Multivan Options list

[rymi]

Hi Guys,

Looking through the range of Multivan options on VW Australia's site, it seems we are very limited as to what we can choose compared to overseas, eg no mention of xenon headlights, dynaudio sound upgrade, good night package, darkened tail lights, reversing camera etc.

Xenon headlights and reversing camera should be at least available on a vehicle of this calibre and expense, if not standard.

Has anyone had success with specifying these options that are not officially available in Australia?

Thanks,

Ryan

[rob64981]

What extras are you looking for?

I am in the UK and might be able to find some of the bits and post them out to you.

I would need to know your location to get a posting price.

Hope to help Rob

robert.mellor@manchester.ac.uk

[rymi]

Rob,

Thanks, but I am not really interested in having to retrofit these things myself. I was more interested to know if VW Australia are receptive to orders with options (eg Bi-xenon headlights and Dynaudio sound upgrade) which are clearly available overseas but which do not appear on our own Australian options list, ie. take a look:

http://www.volkswagen.com.au/vwcms_publish/etc/medialib/vwcms/virtualmaster/en_au/common/pdf.Par.0029.File.pdf/Multivan%20Specifications%20MY09.pdf

[gregozedobe]

AFAIK the optional "factory" Xenon headlights (on the Multivan Sport ?) are actually an aftermarket setup that VW buy in, and are only available in LHD, and the manufacturer has no plans to do a RHD version.

[rymi]

What is your source for this information? And what is the difference between LHD and RHD xenon headlights?

[rymi]

Almost all cars in this price bracket are now available with Xenon headlights. Once you've tried them (I have them on my 535i) you will never want to go back. They are that good, and make country night driving sooooo much more relaxing.

[gregozedobe]

I (and several others) have done the "search the web for T5 xenons" thing several times, and most of the ones you find are just crude conversions (think cut out the rear of std T5 headlights and glue in a xenon lens and you'll get the idea), while the only one that had a properly engineered setup (with self levelling and washers) eventually replied that they had no plans to do a RHD version (it was Projektzwo). I may have found the reference to them being OEM suppliers on the Brickyard site, I don't remember.

If you do locate anyone that does a proper RHD HID setup for T5s please let me know. The difference between OEM quality LHD and RHD setups would be in the passenger side "kick-up" in the beam, which illuminates the side of the road without dazzling oncoming drivers (if you look at the low beam pattern on a wall or garge door you can easily see what I mean about the kick-up).

I have been followed by a T5 with a plug-in xenon conversion to the std reflector and it was very irritating, lots of stray light dazzling all and sundry on low beam (and once he passed me I could see that his lights were adjusted properly, it was just the optics of the T5 reflector didn't suit the new HID globe).

I agree about good quality HIDs, I just wish my Octy had hi beam xenons (they come from the factory with lo beam only xenons ! ) Unfortunately the RHD T5 market doesn't seem big enough to encourage the OEM suppliers to tool up).

[phaeton]

I have a feeling that VW Australia are holding back due to low sale volumes and a T6 is due within a year or two.

[rymi]

Hmmm... what do you think can be expected from T6? A new TDI with 480Nm?

[gregozedobe]

IMHO VAG seem to be moving towards smaller, more economical and less polluting engines (with higher boost or even twin turbos to get the required power).

I would also like to see the 3.0 V6 TDI in a transporter, but until/unless VAG put it in some other transverse engine platform I don't like our chances of seeing in the T6. AFAIK it is in the Touareg and some Audis, all are longitudinal applications, and it costs a lot to change basic architecture - the transporter hi-po market is just too small to justify the extra cost.

[Transporter]

IMHO VAG seem to be moving towards smaller, more economical and less polluting engines (with higher boost or even twin turbos to get the required power).

I would also like to see the 3.0 V6 TDI in a transporter, but until/unless VAG put it in some other transverse engine platform I don't like our chances of seeing in the T6. AFAIK it is in the Touareg and some Audis, all are longitudinal applications, and it costs a lot to change basic architecture - the transporter hi-po market is just too small to justify the extra cost.

But we could get supprised. Just as MB changed Vito from front wheel drive to rear wheel drive with the new model some 4 years ago.

[Rebuild]

IMHO VAG seem to be moving towards smaller, more economical and less polluting engines (with higher boost or even twin turbos to get the required power).

I would also like to see the 3.0 V6 TDI in a transporter, but until/unless VAG put it in some other transverse engine platform I don't like our chances of seeing in the T6. AFAIK it is in the Touareg and some Audis, all are longitudinal applications, and it costs a lot to change basic architecture - the transporter hi-po market is just too small to justify the extra cost.

The current T5 petrol Transporter is a 3.2L V6 (173KW)?

[gregozedobe]

Yes, but the V6 petrol is a different engine, and has been put into several other transverse VAG applications (eg Golf R32, Passatt), so the basic architecture and engineering development work had already been done for these other vehicles.

I would love to be proven wrong in my assumptions, but I'd be prepared to bet (small sums of) money that a V6 TDI in a production Transporter won't happen until the T6 at the earliest.