Alistair Bell wrote: > While the rated hp is around 108, it puts out 170-180 ft-lbs of torque. > Thats not far off what the VR6 produces. It is this torque (which is > produced at reasonable rpms) that, in my opinion, gives the van the hwy > cruising qualities that Bill and Ric enthuise about.
If you can get one with 170-180 ft-lbs. of torque, I'd snap it up. VW list the engine as having 144 ft-lb @ 2200 rpm, 109 bhp @ 4500 rpm.
> Its been said before but it bears repeating : > > "horsepower sells cars, torque wins races" > > Well, actually, I think reliability wins a good share of races too ;) > > Alistair, bravely wading into the hp vs torque tarpit > Remember, what the engine delivers is a twisting force at the end of the crankshaft. The neverending hp vs. torque debate stems from how we measure it - instantaneous or integrated over time. If manufacturers would publish the output curves rather than the most impressive peak values this whole issue would be a lot simpler, wouldn't it?
I'll step into the breech <briefly> and say that, while my exposure to the EV is limited, I have been mostly impressed. This is an EV MV owned by parents of a kid on Max's soccer team. I've ridden in the EV to several distant games and find it comfortable. It seems to have quite adequate acceleration and hill climbing ability, certainly way better than my 1800 cc '74. I think that the 5 spd gearbox gives it a nice "long-legged" feel on the highway. The engine noise is audible as a "growl" when the vehicle is accelrating or climbing but is reasonably quiet on level ground. The noise I found annoying was the amount of tire noise transmitted into the vehicle interior. This particular EV has been on several major road trips <Germany, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands Germany and U.S coast to coast>. They say it has been very reliable and they love the thing. Interestingly, in this area the asking price for a used '93 EV is usually several thousand dollars less than for a '91 Vanagon! Perhaps EVs will become a used car bargain.
Dave
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