Volkswagen Transporter celebrates 60 years, new model due here this week

By Matt Brogan | March 16th, 2010

It’s 60 years this month since production of the Volkswagen Transporter (or Kombi as it was more popularly known) began, and with over 10 million units now produced worldwide, the model is unarguably VW’s best-selling and most iconic commercial vehicle.

The Volkswagen Transporter has evolved through five generations, the latest of which will be launched in Australia later this week.

The first T1 ‘split-screen’ model was powered by a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, air-cooled, 1.1-litre petrol engine mounted in the rear of the vehicle. The unit developed 18.4kW of power and was capable of just over 95km/h. By comparison the latest Volkswagen Transporter features a range of petrol and diesel engines with outputs as high as 132kW and top speeds of 192km/h, and although the design may have evolved a great deal, the basic principles of quality, durability and a generous loadspace have endured.

CarAdvice will bring you full details of the new Transporter, Caravelle and California models following the media launch in Newcastle later in the week. Stay tuned.

Neo Utopia

I know van news is quite boring, but these with a camping kit-out are really nice for travelling around Tasmania, the landscape is so different from south east Queensland.

I love the old split-screen design, like the nice Karmann Ghia and maybe type 3 variant, they are timeless classic styles which will never be repeated.

The new transporters look modern though and are far more comfortable and safer than a narrow Hilux van, but if you care solely about reliability then you may not fully appreciate those things and thats fine, people have their choices for their different personal values.

i`m not from here

I had Caddy tdi and now have t5 2.5 tdi(heck of a engine almost scary quick with 2 tons of van behind it,12s to 100km/h with 500kg payload,stupid really) and my wife has a 12 year old Passat and never had a single problem with either.The deal is you have to follow the German servicing model ,witch means on time and to the dot with OEM parts only.

Stoney!

Yep, and the new 2.5 twin turbo wil be even quicker whilst saving a heap of fuel.

Stoney!

toxic_horse

Have the basic principals of catching on fire before you reach newcastle also endured ?
Jack

I own a current model T5 TDi. Probably the best van on the market to date. Its got so much grunt for its size, ive timed it to 100 in 10 seconds, but its really effective on the run which surprises most people when they get behind it, to be honest its like your driving a car only your sitting higher. Great vans, cant wait to see the new ones on the road.
Volkswagen lover

The first “kombi” was a T2, not a T1. A Type 1 refers to a beetle. All Transporters made from 1950 to 1979, even with their different body looks were referred to as the T2 or Type 2, So the series is from T2 to T5.

There is nothing like them, and I am proud to own 3.

Adrian

Brian

Adrian, Your nomenclature is not quite right. there is a difference between Type 2 and T2. Type 2 refers to all transporters/kombis of whatever age (Type 1 = beetles, Type 3 = fastback/wagon/sedan of 60′s & 70′s. There is a type 4 which never came to Australia). Type 2 Transporters are subdivided into T1 (splitty’s), T2 (‘baywindow’ ’68 -’79), T3 (‘wedge’ ’82 – ’92),
T4 (first of the front wheel drives) and T5 (current model, soon to be updated/facelifted to T5.2) T6 is still a few years away.
A lot of people think of ‘Kombis’ as just the ‘baywindow’ T2′s but in fact they were a specific model (panel van with windows and removable seats) available in every generation of Transporter. I’ve also owned one (or more) of every generation. We Kombi folk are a bit obsessive.
Brian