LONG TERM UPDATE: VW Caravelle 2.0 BiTDI AT
Johannesburg - “Space, the final frontier.” Whenever I board the good ship VW Caravelle, which arrived with us recently for a long-term test, I think of those opening lines to every episode of the original Star Trek TV series.
Space, oodles of it, is what this vehicle’s all about, so we’ve taken the opportunity to boldly go on a few family holidays as well as a house-moving exercise.
The Caravelle TDi arrived at the fortuitous time when our reporter Jesse Adams was about to transplant himself to a new suburb, and he saved on having to hire a moving company by whipping out the Volkswagen’s two rows of rear seats and stuffing the cavernous interior with his worldly belongings. It took a few trips but the Caravelle turned out to be a useful panelvan that happily accommodated bulky furniture and appliances, although removing its heavy seats was a laborious (and knuckle-grazing) affair that required the efforts of at least two people.
VERSATILE BUS
Since then we’ve reinstated the seats and used the Caravelle as a people-hauler on a couple of family excursions, and it’s proven equally competent at leg room and lugging room. Able to carry up to seven people, it’s a versatile bus with the ability to slide the two rear benches forward if you need more luggage space. The middle seats can also swivel 180 degrees in a “conference” arrangement so that the rear passengers can face each other.
And if you wish to go camping the rear three-seat bench can be folded flat into a double bed.
VW has had decades to perfect its kombi and it’s full of practical touches that make life easier. Such as 12v power sockets in the front and rear (to plug in those DVD players or camping fridges), and there’s one on top of the dash too so you can use a satnav device without a wire hanging down the fascia.
Also convenient is that there’s walk-through room from the front to the rear seats, although this means there’s no central storage bin up front. However, there’s plenty of other oddments space including large door pockets (two on each front door) and under-seat drawers. Rear passengers did mention they missed the absence of tray tables, however.
BIG PRICE, BIG SPEC
Priced at R662 900 the Caravelle 2.0 BiTDI finds itself on the higher end of the price spectrum in the people-carrier market, but it’s a high-spec vehicle with leather seats, cruise control and other comfort-enhancing accroutements like three-zone climate control so passengers get to select their own climate settings no matter where in the cabin they’re sitting. There are also slide-up blinds for the rear side windows. Cruise control and automatic headlights also form part of the high-spec package, while this is the most powerful incarnation of VW’s Kombi/Caravelle range with its 132kW/400Nm 2-litre turbodiesel engine.
It’s a gutsy performer even with the vehicle loaded with six people and their luggage, along with a fully-stacked trailer in tow like we had for our recent trip to the KZN south coast. It cruises effortlessly, is respectably refined, and there’s a good dollop of overtaking torque whenever you need it, even up steep hills. It does all this without raping your fuel budget, and our test vehicle is averaging 9 litres per 100km.
MINOR NIGGLES
Two issues have blotted the Caravelle’s otherwise spotless copybook: the dual cupholders that pop out from the dash are quite fragile and one of them broke when I tried to place a water bottle in it; secondly, the rear wiper doesn’t make perfect contact with the windscreen and leaves smudges.
VW considers the cupholders to be a wear-and-tear claim that’s not covered by the warranty or maintenance plan, so unfortunately the customer must pay for VW’s flimsy design. It’s an anomaly in what otherwise seems to be a very solidly-built vehicle. -Star Motoring
FACTS
VW Caravelle 2.0 BiTDI AT
Engine: 2-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel
Gearbox: Seven-speed DSG
Power: 132kW @ 4000rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1500-2000rpm
0-100km/h (claimed): 11.3 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 191km/h
Consumption (claimed): 8.1 litres per 100km
Price: R662 900
Warranty: Three-year/120 000km
Maintenance plan: Five-year/60 000km