Volkswagen Multivan 2020 Review

It’s jam packed full of creature comforts and technology to appeal to all who take the wheel or melt into any one of its seven super comfortable seats. The downside – only 25 of these limited-edition vans were brought into New Zealand.

An office on wheels

For over 70 years, Volkswagen has developed and built a van for almost every occasion. Going all the way back to the T1 (AKA the 950s Kombi) to the T6, the next generation seems to get more exciting each time. We’re now up to the T6.1 range, which includes the new Multivan, California and Transporter.

Besides campers, not many vehicles feature rotating seats – the Multivan features a sort of a mobile lounge or office setup, so to speak. Both side doors open at the touch of the remote button, which proves incredibly handy when your hands are full.

Full of safety features

Now that most new vehicles have switched over to electric or electromechanical steering, safety technology has been able to advance rapidly, and the Volkswagen Multivan benefits from that. Intelligent driver assistance systems like Cross Wind Assist, Side Assist, Forward Collision Warning and Start/Stop Regenerative Braking are now able to be included as part of the package. This allows the driver to relax somewhat with the confidence of transporting the family safely.

The Cruise Edition raises the bar for passenger transport, and includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping as standard. This variant also adds details like the Chrome package, LED headlights and heated seats. You would easily get into ‘holiday mode’ while loading your gear into the back and heading off to the family bach or campground.

Comfort at the heart

The Cruise also features a three-zone air conditioning system for the comfort of all seating rows. If you’re a fan of the odd night getaway and don’t mind using the van as your digs, there’s also an option called the ‘Good Night Package’ which adds a Multiflex board (shelf/table in the boot), fabric blackout panels for the windows, mini reading light, washable cover and three draws under the rear bench seat.

Cruising around Auckland certainly turned heads, even more so than some of the performance-oriented cars we’ve tested recently. Admittedly, this is partly down to the two-tone colour scheme which is an additional $2,500.

On the road

We loved the way the Volkswagen Multivan drove. Our baby seat fitted incredibly easily (all seats have ISOFIX and top tether mounting points) and once we got the hang of moving the seats and table around, the whole space provided a great place to sit and enjoy a coffee, particularly when the weather outside wasn’t the best. Once you get the hang of operating the Park Assist, you can park in spaces you didn’t think you could with confidence, with the vehicle taking control of the steering and the driver pedals.

The 2.0-litre diesel turbo diesel engine and DSG gearbox proved a winning combination, with smooth gear changes and power delivery with reasonable fuel efficiency.

Multivan by name, Multivan by nature, this is a fantastic van that has a little bit of luxury and is perfectly suited to both work and play.

Safety systems

• Front Assist with Emergency Brakes
• Multi-Collision Brake
• Crosswind Assist
• Blindspot Monitoring with Rear Traffic Alert
• Front and Rear Park Distance Control with rear view camera
• Driver and front passenger airbags with passenger airbag deactivation
• Side and curtain airbags front, and curtain airbags in rear passenger compartment
• Adaptive Cruise Control

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• AA Car Reviews - aa.co.nz/car-reviews
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