Volkswagen Caravelle 2016 Review

Volkswagen Caravelle Trendline
Road Test

Volkswagen’s Caravelle and its slab-sided siblings have a long history. In its latest T6 form, the Caravelle mixes nine-seat capacity with a decent experience from the driver’s seat, as well as the solid durability sought after by those who need people-carrying ability above all else. With a pre-on-roads price from $49,990 the Caravelle ticks just about all the boxes for those of pragmatic bent.

The sixth-generation Volkswagen Caravelle MPV might trace its conceptual roots back to the original Type 2 Kombi van from the early 1950s, but there’s really no connection between then and now – apart from the fact they were both designed as bluff-sided vans with utility in mind and both stemmed in many ways from smaller Volkswagens.

Looking at today’s Caravelle, it’s hard not to be struck by its size. It might not be a Ford Transit bus, or a Toyota HiAce Commuter, but it’s certainly a lot more vehicle to deal with than MPVs such as a Kia Carnival or Hyundai iMax.

With a maximum capacity of nine people in a four-row 2+2+2+3 modular-mounted seating arrangement, the Caravelle verges on bus-like, continuing the theme with sturdy, no-nonsense interior trim and easy access to all rows via twin sliding side doors.

It’s unlike the more upmarket, but less romantically titled, seven-seat Multivan which aims more at families than transporting as many passengers as possible, and offers such niceties as power sliding doors and tailgate, two rotating seats and a multi-function table for a light snack or a quick chat.

But the Caravelle offers the same on-road refinement, fundamentally the same turbo-diesel driveline and the same levels of build quality. From the get-go, it impresses as a solidly Germanic, well-crafted conveyance.

And there’s a reasonably comprehensive options list to refer to: sat-nav and 16-inch alloy wheels are among the things that are there for the asking if the owner wishes to spend up.

Relatively able passengers will find there’s little trouble getting through to the rearmost bench seat via a wide, driver’s side corridor and, once there, there’s heaps of legroom. The seats, while they might feel initially firm, are nicely solid and supportive and, thanks to the wide, tall cabin, there’s adequate shoulder-room and plenty of headroom too.

The only downside is that with all seats in place there’s precious little space up back for storing luggage. With six on board it’s better: the rearmost backrest flips down to provide more respectable storage.

The driver’s view of the Caravelle (which is available only in Trendline form) is a mix of luxe and functionality. It combines cab-forward van with passenger car cosiness via a big dash with a 5.0-inch colour touchscreen in pride of place and multitudinous storage spaces – including an overhead compartment above the dash – for everything from mobile phones to maps and other paraphernalia.

The shift lever for the DSG transmission is mounted on the dash so there’s enough space to make for easy transfer from one side of the cab to the other, while the familiar Volkswagen steering wheel – leather-rimmed and adjustable for reach and height with audio, telephone, cruise control and multi-function display controls – is set on a more vertical than a horizontal plane to add to the car-like effect. No complaints about the controls either, which are displayed in VW-generic fashion and are located for easy acclimatisation.

The gear is pretty basic: Caravelle comes with one-touch auto up/down front windows, sliding windows in the side doors, three-zone climate-control, retractable side sunblinds and heated rear-view mirrors.

Despite its size and weight, the Caravelle drives with a nice sense of security. It feels stable on the road with a firm ride that is helped considerably by the long 3.4-metre wheelbase. Fore-aft pitch is a distant memory.

Running on 215/65-series tyres (with 16-inch steel wheels) the Caravelle steers well too, with less of a preponderance towards understeer than you might expect. It swaps from lock to lock in a brisk 3.2 turns – although its length means a pretty big space is required to complete a kerb-to-kerb manoeuvre. The big people-mover’s 13.2m turning circle requires a little recognition of the 5.3-metre body length before committing to a 180-degree about-face. And the need to manually activate the absolutely essential reversing camera every time it’s wanted is frustrating.

All the basic dynamic electronics are included: Stability control, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, traction control, hill-start and an electronic differential lock are part of the Caravelle deal. There’s also Volkswagen’s multi-collision braking which works after initial impact to help minimise the chance of a further collision, plus a Driver Alert fatigue-detection system that keeps tabs on the driver’s awareness. Cruise control is standard too.

The airbag count includes dual front and dual side/head airbags for the front-seat passengers. No ANCAP testing has yet been done on the current Caravelle (although the T5-generation Transporter achieved four stars when tested in 2008).

The Caravelle gets the 103kW/340Nm single-turbo version of the long-stroke 2.0-litre turbo-diesel and drives the front wheels (4MOTION AWD is only available on the Multivan) through VW’s seven-speed twin-clutch DSG gearbox. It actually copes with the 1857kg body weight (unexpectedly less than, say, a top-spec Kia Carnival or Hyundai iMax) quite well and due to this it feels quicker than the 13.0sec 0-100km/h figure suggests.

The ADR combined consumption figure sounds good at 7.7L/100km (identical to Carnival and only 0.2L/100km worse than the iMax) although we didn’t get anywhere close to that with an on-test figure of 10.9L/100km. Given the size and capabilities of the Caravelle we still figured that wasn’t too bad, and the 80-litre fuel tank at least ensures a pretty decent range.

More than an MPV, but less than a bus, the Volkswagen Caravelle might lack some of the classy trimmings of the highest-specified versions of its competitors, but there’s no question it continues to set an example in terms of driveline engineering, overall refinement and perceived solidity.

2016 Volkswagen Caravelle Trendline pricing and specifications:
Price: $49,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 103kW/340Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 7.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 203g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

Also consider:
>> Kia Carnival (from $41,490 plus ORCs)
>> Hyundai iMax (from $39,990 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-Benz Valente ($58,100 plus ORCs)