Volkswagen Caravelle Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Volkswagen Caravelle range ENGINES: 3.2-litre V6 230bhp, 2.5-Litre PD TDI 130 or 174bhp.
Performance: [3.2 V6] 0-60mph - 10.5 seconds/ max speed 127mph TOWING CAPACITY: 2.5 tons

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Our Rating: 6.6 / 10

Is it a van with seats or a people carrier with commercial vehicle overtones? And does it matter either way? These questions and more will be answered as Steve Walker looks at Volkswagen’s latest Caravelle…

'People Carriers'. If you don't know the term, you'll know the kind of vehicle it applies to, rather like a cross between a van and an estate car. Certainly they've never been more popular and there's an increasing choice.

The trouble with most of the alternatives on offer however, is that they do little more than their name suggests - they carry people. If you’re wondering what's wrong with that, you’ll discover the answer when you've bought one, loaded it with seven friends and everyone's searching for somewhere to put their luggage... That's right, there isn't anywhere.

Like its predecessors, Volkswagen's latest Caravelle aims to be different - and looks it too. For a start, it's far more of a van than some of its competitors, though Volkswagen have tried hard to humanise the interior and make the driving experience more car-like. The advantage of that is that there are no compromises on space. In a Caravelle, there's enough room behind the rearmost seats for at least six suitcases - more if you're prepared to sacrifice rearward vision.

Those who owned one of these in the past will probably like the subtle but effective styling changes of the latest version. The nose is characterised by prominent vertical lines running through the grille and the air-intake below it. While, wide clear-lens headlights arc round at the corners and fog lights are embedded low down near the bottom of the substantial bumper. In typical Volkswagen style, it’s an uncomplicated, pleasing look but not one that’s drastically different from what went before.

Externally, the Caravelle looks like the van with windows that it actually is, the chassis platform also forming the basis for Volkswagen’s Transporter panel van. On the inside, however, it’s up there teetering on the cutting-edge of MPV design in terms of innovation and practicality. The basis of the rear seating area is a rail-mounting system designed so that each chair can be individually manoeuvred or removed for ultimate flexibility. The seats slide along, and slot in or out of, rails cut into the cabin floor. So you can create the legroom, luggage space and passenger provision that you want.

There are trays, storage options and cup-holders in abundance, including draws beneath each seat and a ‘refuse bucket’ (bin, to you and me) incorporated into the rear bench. There’s also a freestanding table attachment that folds out to various sizes and offers yet more storage beneath, plus the bench seat at the back can transform in to a flat sleeping surface - after a bit of pushing and pulling. In addition to all this, Volkswagen promise a variety of further options that can transform your Caravelle into a bona-fide camper van.

The cab area up-front is similarly cleverly constructed. It features a dash mounted gear stick plumbed into the centre console that frees-up floorspace for better walk-through access to the rear. This configuration shaves vital seconds off the time it takes a parent in the passenger seat to reach the back bench and apprehend a wayward child before they can ‘make-over’ their brother or sister with a felt-tip pen. The driving position and steering wheel are infinitely adjustable. So much so that, from Kylie Minogue to Giant Haystacks, virtually anyone’s optimum driving position is attainable – it’s just a matter of finding it. There are armrests on each chair too, along with supportive cushioning and fetching two-tone fabric.

Not content with formulating a fiendishly clever interior design, Volkswagen are also offering some choice technologica