Volkswagen California (2024 - ) review

It’s not a typical consideration for this section but if you include summer holiday accommodation and weekend breaks among running costs the ability to take – literally – the kitchen sink with you and stay wherever you want can save on hotels and B&Bs. That promise of freedom is very attractive, but the upfront investment remains pretty chunky. That said, the California does come equipped with pretty much everything you need, including camping chairs, table, fridge and a stove. More conventional running costs should be pretty reasonable going by our trip to Scotland in the diesel version, its easy 500-mile range taking the stress out while the high 30s mpg was impressive given the full load of four bikes, people and kit. You can also get the California as a petrol or a plug-in hybrid, the latter more expensive to buy but scoring you just over 50 miles of electric-only range on top of what the petrol engine can do on a tank. If you’re somehow managing to slip a camper through as a company car it’ll save you on things like Benefit In Kind and tax, too!

Incredibly the California is built on the same shared VW platform as the Golf, Tiguan and a host of other cars from brands within the wider group, which just goes to show how flexible the engineering is. That means it shares engines, gearboxes, electronics and more, all of which are well-proven. Last time we borrowed a Multivan we had some issues with the parking brake but that – thankfully – didn’t happen again. We did, however, have a problem with a vital bolt coming adrift in the mechanism for the powered ‘pop top’ sleeping quarters, meaning it wouldn’t close properly for our drive home from Scotland. Some lateral thinking (and a bit of ripe language) later we were able to bodge a fix to avoid overstaying our welcome on the campsite. In better news VW’s generous sounding 5+ Promise wraps up a five-year warranty with five annual services, three MoTs and five years of roadside assistance for no additional cost to the owner.

Another advantage of being based on modern car foundations is modern car safety tech, the California coming with all the sensors, safety aids and assistance features you could wish for. And, predictably, a few you wish would just pipe down, lane-keeping and nagging driver drowsiness detection included. There is at least a hot key on the dash where you can turn the less useful systems off. We did appreciate the radar cruise control on long motorway sections and the reassurance that when you’re using it as a regular family car day-to-day it’s just as safe as any other VW. To those ends the five-seat option on diesel-powered versions of the Beach trim includes Isofix mounts on the three rear seats, which is great for larger families.

It’s not often we rate cars for how comfortable they are to sleep in but all Californias have accommodation for four, though you’ll have to be on friendly terms with whomever you’re pairing up with in your chosen sleeping quarters. The upstairs pop-top has a proper sprung mattress but is a little chillier and more tent-like, those sleeping downstairs on the fold-out mat saying it was a little lumpier but still viable. The full camper configuration of our Ocean test vehicle meant two seats up front (these can rotate 180 degrees to form a lounge when parked) and two independently adjustable and folding ones in the rear. All are comfortable and we were very impressed with the refinement on the move, the California again benefiting from its car foundations in terms of how quiet and relaxed it is on a cruise compared with trad van-based alternatives, which can be somewhat crude to drive for their commercial roots.

Take your pick here between the standard five-seat Beach or four-seat Coast and Ocean. The former is more a ‘day van’ in the parlance, given it’s basically a Multivan with a fold-out upstairs bed and a pull-out stove and basic ‘kitchen’ in the boot where you can cook under the shelter of the tailgate. If your California has to double up as a family car in the week and a leisure vehicle at weekends this is probably the best option, but if you’re taking your camping more seriously the four-seater Beach and Coast have the full indoor cooker, sink, fridge, cupboards and more. All have a neat touch-pad in the back to control the many and various lighting, heating and power systems, which you can also do via a dedicated app. This helps you keep track of things like how much water you have for the sink, the state of the battery powering your lights and heating and more besides. We spent a sunny bank holiday weekend away in the Coast version and were incredibly impressed with how VW seems to have thought of everything, with the standard side awning, camping chairs hidden in the tailgate, a removable table mounted under the rear parcel shelf, clever and easily installed magnetic blackout blinds so you don’t get woken up too early by the morning sunshine and pretty much everything you need for a weekend away. There’s even a cute little VW-branded frying pan, though it’s so small you’ll need to fry your bacon one rasher at a time. Some of the above you’ll need to pay extra for depending on which version you go for, so consider your needs and consult the configurator accordingly – if you want all your home comforts it may be as well just going for the top Coast model where pretty much everything is included. It’s a similar story for the more conventional car stuff like navigation, additional tech like the adaptive cruise and suchlike. All Californias get VW’s digital instruments and large central screen, though, the software powering it thankfully more intuitive than in earlier iterations. Or you can just connect your phone wirelessly and use your favourite apps.

We tried the regular diesel version, which seems well-suited to the California for its easy-going pulling power, smooth automatic gearbox, impressive refinement and endurance between fill-ups. The plug-in hybrid is an interesting alternative, has more power and features all-wheel drive but adds cost and complexity you possibly don’t need. The pure petrol option on Ocean and Coast is there if you want it but, unfashionable as it might be, on this experience we’d probably just stick with the diesel. While it’s a big vehicle and not to be rushed the California’s car roots also make it easy to drive, and easy enough to get along with for those new to van life.