Real Road Test: Volkswagen T4 Eurovan - American spec!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ส.ค. 2018
- In this video, I travel to Yorkshire to drive an American-spec Volkswagen Transporter T4 Eurovan, similar to the European Caravelle. It has the VR6 24-valve engine allied to an automatic transmission, and is the first T4 I've driven since 1997.
Contains the most exciting 0-60mph test I've ever done, a dancing girl, some seat incompetence and some lovely growling. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
The industrial estate is on the site of an old Ordnance Factory, those odd buildings are magazines where ordnance was stored. They are designed to minimise an explosion if the stored ordnance exploded. It was ROF Thorp Arch. Nice review of a lovely van too.
That industrial estate used to be the Royal Ordnance Factory til the 1950's. I think some of the original buildings are still there. It may explain why some of the units are set into the ground. ROF Thorp Arch.
Simon here, great video. The T4 is a very addictive and you won’t want to hand it back . I love that shape especially the nose. It suits the rest of the van. It ticks off 90% of the boxes 📦 for a family. I would love my old one back as I sold it many moons ago 😉😉😉
As an ex white van driver i can confirm that the throttle had two positions, up and down.
Thanks for adding this, just came across your channel due to this t4. I have owned a 1997 t4 caravelle 2.5 tdi for over ten years and it's a fantastic vehicle and I have it registered as a camper complete with a Wesfalia pop top. It has appreciated in value too! Will check out your other vids soon
I like those. Unlike most modern vans they don't look like one of a pair of trainers or something that dropped out of the Mother ship. They look like a van. And I like that.
Enjoyed the drive, Ian! I had a GTI with that engine back in the day, and it was huge fun.
I somehow stumbled on your videos. Nice to someone review these older vehicles.
Got a vr6 in my Bora and love the thing to bits
Nice van. The growl of a v6 petrol engine is so addictive, regardless of the vehicle, it is fitted to.
Great looking van
Nice. I had a LWB 5cyl petrol day van with twin sliding doors for a while. And very nice it was too. The lovely 5 cyl burblely engine pulled it along very nicely indeed.
Another great video, full of warmth, humour and enthusiasm. You truly are the LJK Setright of the modern age ^^
Ah, but he understood engineering - AND could translate it into layman's terms. Amazing writer.
You may not understand engineering, but you make up for it with your love of weird old cars and your spectacular facial topiary ^^
I drove one similar to this one years ago, New, at a VW dealer. Liked it. Wish I had one!
Sounds lovely
Walk round of T4 done at Thorp Arch, Wetherby. Thorp Arch was formerly a Royal Ordance Factory hence the rather buried buildings.
Coincidence! Yesterday after watching your Mazda video I was watching a 'Motor Week Retro road test on a 1984 VW Van'! I certainly wasn't expecting another VW van one from you.
The rug on the back seat is a nice touch.
I'm an American and i remember when VW was selling these brand new in the mid to late 90's. The T4 was the first VW Van to actually have some aerodynamics added to the design instead of the previous BOX shaped earlier models. They didn't sell many of them, as they were very expensive, especially with the VR6 V6 motor. California was the recipient of most of them due to the beach and camping lifestyle. I hate to see this one exported out of the US but it is in very good shape for the year. A good cleaning inside and out and it would look brand new.
I have some work to do on my Ford Transit MK2 with 2L OHC from 1982 to get it back on the road. I have regularly tinkered with the T4 diesels when I was a car mechanic more than 12 years ago.
Love the sound of a v6 love the dancing girl too I want one
I worked in a VW dealer service department in Florida for several years when these vans were still new. I think 2003 was the last year we got them in the US. Our lead mechanic had the identical twin to the van you are driving albeit with conventional forward seating not the “weekender” spec (which is what they called the light camping version you drove).I always loved the look of them and the driving position. Interesting people drove them. And they lavished attention on them at great expense. That was one of the problems. In the US they were expensive to buy and as you mentioned a bit austere with no dual sliding power open/close doors or rear hatch. They were also hideously expensive to keep on the road. This has as much to do with VW’s ridiculous pricing on replacement parts as it did with the van’s penchant for breaking, and break they did! Rust was never a problem in our area but German plastics and rubber did not hold up well in south Florida heat and humidity.
Jeffery Smith you may have seen this van new then! It’s first owner was VW USA on the east coast ferrying people around. Dad bought it when he was in Florida.
Very nice Ian, my vdub van was an old '71 4 banger, indeed no power whatsoever. I had to eject passengers to climb the Hollywood hills. The newer one is the way it should be.big improvement moter wise. Fascinating test . fun ride along. My new ride Honda fit 2019 is great like a small van with fold down magic seats. In L.A everywhere you go there are Hondas. Hard to beat Japanese quality , very pouplar here.
Well done carry on.
Rich & Sue-way cat.
Driveing Honda filled streets in L.A.
Hi Ian you were at an old army base Thorpe Arch another great vid.
P957 NOE is still on the road taxed and MOT'd until end of April 2019. With 160,000 miles last MOT
Ahh you really manage to find all the cars that I have a soft spot for. My grandpa used to own a white transporter California. When you're filming the road you can see how typically wobbly it drives. I used to get seasick on our anual journeys to austria :D. Great stuff. Oh and your face is fine, don't worry.
Cool van - especially in V6 and being an import flavour. One of the few VWs I like to be honest. The 5cyl engines were also very cool. A 6 cylinder with an auto box is the nicest sounding combo in any car. Cool video.
My 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan is 3.3L pushrod v6, with auto. Custom (by me) baby blue trim with white sea turtles.
An attractive and practical vehicle, nice.
I had 2 of them - wonderful vehicles
Lovely sounding V6 in that van, very nice indeed, We need more dashboard dancing girl.
I was once a van driver too, also on a pittance, but still, good times! Wonder if my Hiace F998 SUT is still going. I remember ripping a huge gash in the side door getting a tad too close to a two foot high H section post. I'd love to see a video of an E51 Elgrand of the same year as a comparison. That MPG is pretty woeful!
Great road test. The app for tax and mot checker useful. Your 1.9 T4 is still taxed and mot'd with around 165k on very good for a 21 year old vehicle. The 2.4 T4 last was taxed and mot'd back in 2009 with about same mileage not sure why capable much more. Keep 'em coming, well done Ian. I think your tests beat Top Gear hands down.
I had a 67 VW westfalia in the mid eighties, it had an 1830 with duel carbs and a racing exhaust. I had it for a few years, but wasn’t making enough to finish the restoring it. A few years later, I thought about buying the newer model VW van, but the price was too much. I like this van, looks nice, especially the left hand drive.........😁
"One for the tractor pervs" love it....
Sweet,sweet v6 soundtrack!
Another great video love that v6 I have a couple t5s if you ever want to do a road test video on them a 174 and a 180
The industrial estate you were on is called thorpe arch it was a munitions factory during the second world war.
Hey Ian, I'm watching your videos from Germany and I loved that one, especially since I owned a T4 Caravelle VR6 (140 PS) for a while. If you ever happen to be near Berlin feel free to review my 2008 VW T5 Multivan V6 (235 PS, auto). With its 3.2 litre VR6 it's got a lot of grunt for a van. :)
Had a 1992 K plate T4 as a delivery van. Sadly all the added insulation and refrigeration dulled the 1.9 TDi in an otherwise memorable vehicle. It’s replacement was a 2.8 litre 2001 LT which went like absolute stink- it was 156 bhp I believe - which made it a superb delivery vehicle.
Great video I like the van it looks fab but in would say that cos I'm a big fan of vw great video keep up the good work
There were a few 1.9TDI (VE, not PD) conversions kicking about for a while. The Mk3 Golf engines were the favoured donor. A friend had a T4 Westfalia with the basic TD lump in it, and was always talking about converting it to TDI power (and I was going to help). Sadly, he sold the whole thing before we got a chance to hack it.
Hi good road test nice van got in early for once
Great video, want a camper off this car😎🇳🇴
Love the T-vans.
Been twice on a vacation to France, in a T2 Westfalia and later in a T4. The latter was a 1.6 diesel and did 60mph full throttle!
For everybody whos interested, tomorrow test drive with a Peugeot 1007 1.6!
Typo, the latter was a T3 diesel.
I've been toying with the idea of buying a Nissan Elgrand for a year or two. They also have a V6 (3.0L) with an auto box. Some are also 4 wheel drive. Would love you to find one of those to review!
For eight years I used to have a T4 Autosleeper campervan. 2.3 diesel. Always got 32mpg no matter how I drove it.
I have a 2000 VW Caravelle SWB VR6, the one with 204 PS. It’s an old car and not perfect but it does the job. Only 22K km. 8-seater. 19ish mpg.
I like how you’ve memorised the number plates of the vans, I can do the same thing with my Dad’s old cars. (Even tho he can’t remember them lol)
Thorp Arch estate? The buildings look like that as it was an old ordnance factory.
The current Transporter model is the T6. That T4 is a far cry from the one that is featured on my channel. It started out with a 1.9 diesel and now has a 2.0 8v petrol engine out of a Mk3 Golf GTi. The petrol engine has the same basic block as the diesel so it just bolts in (the van runs and drives) plus the 8v engine has the most usable torque out of the petrol engines. If you get chance, please get to see more of Yorkshire. There are plenty of nice places round here. We're quite a friendly bunch.
Aye, I like Yorkshire and have seen far nicer places.
T4's are going in value. Incompetent management sounded like BL in one.
I much prefer the 0-60 test with the camera facing forward, would be great again with road tests in scenic places!
The T4 wasn't Volkswagen's first front-engine van, there was the original LT launched in 1975/6 which had the engine under the cab seats in the style of a lot of Japanese vans at the time which was technically front-engine, though in modern parlance it would now be more classified as front-mid engine. The LT is also the vehicle that gave a development of its petrol engine to the Porsche 924...
gosportjamie Correct, also the only VW ever available (as far as I know) with an inline-6 petrol engine!
@@CreRay Yes, I believe so, though it has to be said that the straight-6 petrol was very rare in the UK, other than in some ambulances. I believe there was also a straight-6 diesel and, later, turbo diesel too...
@@gosportjamie the petrol inline-6 was a variant developed from the inline-6 diesel.
@@CreRay Yes, I had a feeling they were closely related. I've not had any experience with the petrol 6, but the diesel was a good lump with a whole lot of torque...
Nice van :)
Thorpe Arch, a place I went to a lot as a kid
Great video Ian,what a nice van with a V6 stuck on it, grunt is the word for this,you certainly like automatics LOL,american spec as well nice colour.
The shelf behind the rear seat might be a tribute to the air cooled vans.
Vans are great and the V6 T4 must represent some kind of high watermark. A bit thirsty but not a problem if you only ever go to Bewdley or Brean Down, from Brum.
6cyl vans are cool! I'm lucky enough to have a Bedford CF with a 3.3l Holden engine. Different era, but same idea.
Are you watching the Barra-powered CF on The Skid Factory come together? I had a 2.3 CF a few years back. Great to drive!
I certainly am watching the Skid factory. It's convinced me that that swap is a really bad idea! The Holden 6 is pushrod OHV ( so not as tall as the DOHC Barra) and the sump and oil pickup are at the back of the engine so it fits over the front crossmember. There is about 1 inch clearance between the fan and the radiator, and half an inch between the back of the motor and the standard floor cutout in the Bedford! It's really the longest straight six that would fit! I'm not planning to engine swap mine but if I was, a V8 would be much more sensible! That Barra is one hell of a motor, though!
Careful HubNut, people might think you're trendy. If you get a chance, review a Mazda Bongo Freetop, would be interested to see what you think. I loved mine.
the VW LT was front/mid engined, before the t4
Ah yes, the daftness of a van with the engine in the cargo bay. Oddest one I saw was in Margate, one of the later rear-engined ones but a Luton body! No side door just a roller-blind rear opening and then hefting everything over the power-plant!
I'm a big T4 fan. After a 174hp T5 (which was an unmitigated disaster) I had a 102hp 2.5tdi 2001 Multivan which is the same spec for Europe as this US model. I sold it and then bought a 150hp 2.5tdi T4 California camper which is my daily today. A bit wary of the automatic versions as the box is a bit fragile. Both of mine were/are 5 speed manuals. I'd quite fancy a VR6 manual though.
Robin Forrest You are right to be concerned about the automatics. They are not durable and are expensive to fix when broken. In the US, I'm pretty sure we imported only automatics. I've never seen a manual gearbox in a T4. Americans are too lazy to want manual shifting transmissions which is a shame because a lot of super nice cars go to the junkyard for scrap because the automatic transmissions fail and the cost to repair them is more than the vehicle is worth.
Vr6 unfortunately only came with auto box in the T4... 😞
“Belongs to my mate called Pete.” Pete seems to be up to quite a lot. Good old Pete.
Drove a 5cyl gasoline T4 a few years back. I agree with your conclusion, nice van and the soundtrack was so sweet. Btw, you've really upped the quality of the video, very smooth video and clear sound. What equipment do you use?
Thanks. Now using a DJI Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal and a good quality external mic. Still using my Oppo F1S for actual filming.
Love a VW Transporter and I love a VR6 engine (a lot), but the two married together is going to be a recipe for horrific fuel economy, it’s bad enough in a Golf... fun though!
PS, as far as I’m aware, were still on the T6 Transporter, which is essentially a facelifted T5 with a slightly prettier face, more up to date dash, more standard and up to date toys and the most up to date engine options, the rest of the Van is almost identical though... nothing wrong with that of course, it a great platform.
What a lovely spec. I've never been so sure on the T4, although my tastes in VW vans has slowly changed. I once disliked the T3 however the Euro models with the square headlights and the rear panel between the lights look particularly good. A W8 would sort out the woeful performance.
I have seen some of the T4s in the US and always smiled to myself as most of them I knew came with the VR6 engine.
Always confused as to why it didn't get a column shifter for that market.
I have a 2001 multivan same as this but uk version with a 2.5 diesel .good on fuel too
Handbrake that makes the lights come on? I once drove an Alfa Romeo that did that. Not sure it was an intended feature though.
Since 2015 they call it T6 but at least it´s just a faceliftet T5 the factory in Hannover is not far away from me. My dailydriver is a T4 craftsmen edition with no windows and great 2,4 5 cylinder diesel engine.
Recent subscriber to you - love all your car vids - just one question - do you buy all the vehicles you test?
No. Generally, I just drive other people's cars. I have a Playlist for the vehicles I actually own.
A cool looking van, I like it 👍. I was once a white van driver back in the day, it was a Mercedes 310 . Nigel Mansell in a van I was, minus the mo Lol
I drove a works T4 or T5 not sure what it was , minibus some years ago. Had a great thrashy 5cylinder diesel which.... I used to thrash the heck out of it... yes it was a good drive and seemed well put together...they seem to have a bit of a cult following, you see loads of customized ones... good vehicle!
k
imagine having that VR6 driveline in a Westfalia pop-up-roof camper van.
It's been done (by VAG) ... the European Multivan, (which the van in this vid appears to be but with 'Eurovan' badge on the back for the US market ) also came with a factory option of Westfalia pop-top roof.
This video makes me regret I once bought a VW Corrado 16v. Really nice car but I should have gone for the VR6.
I just checked...
P907 is listed as untaxed and no MOT, so either re-registered or ascended to a higher state of being (probably a washing machine).
P957 is still on the road...
6:13 You should try a 1.9.. Even with a turbo they're painfully sluggish. I've just a big intercooler for mine, extra boost beckons!
Nice van, now I want one. My beetle has the same clocks as that. Do you have a new camera Ian?
Not a new camera, but a new app and a new gimbal to smooth things out.
anyways, i wonder how much it is to ship car over to .uk area from .us, and import dues?
My mate swears by the T4, he's had 2 2.5TDi vans and now has a 2.4D camper, and IMO they're brilliant, car like to drive, easily able to keep up with traffic even the 2.4 with its 74bhp and comfortable. I'd have the 2.4D, goes well enough, easily does 60-70 mph without all of the turbo gubbins, not necessary to me.
They sound lovely too...
@@HubNut You're right there, I see why folk use them as dailies cos they are just like a car to travel in with the added bonus of huge practicality and good on juice too
T4, from a earlier, different, better, standard of German build quality. It's also a 'not too big' van, making it very useable.
my and Floss could live in that quite happily.
Don't know if you also driven the rear engined vans (R2, R2.5) much but I have seen it suggested that part of their charm comes from driving with your node almost at the front of the window, providing a panoramic view whereas the T4 etc. are like any other van with a short bonnet at the front. What do you think ? Clearly power to weight is an issue for the older vans but a 1.9 turbo diesel conversion seems relatively straightforward.
T
Something to be said for that. There will be a little forward control van coming soon...
Too bad they only sold very few of these here in the states. They were more expensive than other vans, and the automatics were a problem.. So they were discontinued. Looking forward to the all electric VW Buzz in a couple years , which will be available here
On that acceleration test, I know it's a 4 speed but thats a really long 2nd gear
I have a 1995 Caravelle 2.5 petrol automatic 5-cylinder 10-valve a.k.a Audi engine. It's not as good as this one, only makes 110bhp and it's had two accidents. It has a cassette lift underneath for my wheelchair. The pre-1996 ones are pretty loud, but the lift adaptation may be making it worse. It's a good sound though. And it's very thirsty, but I don't do many miles. It's only done 70000 miles.
Now, in 2021, you have a family would you consider getting one, maybe with a more economical engine?
And the last VW van we got here in the states was actually a Dodge! How do they handle headlights on LHD cars? glare tape or did he find RHD headlights for it? That looks like it has a weekender package on it with the table and tumble and fold rear seat
RHD lamps I believe.
P907 NOE is still around but has no MOT and is SORN'ed, P957 NOE is on the road and still going.
Ooo you need to include horn noise, light left on warning noise and no seat belt noise warning in your reviews 🚐
Was the VR6 available one euro spec T4's? Only ever seen the 1.9 and 2.4 diesel models.
Yes. Doubt they sold many.
glad to see you sitting on the Correct side of the car ;)
You wouldn't boot it like that if you were paying to fill the tank. My 1996 Granvia 3l td does about 28mpg but it needs a gentle touch on the accelerator, but the occasional lead footing is good for the soul.
My previous employer used T4 lwb caravelles .not V6 tho sadly . but they drove well thru a 5 speed manual gbox . my current employer used Mercedes viano 3.0 V6 with auto box's when I first joined them . well they fly . now we have Mercedes V250 😧 . no where near as much fun .
P957NOE is still about
I love a good nose around a camper van.
Lot of stains on the carpet ...........
did these ever come to the Uk in this spec? Kick down sounds a little more enthusiastic than the Xedos did.
We did get the VR6 in Caravelle form, with the same longer nose. I doubt they sold many due to the fierce fuel consumption.
As well as the Caravelle also got the RHD Multivan in VR6 form
Im surprised they sold any. Who buys a V(R)6 van in the UK? In the US, the engine in this van would probably be considered small though!
Unfortunately you don't see many of these in the US, even when they were available. (they stopped selling them here some time ago). The only place i'd see them regularly was as a courtesy vehicle at my local volkswagen dealer.. They had one with a ton of miles on it that they were keeping alive, because there was nothing else in the VW product line to take its place. Eventually, VW started selling the Routan minivan, but that was just a re-badged chrysler. Real shame.
This was one of the last ones and yeah it was initially used by VW (a dealer or HQ I'm not sure) in Florida which is who dad bought it from. He'd regularly get people coming up to him offering to buy it.
Oscar the grouch!
You totally need one, that way you can live in it on the road but then you can pull a trailer to go rescue your next "cubic zirconia" in the rough.
First! Thanks Ian :)