The Volkswagen Caravelle has always won the hearts of the chauffeur industry as it’s hard to beat when it comes to practicality, space and economy – however, there’s a version that simply does not make sense.
More clients are demanding the ability to work on the move from their mobile devices and talk with colleagues in a luxurious surrounding during their journey, so Volkswagen introduced the Caravelle Business which caters for exactly that. Based on the standard chassis, the Business model boasts Phaeton style electrically adjustable rear seats, WIFI hotspot, rear drinks cooler and privacy glass.
Two-tone stitched leather and dark wood makes the rear of the Caravelle look more special than any other model, whilst exterior touches such as LED daytime lamps and ‘Business’ badges on the rear and kick-plates shows that some extra thought has gone into it.
But, and there is one very BIG but – all these flashy extras come at a very flashy price. The Business model we tested was priced at an eye-watering £65,985. That’s around £20,000 more than an extra-long wheelbase Mercedes-Benz Viano with many bells and whistles.
The biggest downfall of the Caravelle Business is the chassis – it’s not even built on the long-wheelbase model which seriously reduces the amount of boot space. The biggest fear for a chauffeur is arriving to find a full load of passengers with luggage and not being able to fit it all in, and I’m afraid this would happen a lot in the standard length Caravelle.
It’s such a pity because the Caravelle is brilliant. the 2.0 TDi engine is smooth and powerful, it delivers around 35mpg and it certainly looks and drives superbly. The Business Caravelle would certainly sit well as a private transfer vehicle for a maximum of two people and it would look great sat next to a private jet, but I do think it should be back to the drawing board for this model if VW would like it to enter the hire and reward chauffeur market.
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Paul Gibson
