Transporter upgrades
Page 14
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• VW has made a number of minor changes to the Transporter van after four years in production. Central dashboard air-vents, previously reserved for Caravelle versions, are a welcome improvement to the ventilation system. There is also a recirculation facility to help keep traffic fumes out.
Both outer seatbelts get height adjusters, but there are no plans for a lap and diagonal belt on the middle seat. From January 1995, airbags will be offered as options for the driver and passengers. To accommodate these, the steering wheel angle has been altered and the dashboard revised, mainly on the passenger side.
According to VW commercial vehicle marketing manager Steve Butt: "VW is close to offering alarms and immobilisers for the UK. The factory will also offer an immobiliser, but there are still a couple of months to go."
Although the company announced a new direct-injection turbo-diesel engine for the Transporter/Caravelle range at the Hanover Show, it will be about a year before it is avail. able in the UK. The 2.5 litre five-cylinder engine will be based on the electronically controlled engine fitted to the Audi A6 car. For the Transporter, the engine would be "re-chipped" to boost torque and reduce power output.
VW has yet to decide whether the 2.5TDI engine will replace the existing 2.4-litre diesel in the Transporter. According to Butt, there are two options; drop the 1.9-litre four-cylinder diesels or drop the 2.4-litre five-cylinder version. As Butt says: "The 2.5TDI engine is very costly and we would be reluctant to give up the 2.4,"