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California is 9000km from Germany, but the “California” name has been synonymous with Volkswagen campervans for decades.
The world of VW campervans is wide and wonderful and stretches back to the 1950s. Almost as soon as VW thought of making a van, people thought of great ways to turn it into a holiday home on wheels.
But the California model line is something special: it’s always signified a model designed and built by VW rather than an aftermarket modification. It dates back to a company called Westfalia, which was the official manufacturer of campervans for VW until 2001, when it was sold to a rival carmaker.
From that point VW decided to create its own lineup based on the Transporter, called California (although the Westfalia name was also used right though until 2012, because it was so familiar to buyers).
The first California was introduced in 2003 and since then, VW has created a campervan version of each Transporter series, full of clever design details like the folding table and chairs that can be stowed in the tailgate of the latest version.
But the California range has also expanded in the last couple of years to include other shapes and sizes. That expansion is quite literal when it comes to the Grand California, which was launched in New Zealand in 2020; while the core $155,000 California is based on the Transporter van, the Grand uses the larger Crafter as its base and takes space and luxury up another level.
Starting at $163,000, the Grand comes in either 600 or 680 models (the numbers indicate the length, 6 or 6.8 metres). The former is smaller, but actually provides more accommodation, with two double beds. The latter goes even further into luxury territory, being a two-berth only but with a larger queen-sized bed that’s approved by the German Chiropractic Association. The 680 is also slightly lower, as it doesn’t need to extra roof space for the top bunk.
Both Grand Californias are self-contained with a shower/toilet “wet room” and have fully configuration interior layouts; the driver and front-passenger seats swivel around to face the rear bench so four people can sit at the table for meals, for example.
But the Californa brand has also downsized in NZ with the recent introduction of a Caddy version. The Caddy is VW’s compact light commercial, but the $67,500 California goes big on clever packaging.
The five-seater can adapt to a two-seat layout with a folding rear bed (including cup springs and a mattress. It also keeps with California tradition by including a stowable folding table and chairs.
Curtains attach with magnets for the evening and there are dimmable lights in the interior. The rear curtains also become storage bags, holding up to 5kg on each side, and to aid ventilation, fly screens are integrated into the front doors, between the glass and frame.
The caddy can also match the cooking facilities of its larger siblings with the optional mini kitchen. Hinged to the left boot space, the single-hob gas cooker can be pulled out when the tailgate is open. The kitchen can be fitted locally by an authorised VW dealer for $4000+GST.
Keyword: California at home