Volkswagen K70 - Engine and Transmission

Engine and Transmission

The K70 as launched featured a four-cylinder water-cooled engine: this was a development from the four-cylinder engine mounted in the rear of the NSU 1200, its displacement increased to 1605 cc. Despite reports that the car's name reflected an output of 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp), the car at launched boasted a claimed 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp). The engine was longitudinally mounted, well forward and placed directly above the differential, between the front wheels, and canted to the right. The clutch and gear box were directly behind the differential, and the three comprised a compact package which necessitated a relatively high bonnet / hood but which also maximised the proportion of the car's weight carried by the front wheels, and the space available for passengers and their luggage, characteristics that the K70 shared with the NSU Ro 80. Despite this arrangement, accessing or replacing the clutch was possible, using a service ramp, without any need to move the engine or gear box.

Although the look of the K70 was modern, the performance from the engine, especially on the entry level 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) versions, was merely adequate. Comparison with the 411, which by 1970 had acquired an enlarged engine and fuel injection, was and is hard to avoid. Neither of VW's family middle weight sedans topped the charts for top speed and acceleration, nor for fuel consumption, and the K70's indifferent fuel consumption became an increasingly pressing issue because the car's production run coincided with the 1973 oil price shock. The introduction during 1973 of an 1807 cc version with a claimed 100 PS (74 kW; 99 hp) addressed the most acute performance concerns, and was accompanied by redesigned engine and transmission mountings which were intended to reduce interior noise levels. The final K70s did out accelerate the final 412s, and had a higher maximum speed. But in respect of fuel efficiency, the air-cooled model - at least in manual transmission guise - retained a useful advantage till the end.