I have a '89 Syncro Westy, and I have taken it on some pretty scary (blue diamond and some black diamond) trails without any problems so far. The biggest issue is with getting high-centered or banging the rocker panels (e.g. propane tank). Also, overhead clearance can be a limiting factor, since the puppy stands over 7' tall! However, if you think a 1.9L Trooper is woefully under powered, wait till you drive a Syncro Westy! :-) You do get used to it, though and it is certainly worth it once you arrive at your destination! The gearing is insufficiently low on a Vanagon for any kind of "rock crawling" (even with the Syncro's "super-low" Gelande gear), but hey, if you want to go rock crawling, take a Jeep! :-) BTW - I think the later model 2WD Vanagons actually sit *lower* than the earlier models. I think this had something to do with roll-over liability and lowering the center of gravity, but I'm not sure. All in all, my impression of the Syncro Westy is that it is a very capable off-roader as long as you don't get too far off-camber, or need to climb real steep, slippery hills with steep approach or departure angles. For 99.9% of the people out there, it is more than adequate. The stove does rattle a bit on the washboardy stuff, though <g> Brent Christensen '89 Syncro Westy "Klaus" '95 Cherokee Sport ----- Original Message ----- From: Rose Weitz <rose.weitz@ASU.EDU> Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 1999 7:35 AM Subject: 86-91 westies & rough roads
> We are very seriously considering buying a westie. We've narrowed it down > to 1986-91 manuals, but are wondering if we need to narrow it further. The > problem is we live in Arizona, which has a lot of bad, rocky, dirt roads. > We currently have a woefully underpowered (1.9 liter) Isuzu Trooper, with > great clearance and decent 4WD. We know a westie won't be able to go all > the places the Trooper can, but we're wondering how much we'll have to give > up. And specifically we're wondering whether the extra inch or so clearance > on the 86-87 models would really make a difference, or if anything 86-91 is > about equally good. > Rose Weitz, Professor > Department of Sociology > Arizona State University > Box 87-2101 > Tempe AZ 85287-2101 > Fax: 602-965-0064 > |
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