World records and new beginnings: A history of VW’s off-road vans, Part 2

Celebrating 40 years of off-road Volkswagen vans, it’s time to see where these unorthodox explorers are heading next.

Welcome back to your second and final instalment traversing the history of Volkswagen’s off-road vans. If you missed episode one, check it out here for the story from the desert-tacking T2s of the 1970s, all the way up to the technical revolution of the T4 Syncro twenty-odd years later.

The T4 Syncro

We left you in 1993, with the T4 Multivan carrying VW’s all-wheel drive tradition towards present day. Now, while things had been pretty adventurous up to this point, and Volkswagen vans had long established themselves as an iconic form of travel (whether on-road or off-road), this is where things really kick up a notch. 

What better way to prove your cross-country credentials, than to simply cross fourteen countries? In one go. While securing a Guiness world record. Not Bad. 

On the 25^th of September 1999, two teams departed from Alaska’s frosty Prudhoe Bay with their sights set on Ushuaia, Argentina. The route? The American continent’s longest north-south connection: the world-famous Pan-American Highway.

Despite earthquake damage and severe storms en route, both T4 Syncros — which were production spec aside from larger fuel tanks, additional roof headlights, and some reinforced plexiglass — successfully reached their destination. But it was the first van across the line, completing the 22,880 km trek in just 15 days, 14 hours, and 6 minutes, which wrote itself into the record books. And yes, for the enthusiasts among us, this is also the origin of the cult favourite VW PanAmericana models still found throughout the brand’s range — so we have the T4 to thank for that.

The T5 4MOTION

Unveiled in 2003, and released in 2004, the Volkswagen T5 marked the end of the Syncro era. The name is missed, but with increasingly powerful engines now partnered with Electronic Stability Control, the 4MOTION all-wheel drive system was needed to harness these capabilities.

Looking for a simple description of the technology? Unfortunately, you’re out of luck — complexity is the name of the game now. We’re looking at an ‘axially compressed multiplate clutch running in an oil bath’ with two pressure generating pumps driving compulsion against said plates, which is then harnessed by the transmission, and thus brings the rear axle into play. Got it?

A beneficial side effect of this complicated system is that that clutch now had a speedy reaction time, so the rear axle could be set up to engage only when the front wheels began to slip. This allowed for greater efficiency, and less strain on the wallet through fuel costs — not quite as fun as a world record, but still a win for us.

The T6 and T6.1

Towards the end of the T5’s turn carrying the all-wheel drive baton (from 2010 onward, to be precise) the 4MOTION system was enhanced by an electronically controlled pump and a shiny new multiplate clutch. This applied constant pressure, allowing power to be directed to whichever wheels needed it within one hundredth of a second — literally in the blink of an eye —providing yet more off-roading capabilities. And with updated tech, soon came updated models, with VW’s sixth van generation harnessing this system within the T6 and T6.1 Transporters, from 2015 and 2019 respectively.

In addition to the Transporter, the 4MOTION system was available within VW’s Caravelle, Multivan, and California vans. Following our recent trip to CMT Stuttgart, we can confirm that the latter of these options seems to have truly captured the adventurous spirit of the VW’s off-roaders — even if it was something a little larger which caught our eye among the sea of Bulli vans.

The new generation

And here we are, 40 years into the story. It’s 2025, and there’s no end in sight for the vans which don’t need no roads.

The increasingly complex 4MOTION now has an equally complex range of VW vans to match. The seventh generation of mid-sized Volkswagen is split into three product lines: the new Transporter which has re-adopted the confusingly rebooted Caravelle model, the Multivan (which no longer replaces the Caravelle…) and its upmarket California camper variant, and the ID. Buzz with its recently price-slashed Buzz Cargo edition.

It’s actually even deeper than that too: each line has its own way of driving the four corners. Want some all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid action? Go for the Multivan or the Cali camper with their purely electric driven rear axles. Hauling cargo or passengers across rugged terrain? The Transporter and Caravelle 4MOTION have you covered thanks to their electronically controlled differentials. Tackling LEZs as well as the wilderness? Look no further than the ID. Buzz Cargo 4MOTION and ID. Buzz GTX models, using pure electric power to drive all four wheels.

And that’s the story for now. From humble — and somewhat homemade — beginnings, to an off-roading range for just about every eventuality, VW’s overlanding vans have come a long way. And we’ll be keeping an eye on where they head off to next.

Hero image credit: VW