Though the competition has heated up, we feel that the new Dodge Caravan is still one of the best minivans you can buy. It offers all of the creature comforts in a pleasing package at a fair price. Our other Best Buy is the Honda Odyssey. It's a little bit smaller than the Dodge, but more sporty to drive, and it has a super-convenient flip-and-fold-away rear seat.

Trailing at a close second are the Recommended Chevy Venture and Toyota Sienna. Though these vans are comparably priced and offer loads of neat features, we feel they can't match the road manners of our two Best Buys. Also garnering Recommended ratings are the Chrysler Town & Country and Chrysler Voyager. Though they are mechanically similar to the class-leading Caravan, they don't offer the breadth of model choices.

This dated minivan is basically a civilian version of a decade-old Euro-market commercial vehicle design. That mainly explains why EuroVan lacks a left-side sliding door and other newer features expected in this class. Add poor performance and it's no wonder that EuroVan has been nearly invisible on the U.S. market. However, VW upped power last year and sales responded, jumping 49 percent year-to-year for the first nine months of 2001. At best, though, EuroVan draws only 5000 sales per year for the entire U.S.

Industry moles expect EuroVan to be replaced in a couple of years by a "New Microbus" that should be very close to the California-designed concept model unveiled in early 2001. Like the New Beetle, it combines modern engineering with retro styling in VW sees as another buzz- and sales-booster for the franchise.

The New Bus is about the same size as EuroVan. Approximate dimensions include a 118-inch wheelbase, 186-inch overall length, 75.2-inch width, and 75-inch overall height. The most likely engine is a 3.2-liter version of EuroVan's 2.8-liter V6, driving the front wheels through a 5-speed automatic transmission. An AWD option is an outside possibility. Features should include ABS; dual sliding rear side doors, perhaps with optional power operation; 3-row seating with middle buckets and a rear bench; and, at extra cost, a navigation system and rear-seat video entertainment system. Standard torso side airbags are a near certainty, with curtain side airbags a possible option. VW is working to engineer the concept design for U.S. crash standards, not easy given the lack of impact-absorbing "crush space" at each end. Pricing, on-sale date, final specifications and other particulars won't be decided for some time yet, but stay tuned.