>> > I think if  I was to revert to air cooled it would be in  a "loaf"
>however.
>>
>The ride of the vanagon, with independant front suspension, is much better
>(as evidenced by rides on 64W across the Shennandoah Valley between I-81 and
>Afton Mountain in a 30 mph crosswind).  And it's nice to have the extra 400cc
>when having to pull the occasional stint on I-95.  Besides, air-cooled
>Vanagon owners get to subscribe to TWO lists!!!!
>Patrick

Hmmm...all VWs ever made had independent front suspension. Come to think of
it, rear also (swingaxle is independent, despite the silly use of
"independent" to mean not swingaxle).

Some "VW" models (eg Passat/Dasher) had a beam rear axle, but if you look
you'll see that these are not VW designs but Audi.