Test drive VW T2 Bus L: And thanks for the fish ...

The 2th anniversary seems like a serious enough reason to get on TXNUMX and add it to our collection of "old but golden" tests.

The summit becomes a real summit only when you climb it. This is what comes to my mind when I try to shift into second gear. The process is long and there is time to think. Shouldn't I leave the top of the world this time? Shouldn't you be careful to go around it on the highway? On the other hand, the peaks are all around me. I am crossing the Black Forest, which, as I recall from my geography lessons, is at least 6000 square kilometers, and if I start going around every den ...

Suddenly, the second gear decides to crawl out of cover somewhere in the corners of the mechanism. Click! T2 stretches the back, tightens the muscles, and the boxer rises to an 18% incline with an angry muttering. This job requires courage, patience and an open hatch. The peak becomes a real peak only when ... I think, and I don't know why I remember, that a person usually pushes himself to the greatest gods exactly when he thinks that everything ended well. Then a breeze blows through the open hatch and takes these complex thoughts out of my head.

Dutch romance

Now, when the steep cliffs of the ridge peep through the roof, it's time to look back, like real climbers, victoriously looking down into the abyss they climbed, and remember how we got here. And since this has already become a kind of ritual in the editorial office, first let's talk about the incredible torment that we went through to get this test copy. In fact, we were at another job at VW's Hanover van division, and somehow, incidentally, we asked if they could find such a test bus. The boys in the classic VW Nutzfahrzeuge Oldtimer looked at each other, muttered something like “Well, let's see” and took us into a hall the size of a football stadium. They threw open giant sliding doors and, pointing to a room filled to the ceiling with T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, invited us to take a look and see if we could find something suitable for us.

And we decided to take a look - 70 years after the Dutch VW importer Ben Pon sketched the idea for the T1 bus, and 50 years after the start of production of the second generation T2. Since this anniversary seemed to us more round, we decided to dedicate a sample to it - as a gift for the holiday.

A few days later, the "Silverfish" bloomed in all its glory in the editorial garage - a rare copy of the special model VW T2 Bus L, popularly known as the "Silberfisch". A deluxe version was born in 1978 as a sort of finishing touch to the production of the T2, featuring an air-cooled XNUMX-litre boxer at the rear, a large removable sunroof and silver lacquer trim.

We open the small hood of the engine compartment at the back and see a boxer clogged inside, which starts with a volume of 1,7 liters for the VW 411 model, and later by Porsche engineers it was sharpened with a fuel injection system, an increased compression ratio and increased by 300 cubic meters of working volume, bringing it power in VW-Porsche 914 up to 100 hp Our T2 doesn't have that happiness because it uses a power system with two Solex 43 PDSIT carburettors and 95H petrol settings that don't give more than 70 hp.

Now let's go inside. “Load” is a very accurate term here, because the crew of the first row of T2 is located above the front axle one meter from the asphalt, which has a great effect on the use of internal volume. The current VW Golf Variant is one idea longer and wider than the T2, but infinitely far from its performance - a nine-seat coupe, 1000 liters of luggage space and 871 kilograms of payload. Of course, this layout has a not-so-harmless flaw that VW didn't fix until 1990 with the T4 - in the event of a frontal collision, the driver and his companion become an integral part of the body's crumple zone. On the other hand, T2 and its 70 hp boxer. unlikely to get involved in such serious problems.

When we leave, it's still quite dark. The boss's voice fills the underground garage, and the van crawls up and down in first gear toward the automatic door, which slams shut behind us again. Where is this second gear? It takes half a day to learn how to thread the second part through the eyes of a thin gear lever and the associated complex system of levers almost three meters long. But the engine is extremely maneuverable (between 1300 and 3800 rpm, the torque value is at least 125 Nm) and boldly pulls into third. This brings us to the track, where we can easily get into the flooded and not very fast morning traffic. Starting at 100 km/h, grip starts to wane considerably, not least because the T2's front end is good - three square meters is no joke.

But the van is great inside. Strong aerodynamic noise when driving at high speeds is completely absent simply because we cannot move at such speeds. Not to mention the ride comfort with a soft suspension that smoothes out bumps with a gentle sway in the front end and the unwavering calm of a heavier rear end.

On the other hand, the high sides of the body and the rear of the engine allow for crosswinds, which makes the T2's behavior on the road rather agile. At first, they try to stop the tortuosity with the help of small adjustments from the steering wheel, but soon they realize that this cannot be. The steering is incredibly heavy and indirect, and the lack of precision is complemented by a leisurely quarter turn of the steering wheel, after which everything starts to happen. So at some point, you stop looking at these details and just let go of the van. After 150 kilometers, we were still in the right lane, so everything else becomes overly pedantic.

Up and down

We arrive at the AMC test site at Laara airport and, according to the procedure, first stop at a local gas station. With an average consumption of 12,8 l / 100 km, charging is slow, but riding a minibus has already taught you to take your time. We pass the car wash and finally reach the main part. Weighing in shows 1379 kilograms, of which 573 on the front axle and 806 on the rear axle. We also measure the expected large turning circle (13,1 meters right and 12,7 meters left). We sit down on the measuring equipment and head to the 2,4 km straight test track.

First, we take data on the noise in the cabin - there are such. We then find that the brake system, with discs in front and drums in the rear, handles 100 km/h braking at an age-appropriate 47,5 meters, and move on to measuring acceleration. The rear wheels are firmly planted in the asphalt, and at first it seems that the T2 will not be able to pull away from the place. However, after that, the minibus moved resolutely to its final destination at a speed of 100 km/h. sky. Shortly before noon, we see the end of the track on the horizon as well, and soon the number 100 appears on the instrument screen. From this point on, T2 approaches even more quietly to increase speed, due to which we reach the 120 km / h limit in time to avoid miss the last moment for braking.

There are dynamic tests of behavior on the road - slalom and lane change. The first attempt between the pylons was only partially successful. It turned out that the impulse from the steering wheel first penetrates the soft springs and shock absorbers T2 and, if it is not completely extinguished, is transmitted to the wheels, which in turn must decide whether to change direction or not. So by the time the van turned, the slalom was over. The second attempt was significantly better, with the result that the T2 was able to show an almost simultaneous tendency to understeer and oversteer - the front wheels were still tangentially slipping and the rears wanted to close the turning radius. It may seem incredible, but such miracles happen when the van whistles at a speed of 50,3 km / h between the pylons. In sequential lane changes, which basically mimic obstacle avoidance at typical highway speeds, the minibus manages 99,7 km/h, which is more or less the top speed the T2 can handle more. long period of time. But make no mistake - the driver of the Silverfish never gets the impression that he is driving slowly or that he is driving a really old car. A little more enthusiasm can be driven on the T2 at the speed of a new car in suburban areas, and in the city the minibus is surprisingly comfortable and does not create any problems at all.

Even now, when another rem is ahead. The boxer pushes us down the first steep ramp, leveling out and increasing speed. I turn to the third - the next six kilometers will work. During this time, the road winds along the mountain slope, bottomless abysses gape on the right, and centuries-old fir trees protrude on the left. It becomes narrow, steep, uneven, but T2 boldly moves forward, out of the forest, and the horizon in front of us expands again with every meter passed. We stop at the parking lot on the ridge and look around. Somewhere far below there is a plain, and here, at the top, on a big peak, there is a small wagon.

The peak becomes a real peak only when you climb it, and the car becomes a really big car, not because of its ability to transport you from point A to point B, but because of its talent to constantly impress you. Goodbye T2 and thanks for the fish!

Text: Sebastian Renz

Photo: Hans-Dieter Zeifert

Evaluation

VW T2 Bus L

Once again, we regret that we only have five stars ... So T2 gets one for the sensational use of space, one for the iconic and unwavering boxer, two for pleasant company and one for his birthday.

Body

+ Incredible 7,8 m2 living space and room for up to eight satellites. When it comes to children, TXNUMX manages to keep them close, but outside their general range.

Small back cover prevents the urge and danger of lifting too heavy objects

Engine keeps luggage warm

The shabadabadub sound opening and closing a sliding door.

Comfort

+ Extremely comfortable suspension

Aerodynamic noise at high speeds may not be a major issue here.

Defiantly heavy steering tones the driver's muscles

Engine / transmission

+ Extremely flexible boxing engine

Four perfectly positioned gears ...

– … if you ever hit them

Travel behavior

+ Fascinating indirect control

In slalom, you can enjoy a simultaneous tendency to understeer and oversteer.

Lateral body vibrations add charm to low speed

safety

+ Matching brakes

The fact that the rider's knees can potentially act as a crumple zone contributes to careful driving.

ecology

+ You can enjoy the environment through windows and sunroof

Low cost of the carried passenger

Costs

+ This should not be a serious topic of discussion among friends

T2 is becoming more and more valuable (for owners)

– T2 becomes more expensive (for those who want to get it)

technical details

VW T2 Bus L
Working volume	1970 cc cm
Power	51 kW (70 hp) at 4200 rpm
Maximum torque	140 Nm at 2800 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km / h	22,3 with
Braking distances at a speed of 100 km / h	47,5 m
full speed	127 km / h
Average consumption fuel in the test	12,8 l / 100 km
Base Price	19 DM (495)