Date:         Wed, 10 May 95 16:06:04 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Road Test 1971 VW Bus


VW Type II Station Wagen
Prime people mover with new, highly effective front disc brakes.
Road Test Magazine, February 1971 (U.S.)
by Ron Hickman

One of the latest automobile fads, particularly in trend-setting
Southern California, is the use of a delivery van for personal
transportation.  You see all manners and types of vans, with curtained
windows, rear shackles lengthened to hoist the rear end, fat rear tires,
surfboards mounted on top or protruding from the rear door, and eight-
track stereo blaring away.  It makes a lot of sense.  You can carry a
staggering volume of people and/or sports equipment in a van, people
have been know to live in them, and by adding a few seats, the utility
of a station wagon is obtained at a lot less cost.

There is undoubtedly a substantial market for box-like vehicles seating
seven or more in comfort in a large space which can be readily filled by
a standard commercial van.  Since Volkswagenwerk AG has been highly
successful in sensing new market trends, one might wonder what new
offering could be expected in 1971 from Wolfsburg to capitalize on this
one.  The answer is none.  Their entry in the van-wagon-campmobile
market was introduced to the U.S. in 1955.  It is called the Type II,
differentiating it from the Beetle (Type I), or the 1600 Fastback (Type
III).  Instead of Volkswagen having to come up with a new vehicle for
this sector of the automotive market, their Type II has probably helped
more than any other to create it.

There are five two-tone color combinations available in the single body
style, each sharing the pastel white top.  Chianti Red will no doubt
be favored by most customers.  In addition, there is a soft blue, green,
beige, and finally the color of our test car, Sierra Yellow, which is
an exact duplicate of the color scheme recently adopted by General
Telephone Company for its fleet of thousands of service vehicles.
We were repeatedly asked when we had gone to work for the telephone
company, so unless you are a career professional in the telephone
communication field, pick another color.

Consistent with Volkswagen policy on model changes, the 1971 Type II
is the result of evolutionary rather than revolutionary changes.  The
opposed four-cylinder engine now has 50 percent more displacement and
twice as much horsepower than when it started life in 1951.  The rounded
edges found on the early wagons have been squared off so that no space
is wasted.  It appears Volkswagen has adopted the philosophy that if the
blessed thing is going to be called a box, it might as well look like
one.

There are comparatively few departures from conventional Volkswagen
design in the 1971 station wagon.  One of them is an increase from 57 to
60 horsepower, brought about by a change to a dual-port intake manifold
and improved carburetion.  Longer engine life will result from the use
of a new magnesium alloy in the crankcase and also from improved cooling
contributed by a new aluminum oil cooler and a larger fan.  Among the
changes needed to maintain engine emissions within 1971's more stringent
levels are additional engine modifications, a new carburetor, and the
evaporative control fuel system.  We also noticed that the ignition
timing has been retarded another five degrees, and is now at 5 degrees
after top-dead center.

The four-speed all-syncromesh manual transmission connected to the
engine with a single plate dry clutch is the only one available on the
Type II.  Gear ratios are quite low, with a 5.375 final drive ratio.
Although this allows the wagon to climb a 27 percent grade or pull
stumps up to 18 inches in diameter, it means that the car runs abruptly
out of revs at 15 mph in first gear, at 25 mph in second, 50 mph in
third, and in fourth gear horsepower matches drag at a true 68 and an
indicated 72 mph.  It also means that it can and usually must be driven
flat-out on the freeways.

Torsion bar suspension is used all round.  Spring rates have been
softened from the rock-hard setting used on earlier VW wagons.  The
dreaded rear swing axle is a thing of the past, having been superseded
by double-jointed halfshafts located by trailing arms and diagonal
links.  A front stabilizer bar is standard equipment.

One of the major 1971 changes, and a most welcome one, is the switch to
power-assisted front disc brakes, augmented by a 20 percent increase in
rear lining thickness and by a brake-force regulator in the rear brake
circuit which functions as an anti-skid device by helping to prevent
premature rear wheel lock.  Brake cooling is aided by the use of
perforated wheels, and handling has also been improved by increasing the
wheel width half an inch to 5-1/2 inches.

When comparisons are made between station wagons, though, it's what's
inside that counts.  And what's inside the VW Type II is room ... lots
of it.  We regard the interior room and accomodation as its most
outstanding feature.  The model we used for our test was the three-door,
seven-seat version with a pair of bucket seats in front, a rear bench
seat which accomodates three and a bench seat for two between them.
Even with this much seating, there's enough room left over to virtually
walk around.  Other interior options include a nine-seat wagon (the
"bus" of VW advertising) and a camper arrangement.  The seats can be
removed by loosening a few wing nuts to make a rapid conversion to a
delivery van configuration.  When this is done there is a total of 176
cubic feet to fill with furniture, gardening tools, camping gear or
basketball teams.  If the assigned task includes transporting totem
poles or grandfather clocks, an optional sliding sun roof is available.

In addition to this space, there is also a 35 cubic foot luggage
compartment reached through an upward swinging rear door.  This space
can hold a substantial number of suitcases (provided that some provision
has been made to restrain them from flying forward in the event of a
suddent stop) at the price of completely blocking the view through the
rear window.

Unfortunately, access via the front doors to a commodious interior
leaves something to be desired.  The front seats, which are positioned
directly over the front wheels, are 39 inches above the road, and the
front floor is 22 inches above it.  To climb into the front, it is
necessary to step forward of the seat, not an easy task unless the door
is at its maximum opening, grab something convenient like the steering
wheel or top of the door and haul away until elevated sufficiently to
assume a seated position.  It's about as easy as it sounds.  Dismounting
is done in the reverse manner, though possibly a little more gracefully.
Although this is a rather harsh condemnation, we can't honestly suggest
how the situation could be improved; the seats are really in the right
place.

Once seated, comfort is top level.  With all the interior height
available, the seating position is fully upright, and the front bucket
seats are curved enough to provide a good degree of lateral support.
The driver's seat is provided with a back-rake adjustment in addition to
the forward and back adjustment.

Access to the rear seats is a different story.  The sliding side door
exposes a 3-1/2 by 4 foot opening through which either rear seat may be
reached conveniently.  Actually the front seats can be reached by this
means also, since there is a foot-wide opening between them which also
allows easy transfers within while on the road.

With the massive array of side windows and the large windshield located
close to the driver, visibility is great in all directions save directly
to the rear through the rear window.  Here the placement of the inside
mirror is such that the driver is unable to see the horizon behind him,
and in fact a car immediately following is cut off at about the belt
line.  No amount of squirming or adjustment could correct this
situation, which could be potentially dangerous.  It does appear that
the inside mirror could be mounted lower; this, coupled with a change to
a larger mirror, should solve the problem.

The driver is provided with the tradtional VW instrumentation and
control package, consisting of speedometer with fuel gauge and warning
light cluster and an array of push-pull switches for headlights, wipers,
inside light and electric rear window defroster.  The Type II shares
with the balance of the '71 VW line a "memory" switch which turns the
headlights off while leaving the parking lights on when the ignition
switch is turned off without turning off the headlights.
After years of production, all operational problems have been solved
save for the distance between the gear shift and transmission which
introduces some uncertainty into the linkage.

There is a very effective ventilating and heating system.  Fresh air is
supplied through six outlets controllable from the dash with two
supplying the windshield, two outlets in the dashboard, and two
supplying the rear compartment through ducts located on the inside of
the front doors where they also double as arm rests.  FLow-through
design allows exhaust and a comfortable air flow through the car while
cruising without the need to lower any windows.  Heat is supplied from
an exhaust manifold heat exchanger in the traditional manner.  There are
five heated air outlets beside the two defroster outlets at the
windshield.  Each heater outlet can be separately controlled.

Thanks to the revised spring settings the VW Station Wagon delivers an
acceptably comfortable ride over any paved road surface that we could
find, and holds its own on the dirt stretches we encountered.  However,
any attempt at brisk cornering will probably strike terror into the
heart of a driver inexperienced in the operation of van type vehicles.
A seating position above the front wheels and less than two feet behind
the front bumper permits an unusual degree of awareness of what the
front end of the vehicle is doing.  Once armed with this realization,
the VW wagon's cornering performance is revealed to be on a par with its
class.

Straight line performance is either suitable or unsuitable, depending on
driving habits.  Sixty horsepower will only accelerate 3,000 pounds so
fast.  In this case, we departed from our normal practice and took the
acceleration times with four people on board.  Thus, although, they
don't represent the car's absolute performance potential, they do give a
very honest picture of what the average owner can expect to achieve when
he has the whole family with him.  Top speed, 72 mph indicated, is
reached after a genteel wait, and getting up to this velocity in less
than a minute is accomplished only by taking the engine to or past the
maximum recommended speed in each gear.  Freeway cruising at 65 mph or
better requires nearly constant use of full throttle on anything but a
dead level surface.  Although the owner's manual assures you that the
normal cruising speed is the same as top speed, we can't help but wonder
what a steady diet of this would do to engine life.  Incidentally, any
acceleration through the gears is accompanied by noticeable drive train
noise in the three lower gears.

The owner's manual suggests a limit of 1,000 pounds on the weight of any
trailer, and we question the use of any trailer at all, although we've
seen many of them over the years.

If the acceleration is not impressive, the braking performance certainly
is.  On both a qualitative and a quantitaive basis, the operation of the
power assisted disc brakes is nothing short of overwhelming.  The
favorable impression starts with the feel of a swift sure stop with no
directional instability or lock-up as soon as the brakes are applied.
It's almost as though the proverbial great hand is reaching out to take
hold of the car.  The numbers bear out the feeling, with the stopping
distance of 167 feet from 60 mph being equivalent to a deceleration rate
of about 23 ft/sec or 0.72 g.  While reducing our field test data to the
proper format for the data sheet, we became intrigued with comparative
acceleration and deceleration rates, and came up with the interesting
fact that the average deceleration rate from 60 mph to stop was exactly
twice the average acceleration rate to 60 mph from a standing start.  It
is comforting to know that you can stop in half the distance that it
took you to reach a given speed.

After the fact that the engine is accessible from the rear rather than
the top has been accepted, one realizes that all components are indeed
readily serviceable, although it's a longish reach into the battery
which nestles just to the right of the engine.  The service of this
without spillage requires a special pitcher which normally is found only
at a station specializing in Volkswagens.

Gas mileage claimed by VW is 23 mpg, this being achieved at 75 percent
of maximum speed, or 53 mph.  Since we can't imagine anyone driving on
any state or interstate highway at less than 65 mph when weather and
traffic conditions permit, we took our fuel economy data at that speed
and recorded a figure of just under 19 mpg.  This is very comparable to
the city fuel economy which averaged out at just over 18 mpg, and the
country mileage is only marginally better than the city mileage because
it was nearly all recorded at full throttle.

On a price per pound or per foot of length, the VW wagon costs about the
same as a domestic station wagon or van.  This is to the great advantage
of the VW which can be bought for under $3,000 if you supply your own
music, or for $3,095 POE Los Angeles (plus the usual destination, dealer
prep, tax and license) with the optional side vent windows and an AM
radio as installed on our test car.

The VW station wagon will not appeal to boat owners, drag racers or
arthritics.  It can be an outstanding conveyance for commuters in large
ride pools, den mothers, Scoutmasters and camping families.  Its
principal drawbacks are power-to-weight ratio, front seat entry and
exit, and unacceptable visibility through the rear window.  These are
countered with truly outstanding comfort for seven passengers
complemented by a capability for movement inside the vehicle while on
the road.  (Don't knock this feature if you've never taken a long trip
with small children.)  It has great visibility to all points of the
compass except the rear, an effective ventilation and heating system
which distributes heat to all parts of the interior, and a favorable
purchase cost followed by reasonable operating costs and unusually low
depreciation.  And, of course, the styling is not likely to become
obsolete in the foreseeable future.  The VW Station Wagon is bound to
continue in heavy demand.  If you don't believe us, go to a dealer and
see if you can buy one off the floor.