Holiday hippy-trailers of all ages and generations take note. Volkswagen is launching its biggest and best equipped campervan ever.
The new 6m-long family-oriented Grand California has everything including the kitchen sink - as well as its first ever bathroom with WC and shower and a new sleeping area in the rear, plus optional high bunk beds for children.
It's a far cry from the much-loved VW campervan of the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies, many of which are still on the road and lovingly cared for by owners. But it aims to cater for that same go-anywhere spirit, albeit in style and comfort.
The Grand California, based on the larger Crafter commercial vehicle, rather than the existing Transporter van, has its world premiere at the Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf later this month ahead of sale in Europe early next year.
All-wheel drive is an option and the high roof has been aerodynamically shaped to help reduce fuel consumption.
The large dining table seats four. There's a pull-out 70-litre fridge with freezer, a twin-hob gas cooker, sink and drawers, storage compartments and tip-up shelves.
Bathroom fittings, in addition to loo and shower, include a foldout wash basin. Lights even switch on automatically via motion detectors.
The vehicle can carry 110 litres of water and there's a connection for an external shower. An electrically powered step makes access easier and a mosquito net is built into the door.
Options include roof-mounted air conditioning, awning, rear bicycle rack and camping table and chairs stowed in the wing doors.
For 'green' campers, a roof-mounted solar panel system will also be available.
Driver assistance systems include automated ‘city emergency braking’, ‘Lane Assist’ to help the driver stay in lane, a blind spot monitor for changing lane, rear traffic alert for reversing out of parking spaces and park assist for steering into them.
There’s also adaptive cruise control and a rear-view reversing camera.
The VW California was first launched in 1988 since when more than 160,000 have been sold globally. More than 7,000 have been in the UK since arriving in 2006.
The original VW Campervan developed post-war from a ‘home-made’ parts-mover, based on a Beetle chassis and used at the Wolfsburg factory when being run by the British occupying forces, which was transformed into a van. From 1950 converters quickly created camping versions which became icons of the Hippy Trail.
An electric-powered campervan called ID Buzz is planned to be launched in 2020.
- Daily Mail
