Volkswagen Grand California 600 (2025 - ) review

The Volkswagen Crafter platform, into which the Grand California campers are built, has a reputation for being good to drive. The 2.0-litre diesel engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox work together so well, providing good speed and smooth handling. Safety is high with the systems provided as standard including emergency braking (while driving and reversing), lane and travel assist, alongside various alerts and pings to make sure the driver knows they're being looked after. Steering is light, despite the size of the vehicle, and the low turning circle removes any cornering worries. The only thing new drivers will need to get used to is the size of the vehicle – it’s six metres long and three metres tall. The driver and passenger seats, both revolving captain’s chairs, are very comfortable with two armrests each. And behind those is a two-person bench seat with seatbelts and Isofix points, allowing a family of four to enjoy their travels in relative comfort. The infotainment screen is easy to connect to, includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and is surrounded by plenty of cupholders and USB sockets. It's hard to fault a Volkswagen van in the driving category.

On the outside, the Grand California is all Volkswagen style in a variety of colourways. You CAN have it in a solid white, grey or silver, but we’re confident most people will choose one of the attractive two-tone paint schemes – the vehicle we tested was Oyster Silver and Indium Grey, but you can have it in white and beige, white and red, and white and blue. However, inside the camper you get dark brown wood-effect flooring against sterile white (and a bit of grey) on all of the fixtures and fittings. It’s the kind of interior that looks modern and stylish at first glance, but marks up easily and can feel cold in comparison to more homely interiors. That said, this camper is built to last and colour schemes are subjective. It’s a well thought out internal space making great use of the Crafter’s interior. It’s also well-lit thanks to the big skylights at both ends of the vehicle and plenty of LED lighting strips. The only questionable design choice is the overwhelming amount of white surfaces, especially considering this is marketed as a family vehicle. A highlight of design is the over-cabin bed that slides out onto a self-deploying bracket, clicks into place and provides enough sleeping space for two children or one child and an adult. So yeah, it’s pretty standard campervan design inside and enough Volkswagen class on the outside.

While you might not like the white interior, the use of space is excellent and the inclusion of a camping table and two folding chairs as standard means you have indoor and outdoor living solutions. The vehicle is fitted with a 110-litre fresh water tank and a 90-litre waste water tank, with the fresh water tank benefitting from frost protection and both tanks have fill level sensors. Just make sure you scope out where the various connections and water intakes are on the vehicle, one is hiding on the same side as the sliding door and you really don't want to destroy the cover. The awning, an optional extra, was easy to deploy and provided a nice bit of shade. Meanwhile, the living/dining area is relatively spacious with a fold-out, clip-in table and four seats. The bathroom is also very white with a sink, cabinet, cassette toilet and shower fittings so you can take advantage of the hot water system and have a wash. Two gas bottles can be carried in the back and feed the cooker and the heating system, and you can heat up water using the gas or electricity. The leisure battery will run your lights for a few days (we didn’t experience a loss of power once) which really helped our night of wild camping because we left a nightlight on all night. The light bar of LEDs running under the awning was a notable standard addition that made sitting outside during the evening very pleasant. It's a very easy campervan to live with; kudos to the designers for the interior revamp.

The Grand California lineup all feature the same kitchen unit (can't really call it an ‘area’) filled with drawers and a couple of extendable extra surfaces. On top of this unit is a twin hob and sink (no oven), the main draws, a small access flap to the gas taps and a 70-litre refrigerator/freezer. The side door can be left fully open to ventilate while cooking, and has a very handy set of twin mosquito net shutters that meet in the middle and completely seal you in and flies out. Cook what you need then retire to the living/dining area or extend the awning and set up your seats and folding table. It’s a foolproof dining situation and was used to provide our family-of-three testers with fried breakfasts and mocha pot coffees both mornings.

The main bed is at the back of the vehicle, sleeping two adults comfortably across the width of the vehicle on its 1.9-metre by 1.3-metre mattress. The secondary over-cabin bed, available as an option, sleeps two children, or one child and one adult – the left side measuring 1.9 metres long and the right measuring 1.6 metres long. The main bed’s mattress sits on plate springs that make the thin mattress way more comfortable, while the upper bed has slats and is just as comfortable. Device charging sockets and storage surround both beds, and the main bed sits underneath most of the vehicle’s overhead storage lockers. The middle section of the main bed can fold open allowing access to even more storage underneath. Our family-of-three testers spent two nights in the vehicle, one night in the wild and one on a campsite, with few complaints. Well, nothing that a cup of coffee, hot shower and cooked breakfast couldn’t solve!

It’s expensive, there’s no use beating around the bush about it. You can get bigger campers for the same money with more cosy interiors, but it won’t be a Volkswagen camper. But the quality, design and good use of space is there so you won’t feel shortchanged. The options list is as juicy as you’d expect, with bike racks, awnings, SAT devices and towbars feeling like must-haves but they will swell the £80K-plus price. So, it’s expensive, but we hazard that if you want a VW Grand California 600 there will be little capable of stopping you. The fact it’s also covered by Volkswagen’s 5+ Promise is a big boost to returns on your investment. With that package you get five services, three MOTs, a five-year warranty and five years of roadside assistance as standard. That’s huge!

You’ll buy the Volkswagen Grand California 600 because you want a family-friendly campervan that makes good use of its internal space and drives like a dream. Sure, you might have seen some other campers that offered more homely interiors for a bit less money, but the Volkswagen name and exterior styling will have been too strong a temptation. And we couldn’t really blame you.