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Volkswagen Multivan Panamericana. Cartoon for adults

VW Multivan Panamericana. Price: 2800000 rub. On sale: since 2008

This VW Multivan on the background of its relatives is not highlighted. Unusually large clearance, off-road tires and a strange Panamericana inscription made by rocking instead of the usual sparkling Chrid, which is perhaps all the differences. Understanding that this is a completely different cartoon, it comes only after talking to him

Test pilot
Oleg Kalaushin, 40 years old, car journalist, driving experience 22 years old, personal car - Renault Logan

According to encyclopedic data, the Pan American highway is called a network of roads in America, the total length of which is 48 thousand km. She is the longest car expense in the world. And nothing, if not if one piece of 87 kilometers is a Dariansky gap, located in the jungle on the border of Panama and Colombia. The fact is that it is impossible to overcome it on standard vehicles. Rally there only specially trained. And one of these specially prepared funds is brought to the off-road state VW Multivan 4Motion.

His pedigree began with the prototype, which was used as a Volkswagen Motorsport team accompaniment, which participated in the Rally Raida on the West African Desert. The most severe operating conditions, which expected the car with honor, confirmed the vast of the project, as a result of which Multivan Panamericana appeared.

What exactly is this cartoon for adults? As already noted, first of all, the car has changed clearance, and unlike the base in 165 mm, it is already 205 mm. The second, almost inconspicuous, but no less significant, is the presence of high strength bottom protection. Naturally, the car wound into off-road rubber. Continue off-road list of equipment Overline Coupling Haldex and electronic locking of the rear inter-track differential. Is the most interesting solution is the presence of a mechanical 6? Step-by-step box with pinned rows of the first three gears. The latter, according to the developers, made it possible to abandon the lowering series in the transmission without prejudice to the patency. Panamericana is aggregated by three engines: either by a gasoline V-shaped six, or one of the two row 5? Cylinder turbodiesels. The most powerful one of them is about a hundred seventy four horses and stood on our test car.

Asphalt march to the place of torture over the car passed, as they say, in normal mode. Is that the coming transfers of the first three steps forced to work with a slice at a start. Short transmissions had to literally stripe one after one, up to a speed of 60 km / h. It is impossible to say that it is very uncomfortable, but at first it strains a little. Despite enough weight and significant clearance, the cartoon almost did not stick into the turns, and he did not hold it on the trajectory of labor. The suspension, the stiffness of which we originally considered excessive, just became the basis for such a decent behavior of the car, even at high speed. We appreciated the insulation of the cabin. Neither diesel or aerodynamic noise, nor even the tooth off-road tires could not bring the Decibel. In general, on the usual asphalt car little differed from the rest.

It is completely different on off-road. First, due to the serious clearance, the car has improved geometric permeability. Crawn on it on the oglukhabi settlement of problems does not constitute. Perhaps whether there are more suspension pendants, this indicator would be even higher, but even though sometimes the car actually hung on two wheels diagonally, it was in no way prevented her to move on. Spectacular cartoon crawling and on risky pasha. In advance, the on-line blocking of the rear interclause differential allows not to strain even when the dishthele hides the wheels by a third. Plus, the stabilization system is automatically shut off in this mode, which allows the driver to control the thrust on the drive wheels.

As for the sand, Panamericana behaves somewhat differently. The fact is that the maximum torque is 2.5? The liter turbodiesel begins to issue only 2000 revolutions, and it keeps it no more than 2500. It seems to be not bad, but break out of the sandy captivity even with a short first transmission without a long clutch slip , alas, failed. Saving for the transmission slip of the wheels is practically absent, and the car is removed from the point only after the specific smell of the tangled clutch is already interrupted by the sea breeze. In this regard, the pinned row in the transmission can be considered only semi-dimensional, and the real prayer here would be much more preferable. So you can only storm the vegans. And nevertheless, we liked the car in general. And if you still remember about the possibility of transformation of the cabin


Love not love
Aluminum profiled floor is not only pleasant to the eyes, but also very practical. Practical

Blocking an inter-wheeled differential, you can significantly improve the permeability. Conveniently

Driving
Boyko behaves on the road, and there will be no low-road slack. However, the suspension would like to have a slightly softer.

Salon
Spacious and thought out to the smallest detail, the possibility of transformation is completely limitless.

Comfort
Good noise insulation, thoughtful salon ventilation system, good audio system. All this will make the journey not burdensome.

Safety
At the level of cars of this class.

Price
Heavy, of course, so the possibilities of the machine nontrivial.

Advantages and disadvantages
+ Huge, thoughtful salon. Not bad off-road deposits. Acceptable dynamics. High level of equipment. Good noise insulation.
- Specific gearbox requires addiction.


Technical Characteristics
Brand and Model - VW Multivan Panamericana
Dimensions - 4890x1904x2028 mm
Engine - Turbodiesel, 2459 cm3, 174 hp / 3500 min-1
Transmission - mechanical, 6-step
Dynamics - MAX 184 km / h; 12.5 s to 100 km / h
Competitors - there are no direct competitors.

Our opinion
VW Panamericana, naturally, is unable to replace the real SUV, but if you recall that in addition to good off-road qualities, it has a truly huge lounge with the possibility of countless transformations, then why not. In any case, in the parking lot, the car occupies no more space than a full-sized SUV. Yes, it costs about the same.

Author: Oleg Kalaushin
Photo: Igor Kuznetsov

 

A source: Magazine 5 Wheel [September 2009]