Volkswagen Multivan
HELLO
£59,545 OTR/£65,521 as tested/£665pcm
WHY IT’S HERE
Is this the SUV antidote you never knew you needed?
DRIVER
Peter Rawlins
THE VW MULTIVAN’S ARRIVAL TO THE TOPGEAR GARAGE COULDN’T have been better timed for me the day before I was due to head to Cornwall for a Christmas getaway mum brothers partners dog and all our luggage in tow Hardly the gentlest of introductions then
Despite its name the Multivan is actually not a van instead sharing the same platform as its VW car counterparts Ours is the plugin hybrid and mates a litre petrol engine with bhp emotor and kWh battery for a combined total of bhp and up to miles of erange
First up was the mile journey there It’s an easy thing to drive thanks to light steering and well weighted pedals although there is a fair amount of road noise at higher speeds Not enough to deter my notquite finishedforChristmasyet passengers from making conference calls along the way mind “It’s like a spaceship ” they agreed praising the armchairlike seating individual climate controls USB ports on every row and height adjustable centre console complete with cupholders and fold out tables It feels far better thought out than the ID Buzz
Over the next five days we did a further miles travelling around Cornwall where it quickly became apparent just how popular VW vans are round these parts Caddys Californias Caravelles they’re everywhere which meant the Multivan got plenty of attention But spend a week with one and it isn’t hard to see why with the Multivan simply taking the hassle out of every journey Particularly so heading home when the fivehour journey predictably ended up taking seven
For a trip like this it’s hard to argue against the Multivan It proved the perfect companion over the course of nearly miles as easy to drive as anything else out there while also impressively comfortable spacious and practical Now let’s see how it copes with day to day life