VW California: For small and large escapes from everyday life
The hippies in California were the first to recognize the versatile characteristics of the "VW Microbus" sung about by Arlo Guthrie. For them, the VW bus was more than just a simple transporter, but rather a vehicle for travel and leisure, transporting the mostly young contemporaries to festivals, to the beach with a surfboard on the roof or simply on a trip to unknown latitudes. This eventually developed into the California. Since then, more than 280,000 camper vans with this name have left the factory in Hanover. Now the latest generation of the recreational vehicle is coming onto the market.
Vokswagen Commercial Vehicles has thoroughly revised the California without changing the classic features of the model. "Our California," said Carsten Intra, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at the model's world premiere in Berlin, "is still the perfect combination of everyday life and camping." Intra explained at the world premiere in Berlin that the model will now also become a separate brand within the Volkswagen Group. "We will also be presenting our new California Universe at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf in the autumn, which brings together new offers for our customers."
The new California completes the transition from the previous T6 to the Multivan T7 and is being launched in five versions. The basis is the "Beach" with passenger car registration and is more or less a Multivan with a manual pop-up roof and six seats as well as two sleeping berths. The "Beach Tour" comes to customers with swivel front seats, two folding chairs in the tailgate and the new camper control unit in the C-pillar as well as a folding table. The "Beach Camper" with classic camper van registration has a mini kitchen with a single-burner gas hob.
The "Coast" is more luxurious with a full kitchenette and a second camper battery. The kitchen block benefits from the increased length of the California, creating more space in the interior. The refrigerator can now also be opened from the outside. The top model in the range is the "Ocean" with four seats and heated seats for the driver and front passenger as well as automatic air conditioning and a larger water tank. All versions now have sliding doors on both sides for the first time, creating an open three-room atmosphere thanks to the standard awning and a sun sail.
The California uses the Group's MQB platform, which translates into the long version of the current Multivan. The model now measures 5.17 meters in length (predecessor 4.90 meters), resulting in a spacious interior thanks to the increased wheelbase of 3.12 meters. A TDI engine with 150 hp (110 kW) and a direct petrol injection engine with 204 hp (150 kW) are available. A new addition to the range is a plug-in hybrid with all-wheel drive, which develops a system output of 245 PS (180 kW). The electric range should be at least 90 kilometers.
Those responsible are still keeping quiet about the prices, but the price list should not differ significantly from the current rates. The entry-level version will probably start at around 60,000 euros. (aum)
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VW California Beach, Ocean and Coast (from left).
Photo: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Volkswagen
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VW California Beach (left) and Ocean.
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Photo: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Volkswagen
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Photo: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Volkswagen
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Photo: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Volkswagen
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Photo: Autoren-Union Mobilität/Volkswagen
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