The Volkswagen EuroVan Is the Ultimate Quirky Camper Van 

As a European now living in the US (moved to US about 12 years ago), I am definitely liking Doug's new trend of reviewing Citroens and the Multipla and all the cars I've grown up seeing on the streets, but aren't in the US...

For those wondering, the bed does fold completely flat but Doug just needed to flip up the rear facing seats for the extra room

8:46 “You can maybe see curtains for the side windows…but why would you need them in back?” Oh Doug…we love your innocence and pure mind

It’s bugging me so much that he didn’t fold the bed all the way flat! Overall great review… I’ve always wanted one of these vans

Shout-out to Doug and how he's still impressed that a van has a table after driving cars like the Bugatti EB110 lol

I never knew this is called the EuroVan in the states, we just call it the T4 in Europe, it's basically the successor to the Hippie Van, dubbed the Volkswagen T1, so this one is the fourth generation. I'm always amazed at what cars you guys missed out in the States, in some way it's shocking, most of the Euro cars that Doug reviews that he claims to be special are the most common cars here in Europe. xD

200 hp in german engines differs a lot from american vehicles. 200 is actually pretty powerful if the engine is efficient enough. It also triggers me that you didn't mention that VW actually never stopped making these, at least not in Europe.

As a european who still has one of these, its amazing what you guys actually value them for. It makes me look at these in a completely different form than before. For me these vans have always ben a work horse, nothing special, I own a 95 with the 1.9D 57hp engine and to be honest, it doesn't even want to do highway speeds anymore, but she has been a good tool over the years, sadly rust is starting to get the best of her and the power steering has gone.

Growing up in Europe as a kid, I traveled a lot in these. They were usually a diesel with a manual. Very practical and good travel companions.

It’s so adorable how excited Doug is for a car that is the most common thing where I live. I’ve been riding in these quite often but didn’t really care and Doug on the other hand is completely freaking out about this car. Very nice to have this perspective of an American enthusiast.

Three time EuroVan owner here (all T4b Weekenders), a few points to make in this great overview of these oh-so-quirky vans. A few more points… 1. The owners manual states not to have the table up while the vehicle is in motion. Probably too much potential injury in case of a collision. 2. The fridge box can slide out for access without having to lift the seat base. 3. The rear climate control is only to add heat, not cool air. GLS and MV versions had rear A/C compressors. 4. MV “tintop” vans had snap-in curtains. 5. The bed will fold completely flat. 6. The rear compartment lighting, fridge box and rear power ports are all powered by the “house battery,” located under the passenger seat. It gets recharged via the alternator, and saves the starting battery. 7. The pop-top latch is a modified A1 Golf/Rabbit hood latch. 8. The smaller size is nice as it’ll fit in most garages. Find another vehicle that sleeps four and will match that feat. 9. No glove box due to crash requirements. Other markets had cubbies in place of the knee bolster on the passenger side. The owners manual fits well in the passenger door pocket. 10. VW only sold about 5k of these per year in the last three model years. All have seemingly migrated to the West Coast. 11. There is also a full camper van available, with a 10” longer wheelbase. Imported as cargo vans and converted by Winnebago. However, the quality was not up to the same level as the Westfalia components. 12. It’s peppy enough to keep up in modern traffic, but it is under-geared and sucks gas at a rather rapid rate. Figure upper-teens for most combined driving. MPGs drop precipitously at higher speeds. 13. VW has been making them since 2003, just not importing them to the US. Oddly enough, the EuroVan GLS and MV both had tinted windows in the rear passenger area, but the MV Weekender, without adequate rear A/C and large windows, is like a rolling aquarium. It’s highly advisable to tint those windows.

I had a 1995 water cooled Vanagon. I loved it. It was underpowered, but rode like a dream. We drove round trip from CA to NY with two children and had a blast! Loved them and I can’t wait for the electric version the ID Buzz.

Funfact: While Volkswagen sold these as “Eurovan“ in California and the whole US, they sold (and still sell them) as “California“ in Europe.

The T4 is used literally everywhere in europe from ambulances to construction haulers, not the V6 though, the 2.5 TDI is an indestructible engine.

These actually came with a regular glove box. Like in a lot of other cars of the 90s, the passenger airbag was added later in the production run in place of the glove box which led to making another compartment lockable.

Fun fact: in Europe this version is called "California" and it is still on sale, just look on the homepage of "Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge" for the "California 6.1". And it has competitors like the Ford Transit Custom "Nugget" and the Mercedes "Marco Polo" which is based on the Vito (utilitarian, "Metris" in the US) or V-Class (more luxurious).

I like when Doug does these European cars, it's such a fresh take on them because he hasn't been around them much. Others I'd like to see are the Renault Clio V6, Renault Avantime, Citroën BX GTi 16v, and Fiat Coupé and Barchetta, but l probably shouldn't hold my breath

There were several more versions of T4 in Europe: Transporter (usually panelvan but also available with seats and windows) is the cheapest version usually for builders and workers, Caravelle, more comfy for passangers Multivan - version with foldable third row And then Westfalia with popup top. Also there is 40 cm longer version of Transporter and Caravelle. Most usual and reliable diesel engine is 75kw 2.5 TDI which most people prefer for good balance of performance and fuel consumption. The most powerful diedel is available in 111kw version. In Europe, there are not many gas engines with V6 because of high consumption. Automatic transmission is also very rare here due to its unrealiability. That gearbox was not designed for such a heavy car so it can fail and the fix is very expensive. So most of T4s have manual. I got T4 Caravelle and i love it. Using it for work, trips, camping, moving friends. Highly versatile. Thanks for the video, Doug!

Great vans! My dad has had all kind of vw Transporters over the years for his construction company. He still owns a t4 double cab pick up that he bought before I was born in '92. It's in the blue color like the picture you showed. Over the years it has become a family member. My siblings and I all learned how to drive in it, went camping with it, moved our stuff in to our first apartments etc.. A lot of memories are with that little van. Now after 30 years and 400k km she is starting to get rough around the edges.. But we decided to never let her go and we're going to try to give her the restoration she deserves.

I'm a little surprised that Doug didn't mention the 90's Toyota Hi-Ace and the Mitsubishi Delica. These JDM vans had about 80-90% of the features in this EuroVan. Except for the bed/tent above the roof. I think these can be now legally imported to the US and they are selling for cheap. Most of these vans have Diesel engines which is economical and more than enough to pull the weight of the van. Some of them even have 4x4/4-wheel drive configurations which means you can take it off road and sleep inside it. Hopefully Doug finds one to review as well.

Doug should go over to Europe and do a road trip doing reviews of cars we don’t get over here. I know he does old imported ones here, but current models would be cool too.

I love how excited Doug gets about a table. Can you imagine eating dinner with him? "WOW, IT'S A SALT SHAKER!! You could shake salt onto any food you like!""

I had a '92 five-cylinder 2.5 with a five-speed manual. It was actually fine on long trips. It was slow off the line, but once it got rolling it had good torque to keep it going. I've now got a one-owner (me) 2002 MV with 136,000 miles which is still running great. Mileage is still the same at 16 in town and 19 to 20 on the highway. Transmission was replaced once under warranty (50k miles) but it's still going well at this mileage. From 2001, it's the only van on the market that had four wheel independent suspension (front with torsion bars), four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, dynamic stability control, and brake proportioning. From 2002, Climatronic was standard. There really isn't anything on the market that compares in terms of overall utility. It's great on long trips, of which we've done several. It has more cargo space than a Suburban. The visibility out the front is fantastic, and it's surprising Doug didn't comment on that. We test drove a Mercedes Metris, which has almost the identical exterior dimensions, but the ride and handling are inferior. The VW has a solid, German car feel. I replaced the front ball joints, sway bar links and bushings, and motor mounts. The ride is still smooth and the tracking precise. The reason VW isn't selling the current Transporter (now up to T7) here is because of the "Chicken Tax", a 25% tax on light trucks. The Transporter is still very common in Europe. In fact, it was the most common VW we saw in Norway.

Who would love to see a joint collaboration review of any car with Doug DeMuro and Sarah from Sarah-N-Tuned. I think that would make the best review video ever.

Doug, I have this exact van. Also, vw have never stopped making different versions of this van. You reviewed the 4th gen face-lift model. There is a 5, a 5.1, a 6 and a 6.1. They come with a host of diesel engines and drive trains producing between 84 and 204hp from factory.

We need you to get your hands on the vw grand California!

As a Volkswagen Parts consultant I can say that in the US market VW is phasing out the EuroVan its damn near impossible to get OEM parts for them now. If you purchase one just keep in mind that most parts you need are going to be aftermarket... VW made so many different variants that the aftermarket part you bought probably wont fit so be aware of such things ! The VR6 engine is a gem though

Funfact: Engine is not regular V6 but its VR6 and only VW made this type of engines. They sounds incredible.

There was an even higher spec version available in Europe called the California. It had a full Westfalia kitted interior as well as the pop top roof.. It consisted of the rock'n'roll bed ... yes that's what they were called, a two burner cooker, a diesel heater, the fridge was usually 12V/240V (when you used the mains hook up) & gas.... It had lots of cupboard space and was pretty much the same as what was called the Vanagon in the US... Once the T5 came out VW ceased it's collaboration with Westfalia and continued the California, but kitted out as factory by VW... Interestingly Westfalia did a Mercedes Vito version, which had an identical interior to the California called the Marco Polo. I have in the past owned both the T4 VW camper and the Mercedes Marco Polo... both great vehicles...

Sad that the new VW Californias is not for sale in the US, would be fun to see you review one of those. They have even more quirks with a full out kitchen and more! Great video as always though!

Even in Europe the T4 is the more loved version as its successor,the T5, gained a bad reputation for various quality issues and drivetrain problems. A good T4 still sells for more money than a T5.

I grew up with one of these as my childhood car (non-camper version) loved this thing. Super spacious! fit myself and my four siblings in the back for many roadtrips

Just to correct Doug, you can still buy this van new from VW in rest of the world. The weekender is called the California Beach, and the full out camper is called the California Ocean (has kitchen). They also offer a larger version based on the Crafter that's called the Grand California with a bathroom. In addition Mercedes sells the Metris as Vito or V Klasse in EU in a factory camper as well, Marco Polo. For someone who is limited on budget and size, there is a factory camper in the VW Caddy as well! You can get a camper from Ford as the Transit Nugget also factory and not extremely expensive!

I grew up with one of these vans. My parents bought it new in 2003. So many great road trips in this thing!

17:36 this part is so cute/wholesome! Our man Doug really out there fulfilling younger Doug’s dreams and desires. Dreams do come true, maybe later but they sure do. Go Little Rockstar!

as a european that's the first time i've heard someone call the T4 "rare" and "low production" 😂

I’m not into the whole “van life” thing, but I genuinely want one of these. Never even heard of it but that just looks so cool and fun!!!

I had one once, amazingly useful vehicle! Unfortunately I didn't know any better and bought one with a VR6 engine and automatic gearbox which are both not very fitting for these imo.

I remember when I worked at a dealership years ago, everyone had their own dream cars, Pagani's, Koenigseggs, Enzo's, Carrera GT's, but one coworker of mine who I think works at Car And Driver now, his dream car was a EuroVan.

The Vanagon was actually very safe for its day in a crash. Vw really engineered the framework behind the sheet metal. Even the 73-up bus passed safety standards for passenger cars, well before trucks were required to.

Have this van and LOVE it! Also, the shelf in the back is actually really easy to remove. Just two buttons, which makes it a great hauler. I use mine like a pickup truck 80% of the time.

Here in Germany they keep their value nearly as well as a Porsche. Tough times for families looking for one.

this is my first day on vacation and saw one of these for sale in a parking lot with the tent up. immediately reminded me of this video

My dad had an identical one with all the Drivers Gear accessories like wheels and full body kit. I absolutely loved that thing and camped out in the driveway with my friends as a kid.

I just bought my 2nd T4. It's a 2,5 5 cylinder Caravelle Syncro (I will swap the Multivan interior from my old one the 1,9 4 cylinder). They are absolute awesome cars ! The syncro's (4x4) are a blast. They did make them with rear lock diff. A blast to ride & camp with. I now have a 1994 & 2002 one & I absolutely adore them. So proud to see this car on Dough's channel. The Eurovan (with automatic gearbox) is practicaly non existing here in Europe.

I grew up with my father having multiple VW Vanagons and then the longest lasting was a ‘93 White Eurovan with the full Westphalia package just like this one. We used it exactly as Doug talked about in the back with the table. Playing card games with the lights on long road trips. It was great for us for vacations and then my father used it for hauling cargo by taking out the rear seats to carry cabinets and furniture from place to place for his work. I really miss it! We drove it to just about 200k miles but had to send it to the junkyard when it finally was mechanically totaled back in the early 2010s. Always would get thumbs up driving it around. People loved it!

Exact same steering wheel, instrument cluster and radio as my 2001 VW Golf! After enjoying 20 years in that car I could get right into this and feel at home.

I had a 2001 Weekender for 10 years. Had a real love/hate relationship with it. It was massively versatile, easy to drive, and absolutely huge inside. Like 60 more cubic feet than a Ford Expediotion xl. With the super low floor and the seats removed it was simple to load my big twin Harley or large furniture in the back. It was also great for weekend camping and/or road trips. However, it went through 3 auto transmissions in 120k miles, and mine had an issue with the hardening of the cam chain gear, and it needed to be replaced a bit over 100k miles. If it was offered with the turbo diesel and manual transmission, I would still own it. I did sell it for almost what I paid for it after 140k miles and 10 years, so there is that. My new Ford Transit won't fit in the garage but has tons more room inside, it's significantly more reliable and gets about the same mpg.

Being British, I've only ever seen these VW vans with a 1.9 and 2.5 TDI. It feels wierd seeing one with a VR6

Doug, you’ve also missed the quirky part where the mirrors are not the same, passenger side is more vertical where the driver’s side is horizontal. And they do close, where lots of Eurovan owners don’t know about

Many childhood memories with this van, very nostalgic. It was exactly like this one but bright red. A van like this with this interior and seats is quite expensive today

Imagine Doug seeing and reviewing a T6 California 😂 he would have a heart attack from being over excited lol.

Strangely, I saw a Eurovan here in the UK less than a week ago. Also, Volkswagen did have a normal "minivan" in the 1990s, the Sharan, which sold well in Europe alongside "badge-engineered" Seat Alhambra and Ford Galaxy versions. My dad had a 2002 Ford Galaxy until 2013 when he replaced it with a 2012 Volkswagen Caravelle, essentially a newer version of this Eurovan but without the pop-up top.

Doug this isn't a minivan, that's why you find it weird in so many ways, and how it can get so much cargo. It's a real VAN made for cargo and deliveries, it was originally designed to be a cargo van, and then adapted for passengers. it was never made to compete with a caravan

We call it "VW Bus" in germany. I made a road trip in one of these from the north of germany to france and then down to spain and portugal back in the days. These were great holidays and we really liked our bus. It was a turbo-diesel with manual transmission. The Westfalia is the expensive and rare edition but the Multivan and the lower spec models are very successful and common until this day here, and this van it is a success story for VW at least in europe.

Best review Doug has ever done. Love it.

We have one with the full kitchen and Westfalia package. Using it to tow our Porsche 944 to race events. With the 2.5 tdi 102hp 4 speed auto. Best van ever :)

Welp, that's it. Doug has convinced me to sell all my possessions, buy this van, and go rogue. Thank you Doug.

Hi Dour, I’ve loved the channel for a number of years now, even an early subscriber to the More Doug channel. The only problem I have with your reports is the dropping of the explanation for the Doug Score. Personally, I loved how much you seemed to care about explaining each score. Why something may deserve an 8, yet something else would only score a 5. It was more than a tool to compare cars/vehicles by. It gave us some insight into Doug and what you liked about something or disliked about something else. Please bring back the old way of doing the Doug Score, I know that I really enjoyed it and I’m sure others did too. I think dropping it, in a small way, hurts your brand.

I can't remember seeing Doug smile and laugh so much during his review. I have a eurovan and I find the same joy with my van. So happy to see this review.

Before I became an American, I grew up in Europe and we always had one VW van. Starting from the old rear, air-cooled engined Bus to the T4 tdi, and Caravelle, Transporter etc.. The T4 diesel with manual (no turbo, it was before the tdi era) was an exceptionally - miserably slow vehicle. The tdi versions really changed the game for these vans- T4 and up.

Doug is the type of guy to drive up prices on a van you've been looking for

Did a roadtrip through Asia in one of these in 2018-2019. Started with 450.000 km on the clock and ended with 515.000 km. Never had a significant problem at all. These are from the era when cars were still built to last and very much appreciated throughout Germany and Europe in general up to this day. Great car!

3 month ago I was able to buy my self one of my dream car's. A VW T5 (2007) California All with curtains, little gas cooker, refrigerator, bed and pop up roof, headed seats and alot of space for 2-4 people and I love this little bus. Since the T5 model this camping van has gotten so much better, the T4 was just the beginning

This was #1 on my bucket list of cars I wanted Doug to review! Thank you so much!

Here in Europe, even 100hp in a Eurovan (T4) is MASSIVE! the lowest displacement engine fitted to a t4 is the 1.9L Diesel (non-turbo). Which makes a blistering 59hp. Now THATS slow!

18:58 interesting how different the European and US market of VW is, here in Europe they now even have two camper vans put apprently not in the US. Also, VW Transporters can be found basically EVERYWHERE in Europe in all sizes and forms (pickups, people carrier and even ambulances).

Fact: This is the sole reason I subscribed to Doug.

this type of VW camper vans are still a thing in Europe as the T5 California. Super cool vans still today

This is the best design they had. That top mattress under the tent looks like a comfy place to sleep.

German here. These are such great vehicles for any purpose, Roadtrip with friends or family, Camping for a weekend without any further preparations, Moving out of a house with a friend who owns a T4, going to the hardware store and so on. My inner family and we own 5 of them, Camper, long wheeled Caravelle, simple "Kombi" bought off a police auction, Standard Caravelle and a really nice Multivan. Engine of choice in Europe is the 2,5l TDI Diesel with 102 HP, they are pulling real good, will last a very long time if you maintain them properly, and keep up with highway speeds at a reasonable fuel consumption. Just stay away from the automatic transmissions here, if you put your T4 on duty or pull a boat or camper or so regularly, they usually will die at 60-100k kilometers.

Such an amazing van... I have upgraded from this model to a VW Transporter that was built out by Karmann Mobil into a camper ( Gypsy version).. They are so amazing... always start at the first turn and they just keep on going!

This is a proper van. TDI for life.

14:55 the lack of a glovebox has probably more to do with its early 90s design before passenger airbags were mandated. Lots of cars in this era had to install the passenger airbag where the glovebox was originally designed to go.

I'm excited to see vw t4 on doug's video. My father used it for 14 years and I learnt how to drive in that van. Too many memories with it.

I transported my friends quad in the back of my '99... LOVED that van!

My dad has an earlier one of these with a manual and it's surprisingly fun to drive. Was funny to see Doug surprised by the table that seems like it's been in every VW camper in some form since forever.

these are still around in europe, i see them every day. most people use them as vans for carrying stuff and a lot of different companies use these for exactly that

Saw Doug tease this in a recent vid and he didn't disapoint 👌

The T4 is my favourite car. We have a blue Multivan, its a 5 cyl diesel and i think its a lot better than the westfalia in your video. We have a floor that is resistant to dirt or scratches, multiple cupholders in one place over the table, 2 extra lights over the 3rd row seats, back Air Conditioning with display, also the front air conditioning is automatic and digital, our storage cubbies have lid you can close, also the second row seats can be turned or removed or whatever you would like, we have a glove box since we have the 5 Zylinder Diesel version, also its a manual and except the 5-gear shifter there is nothing in the way between drivers side and passenger side (you could switch driver easily during driving) the cupholders are on the passenger seat (foldable) and the storage is in the glove box. Also our Multivan has a way better interior design like seats and colors. Also did you know that you can press the ignition key hole down, then the radio gets on without ignition or any key at all? Also thanks for showing us all the awesome things, it was normal for me until now

Before this, VW had the Vanagon. Growing up, a guy in my neighborhood modded his Vanagon to install a Porsche engine, wheels, suspension, and exhaust. Finally he changed the badge on the engine cover to read, “Carreragon.” That thing was pretty sweet.

I like how he goes over different uses for a table. Because we aren't familiar with tables outside of this van.

I love late 90s/early 2000s VWs/Audis. My dad's Passat used to have that exact interior. Very cozy and nice.

Yes.I have a caravelle vw t42.5tdi.it was a taxi limousine with rear seats but was campervanned with full kitchen 240 v mains.uk.twin gas hob.12v usb and water pump.I bought it 2019 and use daily and added large roof box for twin stand up paddle board inflatable storage plus 230watts solar panels.mppt charge controller.twin agm leisure batteries,Renogy dc to dc 40amp charger .overhead touch led spotlights.I’m still a window cleaner so it’s my office during breaks and we tour uk to Cornwall,wales and more.it’s done over 300000mile now.still going strong 💪

My favorite car memories can be traced back to the family 1995 Eurovan. Learning to drive stick, desert camping, hauling plywood, putting an entire Naples Sabot (boat) inside to travel, and boy scout trips. Such a great machine.

This van is so 2000's that even Doug's hair went back in time and adopted a 2000's style.

Cool review. Here in Germany they were also sold with a kitchen version, including 2 flame camping stove, a sink with running tap water, also with a refrigerator, closets, cabinets etc. You can even attach a shower at the tap of the sink and use it out of the side window. These are - if you put a portable camping toilet in the trunk - basically fully equipped small driving homes. I own one which I found after a long search - a T4 California Freestyle of the last model year. More mileage but in a similar great shape than the one from the video. Especially the "Freestyle" model from the last model years are also pretty hard to find in good conditions in Germany since most of them are preeeetty run-down... I'm thinking about selling mine in spring to switch to a current model (T6.1 California). It's a pitty that Volkswagen didn't sell all successor models (T5.1 California, T5.2 California, T6 California, T6.1 California) in America.

As a Midwesterner I kept thinking that area looked so familiar. I vacation right next door at Marina Del Rey often. The Walgreens a block away on the corner of Lincoln and Washington is "our Walgreens" when we're in town. So cool.

I was like "Why is Doug reviewing some van from the 80's? and he was like "THIS is a 2003..." and I was like 😲

Quirky campervan content. THIS is the type of stuff I like to see!

I love that this is basically like someone reviewing a 95 Suburban in Europe. I still see this generation rolling around, usually very rusty but the 2.5 TDI keeps chugging along 🤘

FYI - The rear shelf does lift out easily... take the pad out first, then just pull on the ends of the 2 frame rods to release the hold on the board to lift it right out. And there are two more storage compartments on either side in the rear if you just lift the rear shelf up (you do not have to take it all the way out). I grew up in several 70's camper vans, so it was my dream to raise my own kids in one on cross country travels. They had already stopped bringing them to the US, so they were already hard to find, but I finally got my hands on one a few states away, used it and loved it until the kids left for college when I finally sold it. Unfortunately it didn't take long for seller's remorse to set in so I searched high and low until I finally found one again - and my daughter has already claimed this one as her inheritance!

I was driving T4 Transporter when I worked for alcohol distribution back in the day. It had 2.5 TDi 90HP. Slowest van I ever driven but it had more than million miles and was running fine

Imagine Volkswagen made a fully electric version of this vehicle that had storage where the engine is and a little bit of storage in the back. Keep the same concept of the two beds in the same form factor and boom you got an amazing vehicle that a lot of people would have interest in.

Had one of those and had many great camping trips they are like Swiss Army knives on wheels with all kinds of handy features! Their small size let’s you tuck into tent sites easily and recall having many waterfront camp spots on Vancouver Island we could squeeze into while the big motor homes were back on the oversized lot with no view !!

Very cool. I'd love to have one now for my sporadic camping trips.

This is probably one of the best cars that Doug has ever reviewed at least for me

I had one in the early 2000s. Best surf van out there. Surfed the entire California and Mexico coast in this thing. And pretty good for getting laid when moms locks you out of the house. Their prices now are CRAAAAZY!

My family had the non-poptop version of that when I was a teenager in Colorado. My brother and I totally used that table when we drove around.

24k for a old VW van! That would be 4k€ in europe :D I used to have newer T5 model with 200hp diesel and it was pretty good for van to drive but kept breaking down all the time. After that I am not going to touch any VW products ever again :D