I had the misfortune of being a passenger in some of those VW minivans ... cold doesn't quite cover it, and I remember being quite concerned for my safety every time I got into one due to the sway and the fact that they could put a tuna can to shame for crumple quality.
I rode around the Colorado mountains the winter of 1972-3 in one. The accessories included a passenger managed ice scrapper for the inside, hahaha, I laugh now.