- 171,814
- 11,971 below average
- 4,900 great
- Monroe, NC
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- autoshopper.com
- 11,971 below average 171,814 silver automatic
2002 volkswagen eurovan review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. V is for volume, value. And vroom!. introductionvolkswagen, van and volume go together very well, and have for the half-century since the first vw transporter was made. The vw van may not have had the capacity of a full-size american van, but there was a lot of room on the inside compared to the space it took up on the road. the v-word that has never been associated with volkswagen vans is velocity. After years of building a van with what german engineers think drivers need, they finally built one with what american drivers want: power, 201 horsepower, to be exact. while they were at it, they lowered the price more than $5000, which brings in another v-word: value. Perfect it's not, but this van has volume, velocity and value, and yes, it's a volkswagen. lineuptwo standard wheelbase eurovan models are available: the $26,200 gls and $27,700 multivan or mv. the primary difference between the gls and mv models is their seating arrangements. The eurovan gls has two individual middle row seats in the second row, with a three-place bench in the rear. The mv turns the second-row seats around, back-to-back with the front seats, and adds a table that folds out from the wall. It's just the thing for a weekend in the infield at indy. walkaroundthe vw eurovan is easy to find in a parking lot. It towers over just about everything, not only cars but also caravans and windstars and even pickup trucks. Even from afar, it's apparent that this is not just any minivan. While all the others have gone 'car-like' with swoopy lines and rounded exteriors, the eurovan's sides and tailgate are almost perfectly vertical, while the hood and windshield have the same rake though with the glass set back slightly. The van is that tall. although the eurovan bears some outward similarity to the vw microbuses of old, it is completely different mechanically. Both have armrests and are a good place to watch the miles go by. the steering wheel has no tilt function, and some may be put off the by the somewhat bus-like angle of the steering wheel. It isn't the ralph kramden special like the wheel on the old microbus, however. The fully automatic dual zone climate control system is adjustable in one degree increments. It adjusts side to side, with separate rear control. An ambient air thermometer is included, which is useful in changing weather conditions. The ventilation system includes a dust/pollen filter, beneficial for hay fever sufferers. the interior is plain, but it's comfortable. The ambiance is one of functionality rather than style, with straight lines serving where straight lines will fit. The dash now has the blue and red lighting that has become a vw trademark; it's a love it or hate it thing. there's walkthrough space to the rear passenger area, and the space between the seats can accommodate a small cooler. Alas, there's no console, just a small tray with dual cupholders down at ankle level. There's no conventional glove box either. The owners manual, in a tidy black leather zipper case, resides in the right door pocket; the armrest on the left door opens to reveal a locking receptacle for vehicle documents and whatever. Cup holders are integrated into the seat bases, but hold cans and small cups only; the average fast food 'medium' drink cup doesn't fit. The third-row seat was comfortable as well, with no lack of legroom and wide enough for three adults. a test of an mv model found its face-to-face seating in the second and third row a novelty that could grow old. Foot room is shared, and even with cooperation and coordination there will be accidentally kicked ankles. After dark, backwards-facing passengers have headlights from following cars shining irritatingly in their eyes. The good news is that raising the tray table in the mv is great for roadside lunches, impromptu card games and tailgate parties, with the light from an overhead fluorescent lamp adding to the regular dome lights. The mv's rear seat converts to a passable bed and privacy curtains snap all around the interior. a cargo shelf splits the cargo area in half. Depending on the nature of the cargo that is either a blessing or a pain in the neck. It bolts in and requires a wrench to remove. It does fold forward with the rear seatback, however, and with the middle-row seatbacks folded forward, the gls accepts 4x8-foot sheets of plywood or similar cargo. For maximum volume, however, the seats are difficult to remove. This older design requires that the rear seat must be literally unbolted from the floor using the lug wrench, the seat tipped this way and that for access to the bolts, and then wrestled sideways to remove it through the rear hatch. The middle row seats are easier, unclipping from studs on the floor but are anything but state of the art. On the other hand, with seats removed the eurovan will cause owners of other minivan to emit expressions of awe usually reserved for blimp hangers; it presents an enormous amount of cargo space. the eurovan comes equipped with a high level of standard equipment that includes electronic clim. driving impressionwe used a volkswagen eurovan gls to take a daughter-and most of her worldly possessions-to grad school. It was a 4821-mile round trip, half with the eurovan fully loaded and the return trip virtually empty. the eurovan's interior room was greatly appreciated. Only two months before, we had moved the same items home after college graduation in-and on-a ford windstar, which not only required that her desk be strapped to the roof, but six boxes of books were mailed home. The eurovan swallowed the same load completely, including the desk and books and added luggage with room to spare. The eurovan shone in these conditions. loaded nearly to the rafters, the eurovan was able to handle even western speed limits with ease and was eager to go faster had we dared. No more excuses are necessary for the eurovan's performance. The cruise control works very well, maintaining a constant velocity even over western mountain passes, even with a full load. With the added power, passing on two-lane highways was as much a joy as a chore, if only for the juvenile thrill of showing the passee what this big flying brick can do. 'tomb-like' would not describe the eurovan on the interstate. Wind, road and engine noise all raise the interior sound level, though not objectionably so. despite is big flat sides, the eurovan tracked like a bullet on the interstates, even with a 30 mph crosswind across the texas panhandle that was strong enough that my daughter, following in her car, complained that it must need to be realigned. The eurovan responds to the steering wheel with immediacy and precision. The natural expectation for this tall vehicle is for oodles of lean in hard cornering, but not so for the eurovan. There is little tilt and no sway. It's no gazelle-a rhino is a more apt metaphor-the steady dose of understeer and feedback is remarkably confidence building. Volkswagen has reinforced the eurovan's body and the increased rigidity not only allows the fully independent suspension to do its job well, but the van was creak and rattle free whether loaded or unloaded. The 43. 3-foot turning radius was useful for u-turns on the rare occasion we went the wrong way. Suspension is fully independent, with double wishbones and torsion bars up front and semi-trailing arms and coil springs at the rear. Vw replaced the 2000 model year 15-inch alloy wheels with nifty 5-spoke 16-inch alloys for 2001. the eurovan performed so well that we'd gladly forgo the style of cushier minivans for the comfort and utility of the volkswagen. ground clearance is a generous 7 inches, but the ove. Climate Control✔ Cruise Control✔ Alloy Wheels
4,900 Monroe, NCMonroe, NC at autoshopper.com