VW knows cute things. Whether it’s cute-cute, a la the Beetle, New Beetle and Kharman Ghia, or ugly-cute (see Thing), VW has been there and done that. But even when the division of labor between fun and function is pretty clear (say, the Beetle vs. the 2-door Golf), there’s rarely been a difference as stark as that developed in Volkswagen’s van lineup. Compared to the original Type II, some of the company’s passenger vans have the charisma of cold sauce.
With the ID. The Buzz and its petrol equivalent go back in the direction of sunshine and rainbows. We’d like to take a step back and remember some of VW’s cozier homes. While we could delve deep into the company’s European commercial catalog for the boring and unappealing, let’s stick with the vans you’ll see on the road in the US. And while they might not win any beauty pageants, most people movers have their own virtues—and their own cult followings.
Transporter T3 Vanagon
Admittedly, the T2 Transporter was hard to follow. The T3 (known in America as the Vanagon) adopted a more angular, modern body, but retained virtually everything that made the original Transporter unique, including the rear engine placement. The one above is a US-spec Syncro (AWD) model, which was a bit longer and got a stronger set of brakes.
Westfalia camper conversions remain popular with the #vanlife crowd, which grew during the pandemic, likely saving quite a few Vanagons from sharing the fate of the 1986 Wolfsburg Edition shown above right. It might not have the looks of the model it replaces, but it certainly gets the job done.
Transporter T4 Eurovan
Not a van. Not a minibus. Only… euros. If previous Transporter variants were odd, the Eurovan was made somehow odder by Volkswagen’s attempt to present a more traditional, modern truck. Gone is the underfloor, rear-mounted, air-cooled engine; they lived in front of the new water-cooled mills. When it was first introduced, it was both too small to compete with typical American cargo vans of the early 1990s and too large to be considered by American minivan buyers. VW yanked it out of the U.S. lineup for half a decade before reintroducing it with the coveted VR6 engine, but it remained a niche alternative in a segment slowly being cannibalized by the growing popularity of SUVs.
Routan
No, not a Transporter! Not even a VW. The Routan was actually a Chrysler from top to bottom – albeit without Chrysler’s killer Stow ‘n Go seating system. While Volkswagen had some flexibility with the final details of the Routan’s interior, this American-built minivan was badge design in the purest sense. If VW executives thought being more American would save their minivan from the crossover revolution of the 2000s, the Routan disproved that notion. America hasn’t seen a Volkswagen van since. So far, of course.
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