cars news 10: Feature Flashback: 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro

In the 1960s it was hippies and flower-power that put Volkswagen’s minimalist utilitarian Type 2 Bus on the map. Then in the 1970s, the sexual revolution (with baby boom hormonal activity peaking) made vans of all sorts popular, often lined with shag carpeting, disco balls, and bars to put occupants in the mood. By 1980, just in time for the no-nonsense family minivan era, Volkswagen rolled out its third generation of the Type 2—the first to make a clean break from the styling of the 1949 original, growing by 2.5 inches in length, 3.3 in width, and 0.2 in height, while gaining some 130-plus pounds. It also got a new name: Vanagon. That vehicle so impressed us that we named it the 1980 Truck of the Year, lauding its safety improvements (it complied with U.S. passenger-car standards that did not even apply to it), its supple-riding, new control-arm front suspension, new front disc brakes, and generous level of creature comforts. Shortly thereafter it started losing comparison tests, however, finishing third of three in April 1984 and fourth of five in January 1986 (beating only the clunky Ford Aerostar). But that September we drove a Vanagon with a feature that impressed us mightily: Syncro all-wheel drive.

Skunkwerks Born

Our man Greg Brown opened his review of the ’86 Vanagon Syncro by describing “a building on the grounds of Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg headquarters that contains one of the most advanced research and development teams in the business. The spotless, computer-filled rooms and galleries are full of intriguing projects. We are fairly frothing over future projects whispered about by VW insiders [maybe the G-Lader supercharger that arrived on the ’88 Corrado?], but there are some pretty wonderful vehicles to be found at your local dealership already. One example is the Vanagon Syncro.”

Rich 4WD History

“Four-wheel drive is nothing new to VW; the [designer] of the Beetle, Dr. Porsche, built his first all-wheel-drive vehicle in 1899! The first Beetle-based 4WD was an amphibian vehicle built for WWII, and, since then, there have been several projects aimed at military use, with perhaps a thought to civilian markets, as well. But it wasn’t until VW AG’s Audi division awoke the automotive world to the potential for all-wheel drive that VAG’s VW division seriously worked toward building production vehicles with every wheel providing the motive force.”

VW-Designed AWD

Sure, Volkswagen’s Quantum Syncro sedan and wagon featured Audi’s front-engine/front-drive-based Quattro system without modification, but for the Vanagon: “VW engineers chose to take a different approach to the problem. It is really quite a simple setup, but there is also plenty of room for extremely sophisticated equipment to come into play in future Syncro-equipped vehicles. VW calls its Syncro an ‘intelligent’ 4WD system because it’s dependent on road conditions (i.e., wheelspin), not driver input, to begin full operation. When the rear wheels begin to lose traction, the viscous coupling automatically transfers power to the front wheels. The transfer is continuous and unnoticeable to the driver.”

Increased Clearance and a Locking Diff!

The Vanagon was never intended to be a Rubicon-runner, but VW engineers ensured it could at least tackle the deeper snow and rutted roads that customers might encounter in the Black Forest or the Black Hills. “The Vanagon Syncro has been modified slightly to enhance its rough-country abilities. Features unique to the Syncro include large 205/70R14 tires, an increase in suspension travel of 20 mm, 30 mm more ground clearance, an additional extra lower gear incorporated into the standard four-speed manual transmission, a larger 18.4-gal fuel tank, and splash guards at the rear of the wheelwells. VW has also made available an optional locking rear differential, actuated by a pull knob on the dashboard.”

Big Cubes

Our most enduring gripe with Type 2 busses spanning the decades was with its anemic engine and sluggish power. In our TOTY write-up of a 1,970cc, 67-hp, and 101-lb-ft air-cooled flat-four Vanagon we noted “Our tests showed the four-speed to deliver a 0-60-mph run in a lengthy 23 seconds.” By 1984 the venerable flat-four engine had been converted to water-cooling and then produced 82 hp and 105 lb-ft from 1,959 ccs, lowering the 0-60 time to “just” 18.0 seconds. But for Syncro trail-climbing duty, “Besides the increase in displacement from 1.9 liters, compression ratio was upped to 9.0:1 [from 8.6:1]. It is rated at 95 hp (a 16 percent jump), with 117 lb-ft of torque, and though those figures don’t mean the Vanagon is quick, it really has no trouble keeping up with traffic in everyday driving.” We didn’t strap our gear to the Syncro, but along with that lower first gear ratio, it probably didn’t lose much if any speed as a result of the extra 300-ish pounds.

Like its Atlas Successor, Roomy!

In our 1984 comparison against Chrysler’s then-new Plymouth Voyager minivan and Toyota’s Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine forward-control Van, the interior is what impressed us most about the VW. “You could probably stuff a baby elephant into it and still have room left over for the clown act. It’s the tallest and widest of the vans so that’s no surprise.”

Read about the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas in our First Test review right here.

Three Flavors

Today’s Atlas 4Motion can be ordered in S, SE, and SEL trim levels priced between $34,625 and $43,615. In 1986, Brown noted: “The Syncro system can be ordered in three Vanagon models: GL, Camper, and Camper GL. Base prices range from $15,940 for the GL to a little over $20,000 for the fully equipped Camper GL.” In 2017 dollars, those prices equate to $35,900-$45,050—about the same as the Atlas (which sadly does not offer mattresses, cabinets, or a kitchen sink in any trim level).

Around the World in 131 Days

Brown concluded his treatise on VW’s newest soft-roader/people mover with this testament to the brand-new all-wheel-drive system’s apparent ruggedness: “The reliability of the Syncro mechanicals was demonstrated by an around-the-world record in 1985, when a Vanagon Syncro covered 27,000 miles in 131 days, traveling through 34 countries and five continents. The conditions encountered on that odyssey ranged from minus 20 degrees F in Canada to 123 degrees in Australia, and the Syncro missed not a beat. The versatility of the Vanagon Syncro is, at least for the moment, unequaled in the automotive industry.”

Feature Flashback: 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro