Review
/5
- Pros:
- Spacious cabin
- Good quality interior
- Diesels offer impressive economy
- Cons:
- Boxy shape
- There are cheaper alternatives
- Ride is uncomfortable
reviewed by Carbuyer
"Boxy van-like looks but also boasts van-like practicality thanks to a hugely spacious cabin."
At a glance
- The greenest
- 2.0 BiTDI 180 PS Business DSG 5dr
£65,985 - The cheapest
- 2.0 BiTDI 180 PS Edition 25 DSG 5dr
£44,995 - The fastest
- 2.0 BiTDI 180 PS Edition 25 DSG 5dr
£44,995 - Top of the range
- 2.0 BiTDI 180 PS Business DSG 4Motion 5dr
£68,855
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As fans of the Caravelle will tell you, underneath the van like bodywork, you'll find a very capable people carrier with a hugely flexible interior that features sliding seats, a folding table, plenty of storage spaces and impressive interior quality. Engines are limited to two diesel engines and there are manual and automatic gearboxes to choose from too. There's even the option of a four-wheel drive model. Car's are surprisingly easy to drive, particularly those equipped with the firm's seamless DSG automatic gearbox.
Drive
Diesel engines are punchy and handling is safe
There are two diesel engines available in the Caravelle range – both 2.0-litre units but one is badged TDi and the other BiTDi. With 178bhp, the latter is the more powerful of the two and manages to launch the Caravelle from 0-62mph in 11.4 seconds. The former has only 138bhp and is roughly three seconds slower to 62mph. The sense you get from driving the Caravelle is that of security, it always feels very planted and can be quite agile at times. The let-down is the unresponsive steering which requires more turns than normal to get a response.
Comfort
Spacious and quiet but ride could be more comfortable
The Caravelle boasts plenty of interior room so it's good for carrying passengers. The only problem is a slightly firm ride which can get tiresome over long journeys. On the plus side, refinement is very good and the diesel engines can barely be heard in the cabin. The clever folding seats are all very comfortable too.
Reliability
Trademark Volkswagen reliability should ensure very little goes wrong
Volkswagen back up the Caravelle with a comprehensive three year/ 100,000 miles warranty so you should be confident that nothing will go wrong. As far as safety is concerned, the Caravelle managed to score four out of five in the Euro NCAP crash safety test and all models come with six airbags as standard as well as a stability control system.
Practicality
Flexible seating and a huge boot
With sliding, removable and folding seats in the rear there are plenty of different arrangements for passengers. They can be positioned facing each other, or in a more traditional airline style set-up depending on preferences. Boot space varies depending on the amount of seats you have in place but the maximum load carrying capacity is on a par with commercial vans.
Value for money
Expensive price-tag, we recommend you go for top-spec Executive models
It's a large car and that goes some way towards justifying its large price-tag. It's worth remembering though that there are far cheaper alternatives out there. If you do opt for the Caravelle then you'll find that basic models get air-con, electric windows and alloy wheels. More expensive Executive models get automatic air-con, cruise control and even heated seats.
Running costs
For a large car, the Caravelle is surprisingly efficient. It will still be expensive to run though
The more powerful BiTDi engine is actually cheaper to run than the 138bhp TDi unit. That being said, with CO2 emissions of 199g/km it will still cost around £235 a year to tax. The same engine also manages 37.2mpg on the combined cycle. Go for the super-smooth DSG gearbox and these figures get worse, pushing up running costs.
*Our monthly finance prices are updated on a regular basis, but due to the dynamic nature of the market are not guaranteed accurate. You can always confirm the monthly finance price with FinanceAcar.
