88 SpecialIssue
OURCARS LivingwithaVolkswagenCaifornia
THIRD REPORTTHIRDREPORTTCampervanhasCampervanhas been ahome from home while Rich’s house is done upbbbbbeen ahome from home whileRi h’ h i d
VolkswagenCalifornia
MYwifeandIhavebeenenduring
somefairlyextensivehomerenovations
overthepastfewmonths.Liftingtheroof
offacrumblingVictorianterracedhouse
createssuchalargeamountofdustthatit
seemstocoverprettymucheverycrack,
creviceandcupboardinsight.
Butthisisimmediatelylessproblematic
whenyouhaveagleamingnewVolkswagen
Californiasittingoutside.Ourlavishly
equippedcampervansimplycouldn’t
havearrivedatabettertime.
Farfrompackingourbagsandtakingoff
forthenearestcampsite,inrecentweeks
AnnaandIhavebeenpitchingupright
outsidethehouse.Withourownkitchen
completelyoutofaction,thetwo-ringgas
hobandsmallfridgehavesavedusfroman
unhealthytakeawayaddiction,allowingus
tosafelystoresomebasicprovisionsinthe
vanduringtherecentwarmweather.
Betterstill,drivingtoandfromtheoffice
–withtheoccasionallongertripthrownin
forgoodmeasure–haskeptthebatteries
toppedupandthefoodniceandcool.
Volkswagenclaimsthepowerwillrunfor
aroundthreedayswithoutusingtheengine
oranexternalplug,butinourexperience
itlastsevenlongerthanthat.
Wehaven’tactuallybeensleepinginthe
van,becauseourmainbedroomhasbeen
sealedofffromthedustbowl,butwhen
thebuilderschuckusoutat7.30am,the
California’susefulfeaturessaveusfrom
reachingworkmessyandungroomed.
Thelargewatertank,forexample,isnot
onlyhelpfulformakingteaandcoffeein
themorning,italsoallowsustowashour
dishesandbrushourteeth.There’seven
amirrorhiddeninoneofthecupboards,
whichmeansIcanhaveaquickshave
beforetheslowandtediousdrivein.
HereatAutoExpress,we’reabletowork
fromhomeonceortwiceaweek.Formany,
that’sagreatopportunitytocatchupon
workwithouttheusualofficedistractions,
butduringourrenovationsithasn’tbeen
possible.However,theCalifornia’s
flexibilityhasallowedmetoopenupthe
roofandfolddownthetable,usingthe
“With our kitchen out
of action, the hob and
fridgehavesaved us”
spaceasamobileoffice.IfI’mparkedclose
enoughtothehouse,IcanevenuseourWiFi.
Awayfromhome,theCalicontinues
tosuitourlifestyleperfectly.Asweprepare
forabigEuropeanroadtripinthecoming
weeks,thecampervandoesabrilliantjob
offerryingustoandfromourvarious
weekendactivities,whetherthat’satrip
downsouthtoseemyparents,oraday
cyclingaroundtheSurreyhills.
Thebikerackisasemi-permanent
arrangementstrappedtothetailgate,but
whileitmightrestrictrearwardvisibility
somewhat,itmakesmovingourtwo-
wheeledtransportaroundadoddle.I’m
eventryingtoplanaweekendawaywith
threefriends,becausetheCaliforniacan
carryuptofourcyclesinonego.
Oftheotheroptionswespecifiedat
thepointoforder,it’stheadaptivecruise
controlwe’vefoundmostuseful.Despite
itssize,thepowerfuldieselengineshifts
theVolkswagen’sweightwithoutissue,
whichcanseeyourspeedcreepupon
themotorway.Settingthevan’scruise
tothedesiredlimitmeanswe’resaved
fromanyunwelcomespeedingfines.
Onegripewedohaveiswiththejerky
DSGgearbox.Aroundtowntheautomatic
transmissioninitiallyfeelsratherslowand
Saddle up
Folding bike
rack has space
forfour cycles,
so our man
is planning
atrip with three
of his mates
unresponsive,butgivetheCalitoomany
revsandthevanwilllurchforward.
Aswithanyhigh-sidedvehicle,however,
aslowandsteadyapproachispreferable.
TheCaliforniafeelsrightathomeonthe
motorway,wheretheoccasionallyrattly
dieselenginesettlesdownnicely.Wind
noiseisn’tanissueeither,evenwiththe
gargantuandoormirrorsandbulky
awningstrappedtotheVW’sside.
Richard Ingram
[email protected]
@rsp_ingram