Well of course vanagons are slow!  They have low-power engines and they are
heavy.  They are slow on flat ground - of course they are even slower going
up long grades.  On long gradual grades, the kind you don't see with the
eye, I find myself not going above the 50s, if that - the lack of power is
how I realize I'm on a grade.  Steep hills I do at 20-25 mph.  Definitely
you're going to climb to the continental divide in the right lane with the
18-wheelers while cars and SUVs rush past in the left lane.

If you wanted a vehicle that would make good time on long drives, why would
you have a vanagon?

Joy

> On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 4:01 PM, Mark Hineline <hineline@helix.ucsd.edu
> >wrote:
>
> > Okay, a couple of points to consider.
> >
> > First, I had a '76 bus named Peregrine. Greg mentioned my trials and
> > tribulations with Peregrine.
> >
> > Second, and this is really the kicker, my number one destination is
> > the Colorado Plateau -- Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Cedar Mesa. From San
> > Diego thats' 500 to 600 miles and an 8000 foot gain in elevation. In
> > my GTI I can do it in 7 hours. I'm guessing that in a watercooled
> > Vanagon I'm looking at 10 to 12 hours for the same trip.
> >
> > Sound right? Are Vanagons slow pulling long grades?
> >
> > Mark
> >
> >
>