HOTEL CALIFORNIA(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 40

Why does a camper have to be based on a van? Volkswagen doesn't think it does and wheels out this seventh generation MPV-based California model as proof. Despite dispensing with commercial roots, it's more practical and versatile than ever before.

Background word count: 174

This isn't just a different kind of Volkswagen California; it's a different kind of camper full-stop. Until now, campers have always been based on vans; certainly, the California model lineage always has been, with roots going all the way back to 1950s motorhome conversions of the brand's original Type 2 van. More recent Californias have been based on the Wolfsburg maker's Transporter LCV, but this seventh generation version switches for the first time to a car-derived platform, the MQB architecture used for all Volkswagen's medium-sized combustion models. That's because for this new California generation, the fundamentals are not from the new generation Transporter commercial (as many had expected), but from the large Multivan MPV. Keeping the California Transporter-based would have enabled introduction of an EV variant, but the brand has planned a camper version of the ID.Buzz to fill that niche. Instead, this MK7 California offers the option of Plug-in Hybrid tech and cheerfully embraces all the practical advantages that adoption of the long wheelbase Multivan platform gives it. Let's take a closer look.