Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
The Volkswagen Multivan is quite pricey compared with the Ford Galaxy, VW Touran and other regular MPVs, although that’s to be expected because you’re paying for an awful lot more metal. It's considerably cheaper than the Mercedes V-Class and is on a par with a similarly specified Toyota Proace Verso with an automatic gearbox.
The flipside of it costing more than most car-based MPVs is that the Multivan is very good at fending off depreciation. It holds its value far better than most rivals and even betters some high-end, limited-run performance cars. That means that over the course of ownership, your running costs will actually be very affordable, and high residuals help to keep monthly PCP finance quotes low (future values form part of the equation).
The 2.0 TDI will do more than 40mpg, while the 1.5 TSI is in the mid-30s. The 2.0 TSI barely breaks 30mpg, and will be the priciest Multivan to run.
Equipment levels are good, with entry-level Life models getting parking aids, adaptive cruise control, a 10in infotainment system, LED headlights, plus 16in alloy wheels (17in for the eHybrid model). We think it’s a bit of an oversight that there are no rear climate vents in this version, meaning you’ll have to specify three-zone climate control. Style gets rear air-con, plus matrix LED headlights, sat-nav, heated front seats and steering wheel, Alexa voice activation, and electric sliding doors and tailgate.
In terms of safety, the Multivan received a full five-star rating from Euro NCAP under the latest testing regime. All the rivals were tested under the old system, or so long ago that the ratings have expired, so drawing comparisons is impossible.
You get lots of safety tech, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), speed and road sign recognition, and lane-keep assistance. Style adds blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert (to warn of a vehicle crossing your path when backing up).
As a brand, Volkswagen finished in a rather disappointing 20th out of 30 manufacturers in the 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey. That's way behind Toyota, but ahead of Mercedes and Ford.
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