Photo: Volkswagen
The 2017 Volkswagen Crafter is, for all intents and purposes, somewhere near the top of the large van segment in Europe and the UK. A light commercial vehicle that comes with autonomous emergency braking as standard, the Crafter also happens to be one hell of a starting point for creating the ultimate camper van.
Enter the Volkswagen California XXL Concept, a one-off scheduled to headline the 2017 Caravan Salon Düsseldorf later this month. Inspired by the Transporter California and gifted with plenty of exclusive features, the concept sits on the Crafter’s medium wheelbase chassis and has a fixed roof superstructure.
A nod to the Bulli archetypal motorhome, the California XXL Concept is 2.9 meters tall, boasts “sophisticated aerodynamics,” and has enough room for a 2.0-meter long bed. Speaking of the interior, the living area welcomes you with 180-degree rotating front seats, a comfy bench, twin-hob cooker and fridge, the obligatory sink, as well as an extendable work surface. Most impressively, it’s augmented by a wet room augmented by shower and WC facilities.
An apartment on wheels, the Crafter-based camper van makes use of a 2.0-liter TDI turbo diesel. Volkswagen hasn’t disclosed the output of the oil-chugging engine, but chances are it’s the high-spec tune. In other words, you’re looking at 130 kW (177 PS), 410 Nm (302 pound-feet) of pulling power, Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive, and a six-speed manual transmission.
The automaker has no plans of turning the California XXL Concept into production reality, chiefly because the Crafter is a workhorse at heart and not an adventure-oriented vehicle. The sixth generation of the Transporter is better suited for people interested in bug-out activities, with potential customers having to choose between the Multivan, Caravelle, and California.
The Crafter has been redesigned from the ground up in 2016, now riding on a dedicated platform instead of sharing its underpinnings with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. The “International Van of the Year 2017” is manufactured at the Volkswagen plant in Wrzesnia, Poland.
A nod to the Bulli archetypal motorhome, the California XXL Concept is 2.9 meters tall, boasts “sophisticated aerodynamics,” and has enough room for a 2.0-meter long bed. Speaking of the interior, the living area welcomes you with 180-degree rotating front seats, a comfy bench, twin-hob cooker and fridge, the obligatory sink, as well as an extendable work surface. Most impressively, it’s augmented by a wet room augmented by shower and WC facilities.
An apartment on wheels, the Crafter-based camper van makes use of a 2.0-liter TDI turbo diesel. Volkswagen hasn’t disclosed the output of the oil-chugging engine, but chances are it’s the high-spec tune. In other words, you’re looking at 130 kW (177 PS), 410 Nm (302 pound-feet) of pulling power, Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive, and a six-speed manual transmission.
The automaker has no plans of turning the California XXL Concept into production reality, chiefly because the Crafter is a workhorse at heart and not an adventure-oriented vehicle. The sixth generation of the Transporter is better suited for people interested in bug-out activities, with potential customers having to choose between the Multivan, Caravelle, and California.
The Crafter has been redesigned from the ground up in 2016, now riding on a dedicated platform instead of sharing its underpinnings with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. The “International Van of the Year 2017” is manufactured at the Volkswagen plant in Wrzesnia, Poland.
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