How much did a 1983 VW TurboDiesel Quantum weigh
Executive summary
The contemporary reporting does not record a distinct curb‑weight figure explicitly for the 1983 Volkswagen Quantum equipped with the turbo‑diesel; the most concrete published weights are for the gasoline Quantum sedan (2,665 pounds) and an 80‑pound heavier wagon, which provide the only firm baselines from the sources reviewed [1]. Absent a direct turbodiesel curb‑weight spec in the provided reporting, the best defensible answer is that a 1983 TurboDiesel Quantum likely weighed in the same neighborhood—roughly 2,665–2,745 pounds depending on body style—with any diesel‑specific mass penalty undocumented in these sources [1].
1. Baseline published curb weight for the 1983 Quantum
Contemporary press reporting that tested and described the 1983 Quantum provides a clear, sourced curb weight for the gasoline‑engine sedan: 2,665 pounds, and notes that the wagon variant is approximately 80 pounds heavier, giving a published wagon curb weight of about 2,745 pounds [1]. That 2,665‑pound figure appears in the Christian Science Monitor’s 1984 coverage of the Quantum and is the only explicit curb‑weight number for the model family surfaced in the provided reporting [1].
2. What the sources say about the turbodiesel model itself
Multiple pieces in the record confirm that Volkswagen offered a turbodiesel engine option around this era and that the Quantum was available in turbodiesel form, with reporting focusing on drivetrain, economy, and market positioning rather than a separate weight figure for the diesel variant [2] [3]. Hagerty’s retrospective discusses the turbodiesel and its fuel‑economy virtues and documents power outputs in related models, but it does not provide a specific curb weight for a TurboDiesel Quantum [3]. Curb‑weight reportage for a turbodiesel Quantum is absent in the supplied sources [2] [3] [1].
3. Inferring a likely weight range and its limits
Standard practice in automotive coverage is to list curb weight for each trim when available, and the only such numbers here are the gasoline‑engine sedan and wagon figures from CS Monitor; therefore the defensible, evidence‑based posture is to place the TurboDiesel Quantum within that published envelope [1]. It is plausible—based on normal differences between gasoline and diesel/turbocharged variants on similar platforms—that the turbodiesel could add modest mass for turbo hardware and associated systems, but the provided reporting does not quantify that, so any specific diesel‑weight increment would be speculative and cannot be asserted from these sources [3] [2].
4. Corroboration attempts and gaps in the record
Other aggregators and vintage reviews referenced here discuss engines, trims, and owner impressions but either omit numerical curb weights or repeat the same family figures without isolating the turbodiesel trim [2] [4] [5] [6]. Consumer guides list weights for contemporaries but not a confirmed turbodiesel Quantum number in the material provided, and database pages surfaced (iSeeCars, AutoDetective) include general model entries rather than a sourced diesel curb weight [6] [7] [8]. Thus the gap is not a contradiction between sources but an absence of an explicitly documented TurboDiesel curb weight in the gathered reportage.
5. Direct answer and recommended research next steps
Directly answering on the evidence at hand: a firm published curb weight for the 1983 Quantum gasoline sedan is 2,665 pounds and the wagon about 2,745 pounds [1]; no source among those provided gives a distinct curb‑weight figure for the 1983 TurboDiesel Quantum, so the most reliable statement is that the TurboDiesel likely falls within or very near that range but any precise diesel‑specific number is not documented in these sources [1] [3]. For an exact factory curb weight for the turbodiesel variant, consulting original VW 1983 specification sheets, dealer brochures, or factory technical documentation would be the next step because the contemporary press and later retrospectives here do not supply it [2] [3].