Ocean drive

Nick Harding ventures out in the latest, high-tech version of a campervan classic

Make no bones about it, this is the most technologically advanced campervan or motorhome I’ve ever used. Volkswagen’s California needs little introduction as an icon of the campervan world – but this version takes it to a whole new level of special. Not only is it a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) – with a petrol engine as well as electric motors for each axle – it also has Volkswagen’s on-demand 4Motion all-wheel drive system. The starting point is the car-based Multivan (not to be confused with the T7 Transporter van) and, true to California form, it’s a four-person campervan with electronic elevating roof and all manner of clever bits of kit. But just how practical is it? Let’s take a closer look.

Build quality – 92%

Volkswagen has been making its own Californias since 2003 in a dedicated factory alongside the new Multivan production plant in Hanover, Germany.

Prices start at £85,415 for the California Ocean eHybrid 4Motion under review here. Our test vehicle also came with Indium Grey metallic paint (£984) and a retractable towbar (£948), but there is plenty more on the options list. Do be aware there’s not a particularly high payload.

It’s 10in longer than the T6.1 Transporter-based California and slightly wider. You also now get sliding side doors each side, with opening windows. The wind-out awning is standard, but you’ll notice it’s switched to the UK nearside.

Inside, the campervan fittings centre around Volkswagen’s own aluminium-edged furniture – it’s very strong and very light.

Gone is the (admittedly far less comfortable for travel) bench seat that converts so easily into a double bed. Instead, the latest twin seats recline flat and padded boards fold over to make the bed. They both come with Isofix and are easy to adjust on floor rails.

Driving – 94%

Modern cab

Economy figures are very impressive. Volkswagen quotes a WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure) combined figure of 313mpg, while the 19.7kWh lithium-ion battery gives up to 54 miles of electric-only driving between charges. It’s also environmentally friendly, with an official combined CO2 emissions figure of 19-22g/km.

The cab itself is a model of modernity, with its digital instrument displays and main information system including a reversing camera, lots of connectivity, etc.

One criticism – the sliding doors to the furniture seemed to rattle while on the move. That aside, quite simply, this is the best campervan I’ve ever driven.

Daytime – 86%

The California’s long-proven floorplan features a spacious four-seater lounge area that plenty of larger van conversions struggle to provide. The table is a clip-on unit that’s tucked between the back of the kitchen unit and the nearside sliding door – it can also be used outside with the door open, or as a worktop extension to the kitchen, but it’s not large enough if you have four dining.

There is a larger, free-standing table (neatly tucked away under the bed extension for access via the tailgate) which can be squeezed inside. It actually has lugs so it can slot into the kitchen unit for extra stability – but I found it just a bit too big and a bit too high for comfortable use indoors.

An all-encompassing camper control unit on the offside sliding door pillar allows you to sort the lighting and heating, right up to on-board air conditioning.

Night-time – 85%

Lower double bed

The elevating roof is an absolute doddle to use. The sides and front feature a multi-layer technical fabric and the side panels are larger than ever, with zipped mesh sections for ventilation and to keep the bugs out. Plus you can open up pretty much the whole of the front section when the weather allows.

The better bed is up here, too. It’s some 2m (6ft 7in) x 1.14m (3ft 9in), with a 200kg weight limit, and comfort and support levels are excellent – thanks to the plastic springing under the one-piece mattress. You clamber up to this bed via the swivelled cab seats (but not their armrests).

The lower double is 1.98m (6ft 6in) long and a rather narrow 1.08m (3ft 7in). You only have a thin mattress here so might end up investing in a topper.

All windows aft of the cab have integral roller blinds. In the cab, there are fabric thermal panels. There are magnets for the side fittings, while the windscreen section has to be set up using elasticated poles. There is all manner of dimmable strip and individual lights but night-time illumination could be better. The roof bed has just a single goose-neck reading light, for example. Reading lights over the swivelled cab seats would help, as would an overhead general lamp right in the middle. There’s no lighting to the back area beyond the rear seats until you open the tailgate.

Kitchen – 80%

Because of the need for access at the nearside sliding door, the whole kitchen is shortened. Latest California Oceans get just the one gas ring (there were two previously) combined with a (smaller) sink in stainless steel.

More critically, a lot of kitchen storage space has gone, although there’s still a cupboard with soft-close cutlery tray. As well as some storage space in here there’s a USB socket (one of six throughout the whole vehicle), 230V mains outlet (one of two; the other is on the back of the kitchen unit) and a three-pin outlet from the inverter, plus an isolator tap for the gas supply to the hob.

A larger sliding door locker, to the left of the kitchen, is ideal for food and crockery storage.

The fridge’s location means its drawer can be accessed from indoors as well as outside. Its capacity is 37 litres.

Details – 95%

The table is a clip-on unit

If you want to add a portable toilet, Volkswagen recommends stowing one at the back under the bed extension – that means fetching it through to the living area when needed, of course. There is a shower fitting – it’s cold water only and for use outside, which is handy for washing off mud from footwear, etc.

My general feeling is that despite more pockets, ledges, a fabric zipped clothes carrier on the rear offside side window, removable bins in each cab door and more, overall storage isn’t as accommodating as Californias past. That’s despite a larger high-level locker beyond the rear seats.

The set of six removable lashing points for luggage, drop-in ventilation grilles for the cab windows and the large aperture to access the fresh water tank for cleaning are among several great touches. You still get two outdoor folding chairs that stow in the tailgate – with higher backs than previously.

One noteworthy omission from the options list – carpet for the living quarters.

Verdict – 89%

Great to drive, this is the most technologically advanced motorhome out there, and it features some great little touches. But, compared to earlier Californias, some practicality has been sacrificed.