The Volkswagen Caravelle
One of the supposed curses of our lives today is that we’re all becoming less social.We go out less, we spend less time out and about and our lives always seem to revolve around one appointment or another. No longer do we walk to the pub for a pint and a chat. Instead, we pick up a couple of bottles of the cut-price Chilean or Australian while we do the weekly shop and enjoy it in front of the weekly movie on the box-office TV. At least that’s what many of today’s life commentators would have us believe!
Some things in today’s world, however, encourage social integration. Some things make us want to get up and go, to explore and broaden our horizons, to get out there and see what our green and pleasant land has on offer. One of these is the Volkswagen Caravelle. The Caravelle has a bit of an identity crisis to Mr Average. He simply doesn’t know what a Caravelle is. Mr Average Smith thinks it’s a van. Mr Average Jones thinks it’s a mini-bus. Mr Average Brown thinks it’s an MPV. The funniest part about it is that they’re all right. One thing the Caravelle does have heaps of is versatility. It is a mini-bus, a van, an MPV and a brilliant picnic shelter to boot.
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No car ever in the history of transporting our clutch of kids around has ever generated so much excitement and interest. Not only was it a very social place to be – the seating arrangement by default is three seats across the back and two rear-facing seats behind the driver and front seat passenger – but it is immensely roomy and comfortable, with a plush opulence you would never expect to find in a vehicle shaped like this. The little sliding coffee table which can be expanded with the pull of a handle and a twist is ideal for laying out the flask and sarnies when having your lunch break. (Why endure the wrath of the Motorway service station when you can have a much more comfortable and enjoyable lunch here?) You can even make a double bed out of the rear seats should you ever feel the need!
Despite its somewhat utilitarian look, the Caravelle is a dream to drive. Its high driving position allows you to keep an eye on what’s going on way up ahead and the all-round visibility is excellent. Even parking it is a breeze thanks to the park assist feature fitted on the model I drove. It is a big car if you’re used to driving around in one of Mr Average’s modern hatchback cars, but when put through its paces it certainly doesn’t feel that big. It is surprisingly quiet, rides the bumps well and the 2.5 litre diesel engine is as lively and responsive as you would ever hope for. Motorway cruising speeds are effortless and relaxing, cruise control taking away even the minimal effort required to make the drive enjoyable. Another absolutely amazing feature of the Caravelle is the incredible range it has. We were still going strong over 550 miles into the tank. Admittedly it is also bigger than Mr Average’s hatchback fuel tank, but we’re not referring to Mr Average here! This is Mr Special.
As a warning note, there are independent heating controls located in the passenger area and if, like ours, your kids wear t-shirts to go out carol-singing and woolly jumpers to the beach, then expect the worst. While driving out of Central London on Monday morning, things felt a bit on the warm side, so we asked if they’d been fiddling. “It’s only on 27 degrees” exclaimed an obliviously contented teenage daughter. It felt as though I was being slow-roasted, ready to be packed in a ready-cooked chicken bag in time for lunch. When we explained that a warm British summer day sometimes got as warm as 25 degrees they began to sort-of understand.
With all the aforementioned social aspects taken into account, the Caravelle offers a family the perfect day out, a home-from-home when on a day-trip and oodles of room for any other tasks you want your vehicle to carry-out. Accessibility is brilliant, with electric sliding doors on both sides, a rear door to the boot area, which in itself is sufficiently cavernous to accommodate everything that might be needed on said day-trip and more. One word of advice is to make sure you have sufficient room behind the vehicle if you need to open the rear door, as it needs a good three or four feet clearance behind to be able to swing clear. In other words avoid parking with your back to the wall. All-in-all it is a small price to pay for the ample luggage space it provides.
For those with a growing family who want space (enormous amounts of it), luxury, plenty of features and a vehicle which the kids will thoroughly enjoy travelling in, the Caravelle is everything you could hope for. It does the job of getting you from A to B, but in a way that you would never have dreamed of if your name was Smith, Jones or Brown. A truly superb and versatile family car that changes the way you approach your day out.
Nigel Crawford
March 2008
Model Driven:
Caravelle Executive 2.5-litre TDI PD 174 PS
6-speed Tiptronic Automatic Gearbox
£28,898 exc VAT OTR.
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