I have a 87 Syncro that I am having a 5 cylinder installed in. I test
drove
a vanagon with the Audi 5 cylinder a few days ago and it was fantastic.
It
had plenty of power and drove uphill at 80+ mph without even being
floored.
The power band was very broad and I could shift into 4th at 30 mph and
it
would pull smoothly up to 85. The vanagon was an 84 with an 85 mph
speedo
and no tach, so my info is limited to indicated speed. The owner claimed
that it got 20+ mpg even while people test drove it for power. I was so
impressed with driving it that I have decided to get one for myself.
This
one was a 2.1 liter  which has the lowest HP of all the gas 5 cylinder
Audi/VW engines. The engine lid was NOT raised on the one I drove and
the
same should be true of the Syncro version. I expect  mine to be finished
in
early February and I will let everyone know how it turns out. Ken Wilfey
of  Van-Again is planning on marketing these kits and if the Syncro
version
works as well as the 2 wheel drive seems to he should sell a lot of
them. As
people are discussing, this conversion is not cheap. I have agonized
over
the expense and I am hoping that the kit can be done more cheaply
somehow so
more people can afford it. The kit has more parts to it than you might
think
and you need a donor car also. In addition to the 2.1 there is a 2.2 and
a
2.3 to choose from. The 2.2 has 10 more HP than the 2.1 and the 2.3 has
30
HP more. The 2.3 requires premium gas so I am going with the 2.2
although
the 2.3 is the same price and easier to find. I am still wavering on
whether
to go for the 2.3 as the extra HP is tempting. After driving the 2.1 and
feeling the power, a 2.3 must be a rocket ship. I am the first Syncro
owner
to sign up and the installation is being done by the developer of the
kit.
He expects to retain the skid plate and says that the engine lid should
clear easily with no loss of ground clearance. I spent 4 hours at his
shop
on Sat. and I am very impressed with him and his associates. This was my
second visit as I was there for a test drive a couple of weeks ago. This
kit
also works with Auto trannys, power steering, and A/C. A turbo kit is
planned some day but I don't see a realistic need for it. I will answer
whatever questions I can, so ask away.

Mark Drillock