Very true, Kim. VW did put 5 speeds in the last of the diesel Vanagons
sold in the US and this was a huge improvement though too late for
changing market conditions. With only 48hp diesel Vanagons can't even do
the speed limit on many roads these days, even on level ground. No way
to run A/C on the highway with these numbers. In Europe they built 1.7NA
and 1.6TD models as time went on.
Mark

Kim Brennan wrote:
>
> Diesels (in general, not just VW ones) have a narrower set of RPMs
> where they are most efficient than gasoline powered engines. That's one
> reason why the gears are so "low". They are really designed for a
> narrow spectrum of RPMs...in trucks, they add more gears so as to allow
> the vehicle to travel at higher speeds. VW didn't do that for the
> Vanagon diesel. It really should be a six speed.
>
> To broaden the RPM range, manufacturers can do a variety of things. The
> simplest is to add a turbo charger. That helps, but a diesel really
> works best if it is running at constant RPMs.
>
> On Thursday, June 5, 2003, at 06:43  PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>
> > All the NA Diesel Vanagons had a factory placed sticker on the engine
> > that read "Not Suitable for AC Installation". If the Diesel had so much
> > torque, then why do all VW Diesel vehicles have ridiculous low gears?
> >