Is VW Gazelle steering heavier than normal air-cooled Bug steering?

I test drove a VW Gazelle yesterday, and was surprised to find that the steering felt a lot heavier than what I was used to in a normal VW bug. Is this normal for the VW-based Gazelle?

I've noticed that most VW Gazelles have 195-75R14 tires instead of the 165-80R15 tires the bug had. Could this be why?

Is there some reason why Gazelles MUST have 14" wheels and tires, instead of the "normal" VW 15" wheels and tires? From what I could see, there seems to be plenty of room under the fenders. And the 15" tires are actually about 1/4" larger in radius than the 14" tires, since the tire itself is not as tall (from the rim to the road) as the 14".

And, I seemed to have a LOT of trouble getting my legs into that long tunnel where they're supposed to go in the Gazelle. I'm 5'10", my legs aren't that long. Also normal for a Gazelle?