The new California variant of the Volkswagen T7 Multivan minibus has been launched with outdoorsy lifestyles in mind.
It has formed part of the Volkswagen range options and the latest version is 5,173mm long, 1,941mm wide with a 3,124mm wheelbase. Beach, Beach Tour, Beach Camper, Coast and Ocean are the five options available at launch and all come standard with a pop-up roof.
Innovations include a plug-in hybrid drive model, a California app running through a smartphone and a control unit using a five” touch display that allows the California to switch to camping mode at the touch of a screen or through a smartphone app. Information on the fresh and wastewater levels, interior lighting, power supply status, refrigerator and auxiliary heater can be accessed through the control unit or the app.
All new California models now have twin opening rear doors for easy access and in entry-level Beach guise customers get six seats and a mattress for two people. The Beach Tour adds rotating driver and front passenger seats, two folding chairs in the boot lid, lighting in the pop-up roof, including a gooseneck lamp, 45W USB ports, sliding windows in the sliding doors and a camper van control screen.
International Launch
The new VW California Camper is the ultimate road trip companion
The new California variant of the Volkswagen T7 Multivan minibus has been launched with outdoorsy lifestyles in mind.
It has formed part of the Volkswagen range options and the latest version is 5,173mm long, 1,941mm wide with a 3,124mm wheelbase. Beach, Beach Tour, Beach Camper, Coast and Ocean are the five options available at launch and all come standard with a pop-up roof.
Innovations include a plug-in hybrid drive model, a California app running through a smartphone and a control unit using a five” touch display that allows the California to switch to camping mode at the touch of a screen or through a smartphone app. Information on the fresh and wastewater levels, interior lighting, power supply status, refrigerator and auxiliary heater can be accessed through the control unit or the app.
All new California models now have twin opening rear doors for easy access and in entry-level Beach guise customers get six seats and a mattress for two people. The Beach Tour adds rotating driver and front passenger seats, two folding chairs in the boot lid, lighting in the pop-up roof, including a gooseneck lamp, 45W USB ports, sliding windows in the sliding doors and a camper van control screen.
The Beach Tour is a five-seater with three individual rear seats, with the backrests of the two outer rears foldable to create sleeping space for an additional two passengers on the supplied extra mattress. It also gains a 40Ah battery on-board and a folding table. This item is secured in the load compartment on the move.
The California Beach Camper is a five-seater equipped with a pull-out mini-kitchen at the rear. It has a 230V power connection, a gas cooker, cutlery drawer and additional storage space.
The four-seat California Coast offers two individual rear seats, a fully-fledged kitchenette on the driver’s side and an additional battery.
The California Ocean is the flagship model with four seats and additional equipment and details, including upmarket Mélange Raven seat fabric and embroidered California lettering onto the backrests of the heated front seats, auxiliary air heater and automatic air conditioning.
Additional standard equipment in the California Ocean includes background lighting in the kitchenette, a 28l freshwater tank, a 230V exterior power socket and an exterior folding table that can be used inside as an extension to the standard worktop.
Three engines are available to all models, all paired with an automatic transmission. Customers can opt for a 110kW four-cylinder diesel or a petrol engine with 150kW, both driving the front wheels. There’s also a new plug-in hybrid drive combining a 1.5l TSI petrol engine with an electric motor and 4 Motion all-wheel drive. It’s rated to tow a maximum 2,000kg.
The new Volkswagen California is available in 11 single-tone paint finishes and Mono Silver/Energetic Orange metallic, Deep Black Pearl/Fontana Red metallic and Candy White solid/Starlight Blue metallic two-tone.
The pop-up roof’s three-layer bellows can be configured in Toffee Brown, Glacier Blue and Basalt Grey and in addition, seven different 16", 17", 18" and 19" alloy wheels are available.
Volkswagen South Africa says local introduction of the new California is not yet confirmed.
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