Date:         Sat, 1 Mar 2008 02:53:28 +1300
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: Letter to VW - Vans are loved by everyone
In-Reply-To:  <97be2f910802282126t2e8608f3i920f480c6fa9e37@mail.gmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed

>If you're talking about VW, I think they must've been a good bit 'huge-r'
>when they were making practical and affordable people movers, of which the
>bus, in whatever iteration, was a substantial part.
>
>If they really want to know what they can build for North America that can
>recapture the past glory as it were, they should put together a small team
>and have them go around to all of us that are putting so much time, money,
>effort and dare I say love into preserving and modifying these things and
>find out why. And I mean the small, down to the bone details; talk to the
>people, examine the machines. If they did that properly and distilled that
>information into something they could incorporate in with necessities of
>manufacturing a modern automobile, they'd probably come up with another
>unique vehicle with broad appeal and avoid having yet another inexplicable,
>inexcusible misfire.
>
>I suppose most of us listees would simply want a 'modern' Vanagon without
>the drive-train debacle. If they wanted a retro-bus look to the exterior it
>wouldn't bother me, it would probably just be better aerodynamics, as long
>as they kept the main points of the Vanagon interior design.
>
>But I suppose that's like saying 'why doesn't the gov't do ____, it's just
>common sense'. Seems clear enough to 'us', seems impossible to 'them'. : )

I think VW has the disease of "we'll make what we think the people
want" rather than the sensible "well make what the people want".

VW is missing out on a huge market worldwide by not making a proper
van. It only makes a good business in Europe, where all vans are
front-engined. Where the Japanese are in, VW is out... wonder why?
They make vans that VW can't compete with.

I wonder how T4 production will go in Brasil & RSA, where Hiaces are
best-sellers. Might be a BIG mistake for VW...

What *I* think VW should do is go back to the forward-control layout
for space maximization. The T3 and Hiaces have shown that this layout
can be safe as or better than any front-engined car in head-on
impacts. I also think that having a raised engine compartment would
kill sales, because you can't load at floor-level at the rear. VW
should take note of Toyota's first-generation Estima and put the
engine under the rear floor... with a wholly-FLAT floor. No engine
hump. A boxer engine should be easy to do this with, with the
injection/inlet manifolds set to the sides of the heads. A flat
straight engine could be used, but a boxer would return character to
VW's design. They could even build a decent one, with 5 main bearings
and S/DOHC... perhaps even a six (please, no boxer fives!). having
the engine at the rear would give character, handling and allow for
easier access (the Estima is terrible for engine access). While
there, why not make double sliders standard, and make them much
longer, so larger items can be loaded through them? And source the
trans from Getrag and electrics from Japan?
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
‚ Opinions stated are mine, not those of Otago University
"There is water at the bottom of the ocean"  - Talking Heads