2000 Volkswagen EuroVan MV review from North America

Hazard switch failed to stay depressed and water pump fragmented. Selling used car dealer (not a VW dealer)replaced hazard switch free of charge and water pump was replaced by VW under factory warranty.

The Eurovan (known as the Caravelle/Multivan outside North America) is underappreciated in North America and was never quite equipped properly or promoted properly by VWoA until only recently... and it was too little too late.

It's cavernous inside, but is as easy to park and is as maneuverable (small turn circle) as many midsize sedans.

Interior is good quality and the van overall feels well made except for a few interior rattles, particularly the sliding door inside panel.

Acceleration is very good off the line and at lower RPMS, but 12V engine gets a little breathless at highway speeds.

Braking is excellent and as good or better as many sports sedans, but brake pads and rotors are seriously expensive from the dealer and aftermarket alternatives aren't plentiful. Most parts are fairly pricey and could become quite hard to find in the case of the rare Eurovan.

Steering feel is good, but ratio is rather slow. Handling has good feel except for quite a bit of body lean (lower suspension and added/larger anti-roll bars of 2001 and later models is probably better). It's not a sports car and it never lets you forget it's a heavy vehicle, but at least it doesn't feel anywhere near like piloting a cruise ship in the storm of the century either.

Interior layout and features are elegantly simple and always impresses friends.

Relatively small tires and high load rating requirement means limited choice in tires and aftermarket wheel sizes.

Wish that US models had the more versatile interior of European Multivan models where the center rear-facing seats slide and swivel instead of staying fixed. I find I can't get quite enough seatback recline angle in the driver's seat with the center seat in place, and yet I'm only 5'8" tall. Cockpit legroom also is snug. Cockpit seating is good, but almost too high (or the seat bottom needs to be tilted backwards slightly)...I feel like I'm sitting on the seats rather than in the seats and have little lateral support, which would be nice to have more of because of the body lean.

I would have liked to have a manual transmission option and a TDI diesel option (Euro models have more engine/trans options than our single VR6 auto choice) for better fuel economy (the VR6 in this heavy vehicle is thirsty...16 to 17 mpg in mixed driving, 20 or 21 if I'm lucky on a highway trip with A/C off).

Automatic transmission sometimes shifts roughly from 1 to 2 and whines a bit in 1. Haven't had to repair the transmission, but hear it's incredibly expensive.

It's not the most modern of minivans today, but for a decade-old design that was boxy to begin with, it aged well and its performance matured very well. Why people buy a 1985-designed Astro or Safari over a Eurovan I'll never know.