Volkswagen Grand California review

Vehicles like the Volkswagen Grand California provide a real tonic for the soul; park one on your drive and the prospect of getting away from it all is literally on your doorstep. Just seize a spare moment to grab the keys and hit the highway for somewhere with bluer skies and greener grass.

And it's not like you'll have to slum it when you get there. Volkswagen's design team are clearly fans of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces; starting with a Volkswagen Crafter van as their blank sheet, every cubic millimetre of space has been used to its best advantage to create a proper home away from home. The Grand California even ensures that you can stay civilised when you're living off-grid there's a shower, a toilet, central heating and hot and cold running water.

Of course, what we've described here is clearly a 'motorhome', and that's far from a new concept, but this is pretty much the only vehicle of its kind that’s produced in-house by its manufacturer, rather than being converted by a specialist builder. So, while the regular Volkswagen California contends with the likes of the Mercedes V-Class Marco Polo, Ssangyong Turismo Tourist and special-order versions of the Ford Transit, there aren’t really any manufacturer-backed rivals at the moment to challenge the bigger Grand California.

You can choose from two different versions, depending on how many people you want to accommodate on trips. For families, there’s the four-berth, 6.0m-long 600, which has room for two adults and a couple of children. Or, if you can’t abide the idea of so many bodies under one roof, you can have a longer-wheelbase, 6.8m-long 680 (provided your driving licence will allow you to drive something over 3.5 tonnes) that sleeps two in maximum comfort.

Read on to find out what the Grand California is like on the road, how practical it is inside and what it’ll cost you. And in the interests of thoroughness, we’ll also describe what it’s like to sleep in.

And, as ever, when you're looking for a fresh set of wheels, our New Car Buying service is on hand to help. Not only does it make the whole process super easy, buy it could also save you a small fortune.