1980 Summary
USA Model Summary for 1980 VW Vanagons
1980 was the first model year for Vanagons in the U.S. Four models of the Vanagon were built for the US market for this model year.
Vanagon (7 & 9 seat versions)
Prices shown in individual descriptions are MSRP figures from actual window stickers and other reference sources. Where a range of prices is shown, this depicts the range of MSRPs found. The price ranges are not an attempt to indicate a selling price range. These varied prices are likely the result of mid-year price changes from VW.
Colors available
The following colors were available for the Vanagon, Vanagon Camper (p22) and Vanagon Camper (P27):
Ivory
Assuan Brown
Medium Blue
The following colors were available for the Vanagon L:
Ivory / Bright Orange
Guinea Blue / Cornat Blue
Samos Beige / Assuan Brown
Ivory / Bamboo Yellow
Distinguishing features
The new name "Vanagon" is a contraction of "van" & "station wagon". Since this was the first year for the Vanagon model, there were numerous changes from the "Bus" or "Transporter" models of 1979. The most noticeable difference is the very square, sharp edged look of the body. There are simply too many changes to describe here, so I won't even attempt it. One thing that did not change was the 2.0L fuel injected air cooled engine and its location at the rear of the van.
All 1980 Vanagons came with one grill at the front of the van, not for cooling air intake, but for interior ventilation. A pair of single round headlights are mounted in the grill. This one-grill look distinguishes all of the air cooled Vanagons from 1980 till 1983, when the air cooled Vanagons were discontinued, mid-year.
On the rear of the van was a "Volkswagen" logo on left side and a "Vanagon" or "Vanagon L" logo on the right side. The rear hatch does NOT have a "VW" logo. The cooling air intake grills on each side of the van, behind the rear-most windows were steel and an integral part of the body. Along with the 1981 models, this vent design distinguishes them from the later models that were equipped with removable black plastic grills.
Categories key
Passenger vans
Syncros
Full campers
Partial campers
Wolfsburgs
$?,??? Standard Features:
Drivetrain
2.0 liter air-cooled horizontally opposed, 4 cylinder engine
Air Flow Control (AFC) electronic fuel injection
Power: 67HP @ 4200RPM
SAE net Torque: 101FtLbs @ 3000RPM
4 speed manual transmission
Rear wheel drive
Electronic ignition
Suspension, wheels, steering
Independent front & rear suspension
Power assisted brakes, solid front disks, rear drums
Rack & pinion steering
Steel belted radial tires, size 185SR14
14" steel wheels, 5" wide
Chrome hub caps
Spare tire (full size) stored under front of van
Exterior, body
Paint color choices: Medium Blue, Assuan Brown, or Ivory
Black painted steel bumpers
Dual outside mirrors, black
Sliding right side door
Sliding side windows
Opening wing windows
Electric rear window defogger
2-speed front windshield wipers
Wheelbase:
96.8"
2.46 meters
Front track:
61.8"
1.57 meters
Rear track:
61.8"
1.57 meters
Length:
179.9"
4.57 meters
Width:
72.6"
1.844 meters
Height:
77.2"
1.96 meters
Ground clearance:
7.5"
19 cm
Turning circle:
(curb-to-curb)34.5 ft
10.52 meters
Curb weight: 3087 lb 1400 kg Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): 5072 lb 2300 kg
Interior
Padded strip on dash board
Speedometer
Fuel level gauge
Vanity mirror in front passenger sun visor
Front bucket seats with solid headrests
Two passenger center bench seat
Three passenger rear bench seat, backrest folds for cargo room
Van Dyck (brown) vinyl upholstery with Ivory paint
Black vinyl upholstery with Medium Blue paint
Gazelle (beige) vinly upholstery with Assuan Brown paint
Black rubber floor covering
Vinyl covered door panels
Armrest & door handles on front doors
Removable carpet over engine area
Passenger area fresh air vents above side windows (4)
Cargo capacity:
Behind rear seat:
49.7 ft3
1.408 meters3
Rear & center seat removed:
201 ft3
5.696 meters3
Miscellaneous
15.9 Gallon fuel tank mounted under center of van
17 MPG EPA city estimate
25 MPG EPA highway estimate
Optional Features:
9 person seating
$???
Replaces front passenger bucket seat & aisle with 2 passenger bench. Replaces center 2 passenger bench with 3 passenger bench.
Air conditioning
$???
Tinted glass
$???
Auxiliary gasoline fueled heater (BA-6) located under center of van
$???
Rear window wiper with intermittent cycle feature
$???
$?,??? Standard Features:
Drivetrain
2.0 liter air-cooled horizontally opposed, 4 cylinder engine
Air Flow Control (AFC) electronic fuel injection
Power: 67HP @ 4200RPM
SAE net Torque: 101FtLbs @ 3000RPM
4 speed manual transmission
Rear wheel drive
Electronic ignition
Suspension, wheels, steering
Independent front & rear suspension
Power assisted brakes, solid front disks, rear drums
Rack & pinion steering
Steel belted radial tires, size 185SR14
14" steel wheels, 5" wide
Chrome hub caps
Spare tire (full size) stored under front of van
Exterior, body
Two tone paint options:
Ivory over Bright Orange,
Guinea Blue (light blue) over Cornat Blue (medium blue),
Samos Beige (peach-like) over Assuan Brown (light brown),
Ivory over Bamboo Yellow (bright yellow)
Chrome steel bumpers with rubber impact strips
Dual outside mirrors, black
Sliding right side door
Sliding side windows
Opening wing windows
Electric rear window defogger
2 speed front windshield wipers with intermittent cycle feature
Wheelbase:
96.8"
2.46 meters
Front track:
61.8"
1.57 meters
Rear track:
61.8"
1.57 meters
Length:
179.9"
4.57 meters
Width:
72.6"
1.844 meters
Height:
77.2"
1.96 meters
Ground clearance:
7.5"
19 cm
Turning circle:
(curb-to-curb)34.5 ft
10.52 meters
Curb weight: 3137 lb 1423 kg Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): 5072 lb 2300 kg
Interior
Padded strip on dash board
Speedometer with trip odometer
Fuel level gauge
Vanity mirror in front passenger sun visor
Lockable glove box
Storage compartment on driver's door
Front bucket seats with solid headrests
Two passenger center bench seat
Three passenger rear bench seat, backrest folds for cargo room
Van Dyck (brown) vinyl upholstery available with
Ivory / Bright Orange paint
Samos Brown / Assuan Brown paint
Ivory / Bamboo Yellow paint
Black vinyl upholstery available with
Guinea Blue / Cornat Blue paint
Full carpeting
Vinyl covered door panels
Armrest & door handles on front doors
Removable carpet over engine area
Passenger area fresh air vents above side windows (4)
Cargo capacity:
Behind rear seat:
49.7 ft3
1.408 meters3
Rear & center seat removed:
201 ft3
5.696 meters3
Miscellaneous
15.9 Gallon fuel tank mounted under center of van
17 MPG EPA city estimate
25 MPG EPA highway estimate
Optional Features:
9 person seating
$???
Replaces front passenger bucket seat & aisle with 2 passenger bench. Replaces center 2 passenger bench with 3 passenger bench.
3 speed automatic transmission
(reduces EPA MPG to 16-city, 23-hwy - estimates)$???
Air conditioning
$???
Cloth interior
$???
Corduroy-style fabric in Van Dyck (brown) color or Topaz (beige) color (Not available with Guinea Blue / Cornat Blue paint)
Tinted glass
$???
Auxiliary gasoline fueled heater (BA-6) located under center of van
$???
Rear window wiper with intermittent cycle feature
$???
1980 Vanagon Camper (P22)
$?,??? Standard Features:
Drivetrain
2.0 liter air-cooled horizontally opposed, 4 cylinder engine
Air Flow Control (AFC) electronic fuel injection
Power: 67HP @ 4200RPM
SAE net Torque: 101FtLbs @ 3000RPM
4 speed manual transmission
Rear wheel drive
Electronic ignition
Suspension, wheels, steering
Independent front & rear suspension
Power assisted brakes, solid front disks, rear drums
Rack & pinion steering
Steel belted radial tires, size 185SR14
14" steel wheels, 5" wide
Chrome hub caps
Spare tire (full size) stored under front of van
Exterior, body
Paint color choices: Medium Blue, Assuan Brown, or Ivory
Dual outside mirrors
Sliding right side door
Sliding side windows with screens
Opening wing windows
Electric rear window defogger
2 speed front windshield wipers
Pop-top roof with cargo carrier
Wheelbase:
96.8"
2.46 meters
Front track:
61.8"
1.57 meters
Rear track:
61.8"
1.57 meters
Length:
179.9"
4.57 meters
Width:
72.6"
1.844 meters
Height:
82.1"
2.09 meters
Ground clearance:
7.5"
19 cm
Turning circle:
(curb-to-curb)34.5 ft
10.52 meters
Curb weight:
3387 lb
(estimate)1536 kg
(estimate)Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR):
5072 lb
2300 kg
Interior
Padded strip on dash board, brown
Speedometer
Fuel level gauge
Front bucket seats with swivel bases and solid headrests
Camping seat behind driver's seat with 10.6 gal water tank in base
Three passenger rear bench seat (folds into bed, cushion over engine)
Gazelle (light brown) vinyl upholstery available with
Medium Blue paint
Assuan Brown paint
Van Dyck (dark brown) vinyl upholstery available with
Ivory paint
Removable carpeting
Ice box, 8 gallon capacity
Kitchen cabinet Sink with electric water pump
External water hook-up
110VAC duplex power outlet, master switch, circuit breaker, & external connection
Rear "swivel-away" table
Front swiveling "store-away" table
Clothes locker / 3 door closet
Overhead storage cabinet
Light over sink
Privacy curtains
Removable screen for rear hatch
Pop-top roof with 2 person sleeping loft
Cargo capacity:
Behind rear seat:
49.7 ft3
1.408 meters3
Miscellaneous
15.9 Gallon fuel tank mounted under center of van
17 MPG EPA city estimate
25 MPG EPA highway estimate
Optional Features:
3 speed automatic transmission
(reduces EPA MPG to 16-city, 23-hwy - estimates)$???
Air conditioning
$???
Tinted glass
$???
Auxiliary gasoline fueled heater (BA-6) located under center of van
$???
Rear window wiper with intermittent cycle feature
$???
Cloth upholstery in "Boogie Woogie" pattern
$???
(alternating multicolored horizontal bars)
Gazelle color scheme (beige/orange/green) available with
Medium Blue and Assuan Brown paint
Van Dyck color scheme (brown/orange/blue) available with
Ivory paint
1980 Vanagon L Camper (P27)
$?,??? Standard Features:
Drivetrain
2.0 liter air-cooled horizontally opposed, 4 cylinder engine
Air Flow Control (AFC) electronic fuel injection
Power: 67HP @ 4200RPM
SAE net Torque: 101FtLbs @ 3000RPM
4 speed manual transmission
Rear wheel drive
Electronic ignition
Suspension, wheels, steering
Independent front & rear suspension
Power assisted brakes, solid front disks, rear drums
Rack & pinion steering
Steel belted radial tires, size 185SR14
14" steel wheels, 5" wide
Chrome hub caps
Spare tire (full size) stored under front of van
Exterior, body
Paint color choices: Medium Blue, Assuan Brown, or Ivory
Dual outside mirrors
Sliding right side door
Sliding side windows with screens
Opening wing windows
Electric rear window defogger
Front windshield wipers with intermittent cycle feature
Pop-top roof with cargo carrier
Wheelbase:
96.8"
2.46 meters
Front track:
61.8"
1.57 meters
Rear track:
61.8"
1.57 meters
Length:
179.9"
4.57 meters
Width:
72.6"
1.844 meters
Height:
82.1"
2.09 meters
Ground clearance:
7.5"
19 cm
Turning circle:
(curb-to-curb)34.5 ft
10.52 meters
Curb weight:
3537 lb
(estimate)1604 kg
(estimate)Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR):
5072 lb
2300 kg
Interior
Padded strip on dash board, brown
Speedometer with trip odometer
Fuel level gauge
Vanity mirror in front passenger sun visor
Lockable glove box
Storage compartment on driver's door
Front bucket seats with swivel bases and solid headrests
Camping seat behind driver's seat with 10.6 gal water tank in base
Three passenger rear bench seat (folds into bed, cushion over engine)
Gazelle (light brown) vinyl upholstery available with
Medium Blue paint
Assuan Brown paint
Van Dyck (dark brown) vinyl upholstery available with
Ivory paint
Removable carpeting
LPG/110VAC/12VDC refrigerator
Sink with electric water pump & 10.6 gal water storage tank
External water hook-up
110VAC duplex power outlet, master switch, circuit breaker, & external connection
Rear "swivel-away" table
Front swiveling "store-away" table
Clothes locker / 3 door closet
Overhead storage cabinet
Light over sink
Privacy curtains
Removable screen for rear hatch
Pop-top roof with 2 person sleeping loft
Fire extinguisher
Cargo capacity:
Behind rear seat:
49.7 ft3
1.408 meters3
Miscellaneous
15.9 Gallon fuel tank mounted under center of van
17 MPG EPA city estimate
25 MPG EPA highway estimate
Optional Features:
3 speed automatic transmission
$???
(reduces EPA MPG to 16-city, 23-hwy - estimates)
Air conditioning
$???
Tinted glass
$???
Auxiliary gasoline fueled heater (BA-6) located under center of van
$???
Rear window wiper with intermittent cycle feature
$???
Cloth upholstery in "Boogie Woogie" pattern
$???
(alternating multicolored horizontal bars)
Gazelle color scheme (beige/orange/green) available with
Medium Blue and Assuan Brown paint
Van Dyck color scheme (brown/orange/blue) available with
Ivory paint
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