James Duke, Business Development Manager, had the opportunity to test drive the long awaited new VW Multivan over a weekend. The whole team were looking forward to seeing this exciting new vehicle and it did not disappoint!
After many years of driving VW Transporters, I could hardly control my excitement when I heard we had a demo arriving for the All New VW Multivan. The family and I had planned a trip over the weekend which would cover around 500 miles, so I thought this was a perfect vehicle for the job.
The colour scheme was finished in deep black over fortana red pearlescent paint. This would not have been my first choice, especially at a £2,700 option compared to a £930 one-colour metallic. The chrome trim is a no cost option on the two tone paintwork, also. I personally think this is required to hide the very sharp change in paint mid-body panel. The dark-tinted windows were a standard no cost option.
The interior was nice and bright, the single choice of sand colour cloth interior was crying out for messy hand prints. I’d definitely recommend leather interior if the vehicle was being used for a young family. We found the movable centre console that slides from front to rear of the vehicle including two pop out laptop tables quite handy after visiting the drive-thru on our journey.
We had the 1.5TSi 136bhp engine, with my journey consisting of some motorways and some roads through the mountains of mid-Wales, I was keen to see if the miles per gallon did what it says on the tin. 35.3 miles per gallon is the official WLTP figures and based on the 57 litres used, my journey returned a good 40 miles per gallon.
Standard adaptive cruise control is good, with steering wheel controls made the cruising at a set speed and maintaining your desired distance behind the vehicle in front nice and relaxing. Lane keeping assist also came as standard, the vehicle helping to keep you within the white lines is still something I’m yet to be comfortable with.
Technology was standard, sat-nav is an additional option at £768. I found navigation for my journey via the standard Apple CarPlay good for the job. The 10” screen is very clear and effortless to tap through all the screens for the different vehicle settings.
The handling, relatively quiet cabin, smooth ride and level of comfort was good. The interior space was great with plenty of leg room for 7 people, fold-up tables behind the driver and passenger seat, with plenty of charging points for USB-C and 12v AUX power outputs.
Overall the car was good, with good build quality and engine performance, however, as a company car with a P11D starting at £42,258.00 and the CO2 of the petrol demonstrator I used coming in at 180gms CO2/km, this screams high BIK for the driver and high National Insurance Contributions for the business. My recommendation would be the hybrid 1.4TSi plug in electric version at 41gms CO2/km if looking to add this 7 seater to your vehicle choice list.
