Five cool features of the new Volkswagen California camper

Volkswagen campers are iconic vehicles, up there with the Beetle, the Mini and the Mustang. The modern California is a far cry from the old Type 2 surfer bus, but it’s an incredibly popular campervan for those who want something compact, but so well-built that they’re willing to pay a premium.

Volkswagen campervans used to be adapted by third-party companies, but since 2005 Volkswagen has built its own – the California – at its own facility in Hanover, Germany, giving it full control over not just the base vehicle but the interior fittings. As a result, the California has always felt a cut above most VW campers, as the kitchen, seating and beds feel properly integrated into the base vehicle.

From 2005 until 2025, the California was based on the T5 and T6 Transporter panel van, but the latest model (named the T7) takes a different approach. It uses as its base the Volkswagen Multivan, a people-carrier that shares its mechanicals with the Volkswagen Golf.

It’s also undergone the most significant interior refresh in the California’s history, so it’s a very different proposition to the older model. But the California is still packed with cool features that make it the ideal holiday companion. Here are five of our favourites.

1. It’s now more like a car

The latest California is based on the Volkswagen Multivan – which despite its name and its unashamedly boxy shape, is more like a car than it is a commercial vehicle. That has a number of benefits.

First, it gets access to new engines. There are 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines, and even a plug-in hybrid on the way. All get automatic gearboxes as standard and are much smoother and more refined than the commercial-spec diesels you got with the old California. It’s also much more car-like to drive, with a comfortable seating position, light controls and supple suspension.

2. Seamless camper integration

Most third-party camper conversions feel like they’ve shoehorned in items like a heater, kitchen or water system. But Volkswagen builds the California in-house and so it can integrate these from the ground up. That all culminates in the touchscreen on the door pillar, which looks as though it was meant to be there – it allows you to seamlessly control and monitor all of the van’s systems.

This integration even extends down to opening the rising roof with a button on the dashboard. It’s a cut above the alternatives, which often have extra control panels and buttons sprouting out of their interior like warts.

3. It’s now more useful as a daily driver

One of the best things about the altered interior layout is that, with a shorter kitchen unit that doesn’t extend to the front seatbacks, the California now has sliding doors on both sides.

That means that you no longer have to disgorge your kids into traffic – the old California’s sliding door was on the right hand side of the vehicle, so it faced away from the kerb when you pulled over. The two individual rear seats are also much more comfortable than the bench they replace.

4. Plenty of room for beer

The previous California had a larger kitchen unit, with a top-loading fridge and twin-burner gas hob. The new model replaces that with a single burner – so better brush up on your one-pan meals – and the fridge has been swapped out for a drawer-style unit.

It may not be quite as large as the old model’s, but crucially it’s both tall enough to accommodate numerous sizes of beverage and is equally accessible from the inside or outside of the van – ideal for al fresco dining or drinking.

5. Space to sleep four

This new California isn’t quite as big as the model it replaces, and the beds are a bit narrower. But – provided those in the lower bed are willing to be a bit cosy – there’s still space to sleep four people.

Those up top get a comfortable sprung mattress base and the ability to unzip windows in the canvas roof to allow ventilation. Downstairs you get a more solid platform than before, with fewer gaps to lose things down – and easy access to the fridge for that late-night snack.

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