to.  It is a very comfortable conversion.
What we enjoy the most is that we can swivel the front recliner seats
around backward and relax while watching our tv at night.  The kitchen
unit is excellent, and we especially like the refrigerator unit. The
only complaint is that when you lift the  kitchen unit lid to cook, it
blocks the only opening screened window on the driver's side of the
van.  The canvas top does, however, have windows on the side as well
as the front, and with the roof vent, the heat does go up and out.
Since my wife is righthanded, she also has trouble lighting the stove
with a match because the burner controls are on the side rather than
in front.

Two tables are contained in a rack behind the driver's seat. These
tables fit in a slide groove along the entire front of the kitchen
unit, so you can position them where ever you want. I think that the
old swing tables in the Wolfsburg edition might have been more
convenient.

One bad problem. Since I am 6 feet 4, I must drive with the driver's
seat in the rear most position. This puts the seat back right against
the tables, and we have punched a hole through the back of the driver's
seat. It would also help if the driver's seat cushion could tilt up
for more thigh support.

In adding more suggestions, more Velcro is needed to hold up the front
windshield curtain. Also, the wardrobe closet doors do not fasten shut
and slide back and forth while driving.  I quickly fixed this by
putting Velcro on the edges of the doors.

One night late, I could not slide the seat forward to make the bed.
I found that the cables on the seat release had stretched out and
would not lift the pins holding the seat in place.  A better latch
system is needed.  You fill the water tank from the back with the
hatch up. When we first looked at the conversion, there was a drip tray
under the tank fill to keep water from running into the fuse box,
which is situated right below the tank fill.  It is impossible to fill
the tank without dripping water down on the fuse box door, so I don't
know why Winnebago deleted this item. In our Wolfsburg edition, the
top bed would fold back when not in use. In the Winnebago conversion,
you must physically lift this bed and slide it back over itself.  This
is OK if you are young and have a strong back.  The one advanatage to
this is that you can take the front part of the bed out and leave it
at home, which I intend to do unless we have our grandchildren with
us.  Both beds are only 43 inches wide, so you must be very friendly
with the person you are sleeping with.

The tie-downs in the top luggage carrier are in the ends of the unit.
They should be in the sides so you can fasten your load front to back,
as in the old Vanagon. The "pop up" roof is now held up by gas struts.
I assume this was to make the top easier to raise.  It's not.

In addition, I still haven't figured out how the safety support is
supposed to work. It is very hard to hold the top up just far enough
to finish tucking in the canvas, when you are putting the top down.
This will get worse as the struts weaken with old age.

On a hot day, it would be nice to have a window that opens in the
sliding door.  Also our old Vanagon had a screen that fitted the rear
hatch opening.  I believe I will have one of these made and attach it
with Velcro.  The window shades are pleated paper, and we wonder how
long they will last, although they work very well.

Suggested items for the van:  It has no side protection for parking
lot dings.  I immediately added protection strips.  And be aware that
the bumpers are plastic with no steel bars behind them. I found this
out when having a bumper hitch installed.  Listed are some additional
things we really like about this camper.  Besides its handling, the
small turning radius is great.  The front fenders have lots of room
for sharp-turning wheels.  When you pull into a campground, the setup
is easy and fast.  Hook up the electricity, open the water drain,
turn on the bottled gas, raise the top and you are home.

Again, the storage is great for a van, and we like the extra windows
in the top.  The furnace runs from a thermostat and does a good job
on those cold nights.  There is a monitor system that tells you the
level of your propane and water tanks and the condition of your battery.

The electrical outlets and lights are well placed.  There is a 130-amp-
hour battery to run all items in the camper conversion.  The thing I
really like is that the battery automatically charges any time you are
driving or hooked up to 110 volt electricity.  Propane gas and carbon
monoxide detectors are installed, making you feel much safer in case
of leaks, or lack of ventilation.  The floor is easy to clean and is
a carpet-like vinyl.

Volkswagen, Winnebago and the dealers are really out to please on this
vehicle, so our delivery experience was very enjoyable. To answer the
most important question "Would we buy this Eurovan Camper again?"

You bet!