Monday 17th June 2002

VW Microbus

It's back - 21st Century Style. Cool cruiser or retro-rubbish?

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[Twin Turbo]

Well, like....cool dude.

[CarZee]

Arrrgghhh!!!

NNNooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[pbirkett]

[ap_smith]

ALL VW CAMPER VANS MUST DIE.

If I win the lottery/rich relative dies/stumble into world domination the first thing I will do is to buy all the available VW camper vans and take great pleasure in smashing them to bits (preferably with the hippies still inside) and posting the leftovers through Greenpeace HQ's letterbox

[Roadrunner]

It's not retro enough. I loved the artists pictures that were release a year ago, it looked soft and sexy then. This looks too safe and boxy. You'd never look at it and think it's a microbus. What it really needs is the previous look and a new carrera flat 6 out the back! Would have been a cool spare vehicle.

[MEMSDesign]

I was wondering how long it would take them to cash in on the VW Camper in the same way that they have on the Beetle. I'm sure they will make giant piles of money out of it. I'm just surprised it has taken them this long to get 'round to it.

[M@H]

Am Gutted

As an Ex-surfer cornish type person..still with Beetle and having spent many happy times cruising about in Type two's this modern creature is YAK..

Why can't people leave things alone, why try and dilute and update someting for a percieved populus who think they can adopt the lifestyle of those who drove the originals... £10 says theres a bunch of Surfers in the advert.. :gutted: :most gutted:

Oh well

[plotloss]

Making it split screen would have helped, but then that would have probably p!ssed off the VW/Surf crowd even more...

Matt.

[M@H]

quote:
Making it split screen would have helped, but then that would have probably p!ssed off the VW/Surf crowd even more...

Matt.

Correct..

[GregE240]

Yuck - no doubt when I'm an (angry) old man all the youngsters will be Kevving these up and going surfing in Exeter (seeing as the ocean levels have raised)

On a more sinister note, what on earth was PetrolTed doing at Luton ? Aside from the airport why the hell would you want to go there, unless you wanted a fight ?

>> Edited by GregE240 on Monday 17th June 10:55

[dan]

I'm going to go against the flow here (where's me flak jacket).

While its true People Carriers and those that buy them should be loathed and treated with the disrespect they deserve, it's a sad fact that they exist, and while carrot munching numpties continue to buy them they will continue to do so.

So.... my point is that if this type of vehicle is going to exist someone should make one that is a bit interesting... which is what VW has done. I saw an article about this about 9mths ago in EVO or TG and it looks good! alot of attention to detail and has some style.

I'm sure the air cooled nazis will be up in arms about it, but fair play to VW for capitalising on its past, and putting something more interesting on the market.

.... I wouldn't buy one obviously...

Cheers Dan

[Roadrunner]

I've never owned one, but I love all the old aircooled dubs - beetles, vans, also the old 912's and 356's. The engine note is sooo cool. They're just fun little things. Ahh, bless.

[Bodo]

I hope Volkswagen will not market it as a Bentley/Bugatti/Lamborghini

[danmangt40]

people are messy. people have kids. people are forced to drive in stop-and-go traffic, eat food on the go, and the minivan has been the vessel for these inconveniences. people leading an ordinary life in middle-america without money for an au pair are very likely to buy a minivan. The honda odyssey is the best in terms of this formula, with the chrysler versions being slightly more desirable for less minivan-like ideals. Having a car that meets these formulas as a second priority makes it available to the public for another reason, that it resembles an icon first, and is a people-carrier second, making the style the reason it exists, not the functionality, which is built in. Compare it to the otherwise utilitarian style of the tuareg. There are VWs that sell on function and engineering (golf mkIV, passat, jetta/polo, phaeton, tuareg) and there is VWs that sell on nostalgia (beetle, microbus). Bless VW for making the lines between the two blend as well as they do. They influence the more modern products in positive ways. So maybe you won't buy a microbus. How about for your wife? a van might have to sit in your garage, are you really going to give into an SUV that will be forced to do a similar job but will be less suted for it? certainly a VW microbus will be used more appropriately than a porsche cayenne, right?

[Pigemeister]

I like the look of the new van..... not that I'd ever want to own one but it is certainly better than the new beetle.

[ahonen]

Like it. Not a PH car, of course, but let's say you want an MPV: what would you prefer, something like that or a Peugeot 807/Zafira/Galaxy/etc. I know what I'd have for the wife and (heaven forbid) 4 kids.

[mickj]

I hope vw build it, but then I'm a vw person from way back.
Also isn't the galaxy a vw sharan??

[marki]

Come on guys , its a usefull vehicle for people who have to lugg stuff around , and its got some style which makes a change in this market segment , i like it, its different

[alfa dave]

I think it actually works better than the Beetle idea. The Beetle is designed to appeal through its styling, but that's all it does. As a car it is otherwise unexceptional. This Microbus has the potential to appeal through styling AND practicality (more like the old VeeDubs did) and as has been said it offers a far more stylish alternative to other MPVs...

Incidentaly the Galaxy is (and has always been) built in the same plant as the Sharan (alongside the SEAT Alhambra) in Portugal. Ford sold their share back to VW a couple of years ago. So Galaxy now has the distinction of being built in a 100% VW plant.

[M@H]

I really don't understand this whole MPV/VAN/SUV thing though... surely in trying to combine a car with a van with a 4x4 all you get is something that isnt going to do any of the jobs particularly well... better to have one of each perhaps..

Cheers,
Matt.