From: andrew@frip.WV.TEK.COM (Andrew Klossner)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Which van would you consider? How is EuroVan?
Date: 6 Jan 93 19:23:16 GMT
Reply-To: andrew@frip.wv.tek.com
Distribution: na
Organization: Tektronix Color Printers, Wilsonville, Oregon

I test drove a Eurovan.  It's true what they say about the engine -- it
has no power.  It would be fine for driving around in a flat city, but
it can't climb a hill.  The model I drove had the stick shift, and I
know how to use a stick, but that wasn't enough to save my momentum
while climbing.

I was also put off by the orientation of the steering wheel, which is
tilted toward the horizontal plane.  My arms fatigued quickly during a
short test drive.

	"I liked the EuroVan top of the line model (MV!): GOOD: rear
	seat folds into bed, captains chairs for front and middle
	passengers ..."

You can't get the rear-seat-into-bed option in the MV.  And you can't
get the captain's chairs in the other two trim levels (whose names I
don't recall.)

The MV captain's chairs face the rear.  I liked this in theory, but in
fact it throws away the huge amount of floor space located under the
first and second row seats.  With conventional seating, this floor
space can be used for foot room, but in the MV the passengers in the
second and third rows must intermingle their feet.

Also, note that the table that lifts up between the second and third
rows in the MV requires that you vacate the left-hand second-row chair
and fold it for clearance.  This would not be convenient while on the
road.

A quick inspection of an MV showed some shoddy workmanship.  The
plastic lugs that secure the ends of the headrest wire springs were
coming off, and it wasn't obvious how to put them back on.  An interior
rear panel, which hides the jack, was off, apparently because the sales
staff couldn't figure how to put it back on.  The fuse panel cover
dropped onto my foot while I was driving.

> Q1: Are there any other vans I should be looking at?

I just finished investigating vans, for my family of two adults, one
eight-year-old, and two babies.  I decided that only the Chrysler van
(Dodge Grand Caravan a.k.a. Plymouth Grand Voyager) and Toyota Previa
were suitable.  All other models had major flaws:

  -- The Nissan Quest a.k.a. Mercury Villager has motorized seat belts.
     That was enough to kill it for me.  And the bed wasn't long enough
     for my needs.  If you don't mind motorized belts and your
     third-seat passengers don't need legroom, this would be a good
     van.  It looks like it was designed for the father who would
     rather be buying a sports car -- great sunroof, mondo stereo.

  -- I eliminated the G.M. and Ford products because of their abysmal
     history.  These machines spend a lot of time in the shop, and the
     interior trim needs rework.

  -- The Mazda MPV is just too short.

The Chrysler has a rear-seat-into-bed option.  You can remove any
combination of second- and third-row seats, with some effort.  But you
can only get the stick shift in the stripped model with under-powered
engine.

Both the Chrysler and Toyota designs have put a lot of attention into
amenities.  They both have good cup holders, power options for locks
and windows, available heat/AC for rear passengers, and lots more.

The safety features are there -- driver's side airbag, conventional
shoulder belts for all outboard seats, available AWD and antilock
brakes.

And you can get a good stereo in either.  :-)

Because of its slanted windshield, every Previa I checked seemed to me
to have optical distortion.  But I have funny vision, and nobody else
noticed this even when I tried to point it out.

I ordered a Dodge Grand Caravan LE AWD, loaded.  They tell me it will
arrive in February.

Even though I have two babies, I didn't order the built-in child seats.
They look adequate, but I'd rather use real rear-facing childseats.
The built-in seats would be attractive for people who ferry babies in
the morning and adults in the afternoon, since they've easy to fold up
and down.

  -=- Andrew Klossner  (andrew@frip.wv.tek.com)
                       (uunet!tektronix!frip.WV.TEK!andrew)