In association with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
New Volkswagen California: 7 reasons why it’s the ultimate camper van
With its clever new three-room layout, innovative new tech features, and comfortable sleeping for four, the new Volkswagen California is the perfect home from home...
“Don’t count the days. Make the days count,” said boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The heavyweight might not have had a family road trip in mind when he uttered those words, but it’s undeniably good holiday advice. It’s why we think the multi-talented new Volkswagen California makes for a sensational campervan. Simply put, it helps you get more out of every single day. And there are a number of very good reasons for that.
To start, this new-generation California marks the first time Volkswagen’s iconic camper is not based on the underpinnings of a commercial vehicle. Instead, this new model uses Volkswagen’s MQB platform, which is also featured in the award-winning Volkswagen Multivan seven-seat MPV. It’s a very good place to start.
The new California also features a vast array of innovative features and clever touches – such as configurable modular seating, a smart centralised control touchscreen hub, and a fully integrated kitchen unit, all of which are aimed at making each and every moment with it special. It’s a camper van that’s designed from the ground up to enhance every second of your ownership period, not just when you’re enjoying that well-earned downtime.
How does it do this? Well, here are 7 ways in which the all-new Volkswagen California can take your holiday to the next level.
Find out more about the new Volkswagen California
Three-room concept
For the first time ever, the Volkswagen California has sliding doors on both sides.
In effect, this turns the interior into a ‘garden room’, with no barrier between you and the outside world on either the left or right. Having such large sliding doors also enhances ease of use, because you no longer need to negotiate your way around the front or rear of the vehicle if you want to get to the other side – you can simply use the California’s interior as a short-cut route.
And if you unfurl the standard awning on one side of your California, you have, in effect, an extra room in which to sit and while away the time either reading a book, or simply drinking in the scenery and wonder of the natural world around.
Better still, the large side door openings allow you to sit inside and enjoy the fresh air – perfect on a balmy summer’s day.
Gourmet night (or day)
No matter which model of new California you choose, you’ll be able to whip up a tasty meal in no time, thanks to the fully integrated on-board cooking facilities.
In Beach trim, the equipment comprises a single-burner gas cooker located at the rear of the cabin, plus a cutlery drawer, additional storage areas, and a 230V socket to allow you to plug in extra equipment such as a kettle or a toaster. Or even a microwave. Better still, the location of this cooking module at the rear of the California affords you shelter under the tailgate when cooking, which is ideal if conditions are typical of British summer time.
Coast and Ocean versions of the California come with an enhanced kitchenette, which features a single burner, a sink and a pull out coolbox, in addition to the multiple storage options and foldaway food-preparation area.
Comfortable sleep for four
The latest Volkswagen California is the biggest yet, and this translates into generous interior space at bedtime.
The seats all fold down to offer a perfectly flat and comfortable master sleeping area for two, and you need have no concerns if you happen to be a light sleeper – the cabin benefits from a comprehensive blackout system that comprises roller blinds for the sliding side doors and tailgate, magnetic blackout shades for the front-door windows, and a new integrated shade for the windscreen. Indeed, on Coast and Ocean models, these are new thermal and insulated units.
But that’s not all, because all California models feature a pop-up roof-mounted sleeping area. This is operated manually on Beach versions, and electro-hydraulically on other models.
It’s more than two metres long and almost 1.2 metres wide, so is more than spacious enough for two people to sleep comfortably, and the large windows to the sides and front allow you to check out the scenery from your lofty perch. Mosquito nets on all the windows also help to keep the outside world out.
Your flexible friend
Space and flexibility are the focus of the interior in the new Volkswagen California.
To that end, the latest model has the most spacious interior yet seen in a California. That’s because it is based on the chassis architecture from its seven-seat Multivan sister vehicle, and is a full 269mm longer than the previous California.
This translates into the sort of cabin space that allows everyone to feel completely comfortable on the move, and then gives the flexibility for a family to sit together when the time comes to just chill out and enjoy each other’s company.
In addition, all of the seats slide, tumble, twist and fold in a way that’s quick and easy to do, so you can configure the cabin exactly as you want it, whenever you want it. Family meal? Sorted. Games night? Easy peasy. Time for bed? The seats will have been turned into a sleeping area long before the ‘just 5 minutes more’ grumbles have stopped.
Finally, people tend to bring stuff, so it’s just as well that the California can cope easily. There are numerous storage areas around the cabin, including a roof storage compartment, cupboards in the kitchen, compartments in the front, and foldaway cubbies and removable storage spaces for when the cabin is configured as a bedroom.
Total control
As you would expect from such a modern and tech-packed machine (more on this in a moment), all of the ingenious camping features within the new Volkswagen California can be controlled through the central 10in colour touchscreen display on the dashboard.
These include configuring the interior lighting to make it ‘just-so’, checking the status of the on-board power supply, the coolbox controls, and the fresh water and wastewater levels. In addition, you can also configure the Coming Home and Leaving Home functions. Easy.
But who wants to do all that through a touchscreen way up at the front of the cabin when you’re sitting comfortably in the rear? Well, Volkswagen has thought of that, which is why all California models also come with a 5in touchscreen control panel in the C-pillar, so you can make sure everything is just the way you want it, without having to step away from that crucial game of cards.
Lap of luxury
When you go away on holiday, a little extra luxury makes every day feel that bit more special. And so it is in the new Volkswagen California, which has everything you need, and everything you could wish for in a camper van.
To that end, every California comes with air-conditioning, an auxiliary heater, an Adaptive Cruise control system, and Keyless Start. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both catered for, and there are no fewer than six USB-C charging sockets located around the interior.
Coast models add a tri-zone Climatronic system, plus more underseat storage, Keyless Entry, and outdoor shower attachment, parking sensors at both ends of the vehicle combined with VW’s Park Assist technology, and a rearview camera.
Moving up to Ocean trim, brings with extra luxury touches including IQ LED Matrix headlights, automatic high beam, heated front seats, a powered tailgate and power-latching sliding side doors.
Power trip
The switch to the MQB platform for the latest Volkswagen California has not only made all the bits you can see, such as the cabin and seating, more flexible, but has also increased options for the areas you can’t see – namely the powertrains.
This new model offers three options under the bonnet. There’s a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine that develops 150PS and 361Nm of torque, which makes easy work of moving the California and all of your stuff, and can achieve a maximum combined economy figure of 42.2mpg.
If you’re a petrol fan, the California still has you covered, in the shape of a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 204PS and 320Nm. This manages up to 30.7mpg.
And finally, the new version is the first California to be offered, for the first time ever, with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. This combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined 245PS, which drives all four wheels using Volkswagen’s 4MOTION drive system. This also promises an electric-only range of around 56 miles.
Every California comes with a slick-shifting seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox (six-speed DSG on eHybrid models) to take the strain out of every journey.
So, there you have it. Seven reasons why the all-new Volkswagen California is the ultimate camper van. Starting to think about that staycation?
