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VWTransporters in a variety of specifications were available at the
Page 71
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test venue at a quarry in the forests south of Fulda, in central Germany. A short familiarisation route was tackled in the two modified window vans that had acted as support vehicles on this year's Paris-Dakar Rally. Mildly modified engines and uprated suspension ensured that the small course was easily handled.
More relevant, though, were the standard production vans. For these, an extremely tough circular half-hour route was laid on. Included were steep and deeply rutted climbs and descents and a variety of other adverse surfaces. And just to make life more interesting, there was a significant layer of snow.
Unlike previous 4x4 Transporters, the T5 doesn't have an extra low first gear ratio, just a slightly shorter final drive ratio than 4x2 models. This doesn't seem to have any adverse effect, though. Slopes that you might expect to present a significant challenge on asphalt were tackled with ease on a surface of mud and snow. The 340Nm of torque from the 130hp five-pot engine more than compensated for the highway gearing. It's fair to say that the T5 4MOTION's off-road ability was a revelation. The only two eventual limiting factors to its progress are the ground clearance and tyre choice. However the suspension coped easily with some pretty deep ruts and very uneven terrain. Despite the conditions, there was very little need to press the dashboard diff lock buttons, which even in the worst conditions is the only driver intervention ever required. The only time during a day of serious challenges to the Transporter's talents was when a wheel rim was bent on a rock-far enough to let the air out.