| Manufacturer | Volkswagen |
|---|---|
| Also called | Volkswagen Transporter (T3) (Europe) Volkswagen Caravelle (T3) (Europe) Volkswagen T25 (United Kingdom) Volkswagen Vanagon (North America) Volkswagen Microbus (South Africa) |
| Production | May 1979–June 2002[1] |
| Assembly | Hanover, Germany Uitenhage, South Africa |
| Predecessor | Volkswagen Type 2 |
| Successor | Volkswagen Transporter (T4) |
| Class | Van |
| Layout | Rear engine, rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive |
| Platform | Volkswagen Group T3 |
| Engine | 1.6 L (aircooled) F4 1.9 L (watercooled) F4 2.0 L (aircooled) F4 2.1 L (watercooled) F4 1.6 L (diesel) I4 1.7 L (diesel) I4 2.3 L (watercooled) I5 2.5 L (watercooled) I5 2.6 L (watercooled) I5 |
| Transmission | 3-speed automatic 4-speed manual 5-speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 2,461 mm (96.9 in) GL syncro Camper: 2,456 mm (96.7 in) |
| Length | 4,569 mm (179.9 in) |
| Width | 1,844 mm (72.6 in) |
| Height | 1,928 mm (75.9 in) Carat: 1,735 mm (68.3 in) Camper: 2,055 mm (80.9 in) GL syncro: 2,085 mm (82.1 in) |
The Volkswagen Type 2 (T3) was the third generation of the Volkswagen Transporter and was marketed under various nameplates worldwide – including as the Transporter or Caravelle in Europe, Microbus in South Africa and as the Vanagon in North and South America.
Larger and heavier than its predecessor, the T2 – and with a more squared and less rounded styling – the T3 was manufactured in Germany from 1979 until 1992. South African production of the T3 continued, for that market only, until 2002. The T3 was the last of the rear-engined Volkswagens.
Contents |
Following the T2, the T3 (or Type 25) initially featured air-cooled and subsequently water-cooled engines. Versions produced in South Africa from 1990 until 2002 featured an Audi five-cylinder engine.
Volkswagen marketed the Westfalia camper variant throughout the T25's (T3's) production, with features including a pop up roof, refrigerator, sink, and stove.
Examples built between 1980 and 1985 featured round headlights and chrome-plated steel bumpers with plastic end-caps. Air-cooled models (1980 to mid-1983) lack the lower grill above the radiator of the water-cooled models, except on models with factory air conditioning. 1986 model year vehicles received revisions including a tachometer, more fabric choices, redesigned air conditioner, larger water-cooled engine with a more advanced engine management system, and redesigned transmissions including an optional syncro four-wheel drive. Exterior changes include rectangular headlights and different paint options. Alloy wheels, larger and squarer plastic bumpers with trim along the rocker panels were optional, and standard equipment on Wolfsburg Edition vans. For 1990 and 1991 model years, a "Carat" trim level was available which included all available options (except Westfalia conversion).
All 1980 and some 1981 models had eight welded-in metal slats covering the engine ventilation passages behind the rear windows. Later models had black plastic 16-slat covers that slotted in at the top and screwed down at the bottom.
During the 1980s, the U.S. Army and Air Force in Germany used T3's as administrative (non-tactical) vehicles. In military use, the vehicle's nomenclature was "Light Truck, Commercial".
Porsche has created a version called B32 in a limited edition. The van was equipped with 3.2 liter Carrera engine and was originally developed to support Porsche 959 involvement in Paris-Dakar race.
Oettinger has developed a six-cylinder version called WBX6. The engine is derived from the "Wasserboxer" engine and has many common parts with it. The development of the engine was originally contracted to Oettinger by VW. Oettinger bought the rights when VW decided not to use it.
With the internal combustion engine and transaxle mounted very low in the back, the T3 had much larger disc brakes in the front, and drums in the rear. Axle weight is very nearly equal upon both the front and back ends of the vehicle. Unlike the T2 before it, the T3 was available with amenities such as power steering, air conditioning, power door locks, electrically controlled and heated mirrors, lighted vanity mirrors, and a light above the glove box (most of which were essentially standard equipment in later models).
The automatic was a standard hydraulic three-speed unit, the same 090/010 unit as used in Audis of the era. These featured a cast aluminium alloy case for the transmission section, and a cast iron case for the final drive section.
The 091 manual transmission was a four-speed unit, featuring a lightweight aluminium alloy case.
The automatic features a 1.0 ratio top gear, while the manual features a 0.85 top gear.
The oil filler tube for the engine is located behind the flip-down license plate door. Most early vans had a twist-on/off gas cap right on the outside just under and behind the passenger side door. A locking cap was optional. The spare tyre lies in a tray under the very front of the van (as the engine is in the back), just below the radiator.
Because of the engine placement, a T3 has nearly equal 50/50 weight distribution fore and aft.
There were four general petrol engine variants between 1979 and 1991, with several sub-models. All were overhead-valve push-rod horizontally opposed four-cylinder engines. Available engine options differed between regions. Aftermarket VW specialist Oettinger also offered the WBX6, a six-cylinder version.
The Wasserboxer featured an aluminum case, cylinder heads, and pistons, and a forged steel crankshaft. The Wasserboxer, as with all VW boxer engines has a gear-driven valvetrain. It also featured Heron, or "bowl-in-piston" type combustion chambers where the combustion takes place within the piston area, and not in the cylinder head.
The switch to water-cooling for the boxer engines was made mid-year in 1983. The previous generation T2, currently produced in Brazil, has been switched to water-cooled engines since 2005.
The six-cylinder engine as used in the VW Oettinger WBX6 was developed by VW in conjunction with Oettinger for use in the T3. When VW abandoned the project Oettinger took the design, refined it and put it on the market. As such the six-cylinder shares many parts with the four-cylinder Wasserboxer.
In contrast to the standard flat-four gasoline engines, all diesel engine options were of an inline configuration.
US Vanagon model variations included the Vanagon, featuring vinyl seats and a spartan interior; the Vanagon L with optional cloth seats, more upscale interior panels and an optional dashboard blower; the Vanagon GL with more equipment, and the Westfalia pop-top camper Vanagons, with integrated kitchen and bedding. Westfalia campers as either the standard model or as the 'Weekender,' which lacked the propane stove, sink, and domestic refrigerator of the full 'camper' versions. and offered an optional removable cabinet with a 12 volt cooler and self-contained sink
Wolfsburg Edition "Weekender" models featured two rear facing seats behind the front seats in place of a centre bench seat and a table that could fold up from the sidewall – or fold down when not in use. "Multivan" models featured Wolfsburg Edition trim and an interior with rear-facing seats. Wolfsburg Edition and camper van vehicles were outfitted for Volkswagen by the Westfalia factory.
Syncros models were manufactured in limited numbers from 1985 through 1992, with the four-wheel drive system added by Steyr-Daimler-Puch works in Graz, Austria. With a short wheelbase and 48/52 front/rear weight distribution.
Model years 1980 to 1985 had round sealed beam headlights. Subsequent models for North American and European markets had round sealed beam headlights or smaller square headlights, with the primary lights outboard and high beams inboard. Later models from South Africa returned to round headlight housings for both the primary headlights and high-beams.
The T3 was replaced by the T4 (Eurovan) in the US market in 1993 (1992 saw no Volkswagen bus imported into the U.S. market, save custom campers sold by companies other than VW). Top-of-the-line Wolfsburg Edition Westfalia Campers, which had all options, were at the top of the price range. In addition to the camper models, a Carat trim level was available for 1990 and 1991 model years. This model included all options available for the Transporter configuration. Some models had optional aluminum alloy wheels.
Production of the T3 continued in South Africa until 2003. The South Africa T3's post 1991 had a face lift which included bigger windows all round and a different dashboard. The wasserboxer engines were replaced with 5-cylinder Audi engines as well as the VW 4-cylinder engines. The 5-cylinder T3's came out in 2.5, 2.3 and 2.6 fuel injected variations along with 5-speed transmissions and 15" rims as standard. Larger ventilated front disc brakes to accommodate the power of the 5-cylinder engines. Near the end of production the top of the range known as the "exclusive" incorporated rear facing seats and a folding table in the back of the vehicle. South African T3 also have a unique grill and headlight combination which is not found any where else in the world. The South African specific T3's became known as Big Window T3's due to their larger windows.
5 Cylinder Audi Engines
2.5i (AAY) 100 kW
2.3i (AFU) 90 kW
2.6i (ADV) 100 kW
Approximately 45 WBX6 engines were imported to South Africa
89 Big Window T3's came out in the Syncro Edition from 1991 to 1992
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| car-derived van | Caddy 14 | Caddy 9U / 9K | Caddy 2K | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| pickup truck | Taro | Amarok | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| campervan | Westfalia California | California (T5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| panel van derivatives | Transporter Type 2 - (T1) Splittie | Transporter Type 2 - (T2) Bay | Transporter / Caravelle Type 2 (T3/T25) | Transporter / Caravelle / Multivan (T4) | Transporter / Kombi / Caravelle / Multivan (T5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LT (1st generation) | LT (2nd generation) | Crafter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| concepts and future models: Microbus Concept | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| founder: German Auto Association • Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles corporate website • A marque of the Volkswagen Group • 4motion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| type / class |
1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| subcompact | Fox / Fox wagon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| compact | Rabbit (I) | Golf (II) | Golf (III) | Golf (IV) | Rabbit (V) | Golf (VI) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jetta (I) | Jetta (II) | Jetta (III) | Jetta (IV) | Jetta (V) | Jetta (VI) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dasher | New Beetle | Beetle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| mid-size | Quantum | Passat (III) | Passat (IV) | Passat (V) | Passat (VI) | Passat (NMS) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| full-size | Phaeton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| coupé | Scirocco (I) | Scirocco (II) | Corrado | CC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| convertible | Rabbit Convertible | Cabriolet | Cabrio | Eos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Beetle Convertible | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| van | Vanagon (T3) | Eurovan (T4) | Routan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| pickup | Rabbit Pickup | Amarok | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| crossover | Tiguan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| mid-size SUV | Touareg | Touareg (II) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| founder: Deutsche Arbeitsfront • A marque of the Volkswagen Group • 4motion • Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. • Electronics Research Laboratory • North American Volkswagen engines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||