fleming
01-06-2009, 03:45 AM
Volkswagen's glory days hark back to cutesy people's car, the Beetle, the marque's most popular model to date. What was its second people mover project? You'd be forgiven for quoting the Golf. But not if you are an inhabitant of Germany, home to the 'Bully'. Volkswagen's first generation transporter, code named Tl, started off as a humble people and goods mover. It soon attained cult status and the interesting nick name came from the love of the 70s flower power generation for the cutesy Tl. Since then, the Tl has evolved to the present generation TS, representing the constantly changing face of automobiles. The Transporter sports a variety of name tags, like Caravelle, Multivan, Business and California, depending on market and trim. Why, the Transporter can be customised from a range of 64 different configurations based on individual needs.
With the Caddy vans being too expensive (in its segment) for India, VW Nutzfahrzeuge (commercial vehicle division) chose to go with the Transporter to spearhead its range that is soon to hit Indian showrooms. The ultra spacious Crafter will be the second weapon of choice. With the company already delivering some of these through their dealerships, the luxo-vans would soon be officially launched once the homologation formalities are accomplished. Enough reason for me to set out on my first outing on the no-speed¬barrier German autobahns in these highway munchers aiming to conquer the luxury people mover segment in the country.
Targeted at star hoteliers and executive tour operators, both the vehicles are handsome looking in keeping with their high-end status. The Caravelle's typically van-like boxy shell is smoothened by the stubby front as well as the well executed grille, head lamps and bumper. The large glass area over the pillars and spanning the rear three quarters, gives the van an air of sophistication. The Transporter features a sliding door for access to the rear seats, which can be fitted on either or both sides for convenience. The rear houses split-open vertical doors for easy access to the spacious luggage compartment.
495
Being big on the outside surely means a lot of room inside and the 9-seater (including driver) variant I got to sample around Hanover, Germany was no exception. The middle row features a 2+ 1 layout with the single seat folding down to allow entry to the rear passenger bench, meant for three. Given the long wheelbase, there is no dearth of leg room even at the third row. The seats are wide enough too, so there is no uncomfortable squeezing in for passengers and the head room is good enough for loaded turbanators. Coming to the front row, the test car came with a 2+ 1 seat, with a separate one for the driver. The dash is clean cut and the wide centre console housing the navigation system and controls for the climate control dominates the cockpit. The gearshift is incorporated into the design, making it easier to shift gears with two co-passengers on board. With our market still not in tune with the sat-nav melody, expect a decent music system to swap places with it for India, while climate control would surely be standard.
Behind the wheels, the Caravelle feels quite like a compact utility vehicle till you see its long expanse in the rear-view mirror. With a responsive engine and great steering, it is easy on the driver, be it open highways or tight small town lanes. Though I'm not used to driving vans, it took me no time to get accustomed to its car like feel and nimble handling on the twisties. Mated to a six-speed gear¬box with nicely sorted ratios for city and highway use, the 2459cc engine develops 174PS at 3500rpm and a mighty 400Nm of torque peaking between 2000rpm and 2300rpm. It feels quick and capable of taking this large vehicle smoothly to 160kmph plus speeds. The Caravelle feels rock steady at such speeds and high speed lane changes too are not a bother. The well paved roads throughout didn't offer any scope to sample the ride quality but the Caravelle seemed to absorb the irregularities in concrete effectively and should fare well over our road conditions.
The Caravelle scores high on safety too, with ABS and ESP being standard. Airbags are standard for front passengers while side airbags are available as option. The vehicle is completely customisable and the seating can be altered. We also had the chance to spot the high end 'Business' variant with just four facing seats and interiors draped in rich leather and wood, complete with electrically operated sliding doors for business tycoons on the move.
With the Caddy vans being too expensive (in its segment) for India, VW Nutzfahrzeuge (commercial vehicle division) chose to go with the Transporter to spearhead its range that is soon to hit Indian showrooms. The ultra spacious Crafter will be the second weapon of choice. With the company already delivering some of these through their dealerships, the luxo-vans would soon be officially launched once the homologation formalities are accomplished. Enough reason for me to set out on my first outing on the no-speed¬barrier German autobahns in these highway munchers aiming to conquer the luxury people mover segment in the country.
Targeted at star hoteliers and executive tour operators, both the vehicles are handsome looking in keeping with their high-end status. The Caravelle's typically van-like boxy shell is smoothened by the stubby front as well as the well executed grille, head lamps and bumper. The large glass area over the pillars and spanning the rear three quarters, gives the van an air of sophistication. The Transporter features a sliding door for access to the rear seats, which can be fitted on either or both sides for convenience. The rear houses split-open vertical doors for easy access to the spacious luggage compartment.
495
Being big on the outside surely means a lot of room inside and the 9-seater (including driver) variant I got to sample around Hanover, Germany was no exception. The middle row features a 2+ 1 layout with the single seat folding down to allow entry to the rear passenger bench, meant for three. Given the long wheelbase, there is no dearth of leg room even at the third row. The seats are wide enough too, so there is no uncomfortable squeezing in for passengers and the head room is good enough for loaded turbanators. Coming to the front row, the test car came with a 2+ 1 seat, with a separate one for the driver. The dash is clean cut and the wide centre console housing the navigation system and controls for the climate control dominates the cockpit. The gearshift is incorporated into the design, making it easier to shift gears with two co-passengers on board. With our market still not in tune with the sat-nav melody, expect a decent music system to swap places with it for India, while climate control would surely be standard.
Behind the wheels, the Caravelle feels quite like a compact utility vehicle till you see its long expanse in the rear-view mirror. With a responsive engine and great steering, it is easy on the driver, be it open highways or tight small town lanes. Though I'm not used to driving vans, it took me no time to get accustomed to its car like feel and nimble handling on the twisties. Mated to a six-speed gear¬box with nicely sorted ratios for city and highway use, the 2459cc engine develops 174PS at 3500rpm and a mighty 400Nm of torque peaking between 2000rpm and 2300rpm. It feels quick and capable of taking this large vehicle smoothly to 160kmph plus speeds. The Caravelle feels rock steady at such speeds and high speed lane changes too are not a bother. The well paved roads throughout didn't offer any scope to sample the ride quality but the Caravelle seemed to absorb the irregularities in concrete effectively and should fare well over our road conditions.
The Caravelle scores high on safety too, with ABS and ESP being standard. Airbags are standard for front passengers while side airbags are available as option. The vehicle is completely customisable and the seating can be altered. We also had the chance to spot the high end 'Business' variant with just four facing seats and interiors draped in rich leather and wood, complete with electrically operated sliding doors for business tycoons on the move.