Moe says: "it's really not a GTI"???

C'est vrai, mon ami...I had a GTI, but for a van compared
to the other Scheissler, Ford, Chevy "minivans", and even
most softly sprung 'mericun cars it can more than hold its own!
With ABS I've (when driving alone) been able to have fun
with those types of cars by late braking going into exit
ramps. (CAUTION - Kids don't try this at home...should
only be attempted by slightly insane EuroVan drivers).

But I have to agree with you about the heat! Here are a couple
of heater tips for newbie EV'ers...

1. To get the EV to warm up real quick, turn on the air recirculation
switch (the one on the dash with the "round" arrow). This will 
cause the cabin air to be re-heated, rather than to have the
heater heat outside air. Once the cabin is sufficiently warm,
switch the recirculating switch off. I have found that I can
get the van to warm-up up to 5 minutes quicker on a real
cold day.

2. Set the rear-heater to a slightly warmer setting, and use
the front heater on the dash vent settings. This seems to
circulate the air better, and you can set the front heater
to a slightly cooler setting and have a quasi-bi-level
heating system.

Ric