New Volkswagen California: camping with plug-in hybrid Multivan

The Volkswagen California was the camper version of the Transporter for decades, but it is no longer that. The brand new Volkswagen California is no longer based on the Transporter T6.1, but on the T7 Multivan. A completely different car than the Transporter. The current aging Transporter will be replaced by a new model based on the Ford Transit Custom, while the Volkswagen Multivan is an MQB-based car. Another big difference with the previous California? The new one will be available with plug-in hybrid powertrains. So you enter the campsite silently.

No more Transporter, but a Multivan. And the long version too. The new Volkswagen California is a converted Multivan in its longest form: the 5.17 meter long variant that, like the shorter variant, has a wheelbase of 3.12 meters. The new base makes the new California 27 centimeters longer and 4 centimeters wider than its predecessor. The standing height is 1.3 meters, but when you open the standard built-in lifting roof, you create no less than 2.11 meters of ga and stage space. In keeping with California tradition, the new one is also available in a two-stone color scheme. Three colors have been devised for the lifting roof, so not every California looks the same.

Volkswagen California

New plug-in hybrid, longer range

The previous California was only available in the Netherlands with 2.0 TDI diesel machines, but as far as we know, the new one does not have a self-igniter. Just like the Volkswagen Multivan, the new California is only available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. It consists of a 1.5 TSI and an electric motor, a combination that produces a system power of 245 hp. Indeed, a 1.5 and not a 1.4 as (yet) in the Multivan. Just like the plug-in hybrid versions of recently updated Volkswagens such as the Golf, Tiguan and Passat, the California has a new plug-in hybrid powertrain. Volkswagen does not report the electric range, but it could easily be greater than the 60 kilometers that the plug-in hybrid Multivan with the old drivetrain has to its name. Also interesting: Volkswagen gives the plug-in hybrid California 4Motion all-wheel drive. The Multivan is not yet available here with four-wheel drive.

The new basis of the California brings something new to the camper: an extra sliding door. The new Volkswagen California always has two. Also handy: Volkswagen’s leisure machine has an extendable sunshade on each side – provided you pay extra. Depending on the version chosen, the new California has what Volkswagen calls the Camper Control Unit. This is a touch screen placed on the inside of the C-pillar with which you can check, among other things, how much drinking water there is on board.

Volkswagen

Beach Camper, Coast and Ocean

Volkswagen will soon offer three variants of the California, each with its own seating arrangement. The range kicks off with the California Beach Camper. It seats five people, has a mini kitchen with a single gas burner, a cutlery drawer and a 230-volt connection. The kitchen unit is housed in a pull-out module in the luggage compartment. This variant has a 2.05 meter long and 1.14 meter wide mattress directly under the lifting deck.

Above that is the California Coast. It has four seats, but swiveling front seats and a real kitchenette. Kitchen cupboards and ‘place for a refrigerator’ – so that will be optional. This variant has a fold-out bed that is two meters long and over one meter wide. The top version is called Ocean. The California Ocean has things like seat heating, nicer interior upholstery, Climatronic climate control, a storage box on the ceiling and mood lighting for the kitchen unit. The water tank has – just like the Coast – a water tank with a capacity of 28 liters.

Dutch prices will follow, as will extensive technical specifications in the run-up to the Dutch market introduction. It is not yet known exactly when this will take place. We do know that the Volkswagen California will go into production this summer.