Volkswagen California review

It’s an icon. It’s the latest and greatest Volkswagen California. The archetypal campervan.

VW has been making campers since the 1950s, although technically until the turn of the century they were all built by Westfalia. When Westfalia was bought by Daimler-Chrysler in the early 2000s, VW decided that it needed to go it alone with Transporter-based campers and introduced the California name.

It’s worth noting that the moniker is used across VW’s campervans these days too, so while the van you see here is just known as the California, it sits in between the smaller Caddy California and the big boy Grand California.

What’s new then?

Well, there’s a fairly major change right from the off, because the California camper is now based on the Volkswagen Multivan rather than the Transporter van. The Multivan arrived back in 2021 and is based on the same MQB platform as the Golf, so while it may look exactly like your typical van, lots of the underpinnings are actually car-based.

What do those Multivan underpinnings mean for the California, though?

For a start, the new California is bigger than ever. It uses the longer-wheelbase Multivan as its base, so it’s 270mm longer and almost 40mm wider than the previous T6.1 Transporter-based Cali, although the height remains the same to make sure that it’ll still fit in multi-storey car parks. We’re told that height is why VW decided to use the Multivan as a base rather than the new Ford Transit-based Transporter.

Looks neater than before though, don’t you think? The Multivan gets the classic two-tone paintwork that we’re used to seeing on VW campervans, and the overhangs don’t look that awkward despite that long wheelbase.

The other major change that VW’s Commercial Vehicles arm is shouting about is the fact that all Californias now get sliding doors on both sides of the van. We’re told that this creates a new “three-zone concept” for living, which essentially refers to the space inside in the van and then outside on either side. Right. Still, it means that in theory you could stick an awning or tent on both sides, so that’s pretty neat.

Some things couldn’t change of course. All Californias still get a pop-up roof no matter the spec, and the interior is full of neat little storage solutions and easter eggs (not literally, sadly) to make your camping experience that little bit more luxurious.

Talk to me about powertrains…

As you might expect, diesel is still on the table. You can have a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that’s badged TDI and makes 148bhp and 266lb ft of torque.

If you want a bit more poke, the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol (badged TSI as with all VW products) makes 201bhp and 236lb ft of torque. Not that it really matters, but that also ups the top speed from 117mph to 124mph.

Both the petrol and diesel power the front wheels alone, but now for the first time in the California you can have a plug-in hybrid powertrain that drives all four wheels. That pairs a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a single electric motor and an as-yet-unnamed battery to provide 242bhp and hopefully a decent amount of electric range. That should officially arrive in 2025 and we’ll confirm full details then.

What are the different specs I can have?

There’s more detail over on the Buying tab of this review, because if we went through all the variations here you’d never actually get into the review proper. Still, it’s worth knowing that the California comes in Beach, Beach Tour, Beach Camper, Coast and Ocean trims. The former is the cheapest and the most car-like, with six seats in the cabin and space for two people to sleep under the pop top roof. As you go up the trim levels you get more camping equipment, more bed space and fewer seats.

So far we’ve only driven the top spec, full-fat California Ocean, so we’ll focus on that for now. Oh, and at this point it looks like you’ll only be able to buy from the Beach Camper upwards in the UK.

How much will it cost me?

Great question. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles hasn’t confirmed official pricing for the UK just yet and orders won’t open until later in 2024, but in Germany you can currently pick up a California Beach for €62,689, a Beach Camper for €69,472 and an Ocean for €84,359.

Bear in mind that those won’t come with all of the equipment found as standard in the UK though, and given that a previous generation Ocean topped out at £81,208, we expect the higher end of the range to stretch up to around £85,000.

As expected, the California remains a brilliant campervan. It’s all extremely clever and it’s clear how much thought goes into the interior design. It’s a camper that’s designed and built by people who actually camp. Handy.

With every generation the California gets new clever little features and small upgrades to make life in the wild that little bit easier. The move to the Multivan has made this latest generation the best driving Cali ever, and although you’re stuck with an annoying infotainment system, it really is a wonderful way to holiday. Those two sliding doors allow the camper to be central to your setup rather than it just being a bed that’s tucked away at the side of the pitch.

Chuck the sleeping bags in the back – we’re going away for the weekend.