Does a $100,000+ factory camper conversion on Volkswagen’s Multivan people mover make sense? We packed the family and hit the road to find out.
2023 Volkswagen California Beach TDI340 4Motion
Take one Volkswagen Transporter and modify it into a road-trip-ready campervan off the showroom floor. That’s the Volkswagen California in a nutshell, and considering how quickly the previous run of vans were snapped up (one day), it’s little surprise that Volkswagen Australia is following up with another batch.
It makes sense: Australians are only now starting to get back on planes to travel abroad, but many are still smitten with the idea of a long-range holiday on Australian roads.
Many major caravan manufacturers are seeing long delays in delivering on orders, and most things suitable to tow are also delayed. This Volkswagen California will go into a market with no shortage of demand.
How much does the Volkswagen California cost in Australia?
Prices have crept up with this batch, with the California starting at $90,990 plus on-road costs for the California Beach TDI340, while getting an all-wheel-drive version costs $4000 more for a starting price of $94,990 plus on-road costs. The more powerful flagship TDI450 variant (with all-wheel drive) costs $100,990 plus on-road costs.
From there, there is a wide range of options to choose from. Paint (including a cool but expensive two-tone option), upgraded seat materials and interior technology, electric sliding doors and LED headlights, for a start.
For those more keen to leave the bitumen, 4Motion variants can be optioned with a locking rear differential, hill descent control and additional underbody protection.
Our tester is the all-wheel-drive California Beach TDI340 (full name California Beach 2.0L TDI340 4Motion 7-Speed DSG), with nearly 20 gorillas’ worth of options to take the asking price up to $114,750 before on-road costs.
Quite a large chunk of money, but don’t forget that a well-equipped caravan can cost similar money before you’ve factored in something to tow it with. Other options like Achtung Campers cost similar amounts, while a Trakka is more expensive again.
Don’t forget, Mercedes-Benz also has a similar Marco Polo Horizon camper van, which is priced from $121,000 before on-road costs and options.
| Key details | 2023 Volkswagen California Beach TDI340 4Motion |
| Price | $94,990 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Bay Leaf Green Metallic Two-Tone |
| Options | Two-tone paint – $4050 Microfleece seats, heated front seats, digital cockpit – $3690 Electric roof – $3050 LED headlights – $2050 Adaptive chassis control – $2010 Off-road pack – $1720 – Locking rear differential – Downhill assist control Power sliding doors – $1640 Fog lights with corning function – $770 Park assist – $460 Light assist – $320 |
| Price as tested | $114,750 plus on-road costs |
| Rivals | Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo | Trakka Trakkadu | Achtung Camper |
How much space does the California Beach have inside?
Before we get to camp, let’s talk about this camper as a vehicle.
With the wide array of options fitted to our test vehicle, the California presents as a modern and upmarket take on a classic tissue-box-shaped people mover. There are comfortable seats with quality materials, lots of great touchpoints and some nice technology.
The seating position is classic van style, sitting you up high over the steering wheel and with good visibility of your surroundings. It’s a jarringly different experience to something like a Kia Carnival, which impresses with its car-like nature. This is van-like and brings a charming edge to the interior experience.
The van-like experience helps in the storage stakes. There’s loads of storage atop the dashboard and in the door cards, which makes up for not having a centre console for your stuff. The second-row seats have small slide-out plastic tubs, which proved handy for storing bits and bobs.
The back area, split by a bed set-up that is handy as a shelf/divider, soaks up plenty of your gear. And if you need more room, you can fit some roof rails for an overall 94kg roof load capacity.
Be warned: the tailgate is quite a heavy thing to close, especially if you’re short. Be prepared to put your body into closing it, especially if you have the camp chairs removed. The strap that Volkswagen has fitted helps.
There are plenty of power outlets as well. Many 12V plugs are low-slung throughout the cabin, which is clearly aimed to be useful for when you’re at camp. However, when you’re driving around normally, they would remain handy.
The second row is plenty spacious and comfortable, with nice seats and bucketloads of space in the footwell. Its windows are manual and side-sliding, neither opening easily or by much. And being mounted on tracks, the seats can be slid forwards and backwards a long distance.
Which is important, because this is how you deploy the downstairs bed. I’ll admit that I had to consult the owner’s manual to get it right, because there is a particular kind of sequence you need to do in order to make the seat make up half of the bed base. The other half is the shelf behind the seats, which then all gets covered in a foldable mattress. It’s comfortable and works well.
Pop up the roof and you’ll gain two things: another bed up top, or a whole load of stand-up space inside. The bed is comfortable, with a nice mattress, zip-to-open windows, lights and a USB power outlet.
We had one adult and one kid in each bed, and woke up each day well rested and happy. Which isn’t always the case when you’re jammed into a relatively small space. Climbing up to the loft does require one to tread all over the front seats and armrests, so be prepared to clean the interior down after using it for camping. And it might be a big ask for some of the less mobile among us.
But wait, that’s not all. Find the two folding director’s camp chairs in the tailgate, and match them up to the small table that’s hiding in the driver’s side door. Set them up after rolling out the awning, and you’ve got a dinky little campsite set-up in record time.
We lived out the California as a camper for four days, and found it to be great. We snuck an esky into the second-row footwell for cold drinks, and our coffee paraphernalia under one of the seats. There’s no real kitchen here, so you need to pack a small lunchbox stove and an extra table, or look for an external source of nourishment. We did the latter this time around, but did camp more seriously in our last time in the California.
All windows have built-in blinds, except for the magnetic front window blinds. Something like a flyscreen solution downstairs would help downstairs on warmer nights, but those upstairs can access nice airflow.
Use the extra display in the roof to control extra lights and check how level your campsite is, among other things (like our optional electric roof).
Although, be warned of parking for long periods while also using the electric sliding doors often. When we finally came to start the California, the battery sounded slightly tired.
| 2023 Volkswagen California Beach TDI340 4Motion | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 2542mm long (without rear seats) 1627mm wide (1220mm at wheel arches) 1320mm high |
| Length | 4904mm |
| Width | 1904mm (excluding mirrors) |
| Height | 1990mm |
| Wheelbase | 3000mm |
Does the Volkswagen California have Apple CarPlay?
Infotainment comes via an 8.0-inch system, which Volkswagen calls ‘Discover Media’. It’s got Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, as well as AM and FM radio waves. There’s native navigation available, along with two dials and eight buttons for getting around the system. It works well overall and presents nicely on the dashboard.
One can upgrade to the larger 9.2-inch Discover Pro system, but it’s worth noting that this goes with less buttons and dials. We do get the digital cockpit, however, which is a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. This can run a map view, along with your adaptive cruise-control settings and other multimedia controls (through the steering wheel).
Is the Volkswagen California a safe car?
Like the Multivan and Transporter, this Volkswagen California Beach hasn’t been crash-tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP. The next-generation Multivan picks up a five-star rating through Euro NCAP, but any other rating requires looking back at older-generation models, which doesn’t really shed any light on our test vehicle.
| 2023 Volkswagen California Beach TDI340 4Motion | |
| ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the Volkswagen Multivan have?
Although it is missing a star rating, there are some other elements to include here. Airbags include front and side airbags for driver and front passenger, but none for rearward occupants. Presumably, the pop-top roof precludes the curtain airbags that the Multivan has.
There’s autonomous emergency braking, but it only works on speeds up to 30km/h. There’s also blind-spot monitoring and driver fatigue alert, but this old-bones vehicle is missing more advanced features like rear cross-traffic alert and low-speed reverse AEB.
There are front and rear parking sensors included as standard, along with adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist.
How much does the Volkswagen California cost to maintain?
Servicing costs sit on the high side for the California, following on behind the Multivan and Transporter.
Three years’ worth of servicing costs $2016 ($672 per year), while five years averages out at $713 per year when using Volkswagen’s Assured Service Pricing calculator. At least, this seems to be more of an all-inclusive figure, which isn’t always the case with other quoted capped-price services programs.
Insuring a Volkswagen California Beach works out to be $2323.82 per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
| At a glance | 2023 Volkswagen California Beach TDI340 4Motion |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $2016 (3 years) $3566 (5 years) |
Is the Volkswagen California fuel-efficient?
Against a claimed fuel consumption of 7.5 litres per 100km, we saw a figure of 7.9L/100km during our time with the car. That’s a good figure, which was helped by the fact that we did some big highway miles during our time with the car. But at the same time, it was mostly loaded up with plenty of gear and kids during that time.
In any case, it’s not a bad number for something so box-shaped. Opting for the more powerful TDI450 engine (which uses an additional turbocharger for 146kW/450Nm) sees that claimed figure move northwards slightly to 7.8L/100km, while the two-wheel-drive TDI340 will see it drop down to 6.6L/100km.
An 80L fuel tank will see around a 1000km cruising range between refills (based on our usage), but don’t forget to top up the 13L AdBlue tank, especially if you plan to head into more remote areas.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 7.5L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 7.9L/100km |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel tank size | 80L |
What is the Volkswagen California like to drive?
Driving the Volkswagen California is unsurprisingly similar to a regular Multivan, albeing feeling the additional weight up high on this pop-top camper. For reference’s sake, the California is around 80kg heavier than a comparable standard Multivan, but much of that weight has moved upwards.
Otherwise, it’s a nice experience overall. Your seating position is pure commercial vehicle, allowing you a commanding view of everything around you. The steering wheel sits relatively low, along with the dashboard-mounted gearshifter.
Once you’ve acclimatised to it (if you’ve come from a car), then the California is an easy-to-make-happy friend on the road. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine’s 110kW and 340Nm provide enough urge when needed, and it cruises along at a relaxed gait on the highways and byways.
The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is mostly good, but can feel a little bit fiddly at low speeds. You’ll only notice it when parking, for example, especially when there are some slopes to account for. However, it’s not too bad, and the gearbox provides sharp and smart gearchanges the rest of the time.
It’s quite capable for long-haul highway drives, but you also wouldn’t be too cranky for using the California for those times you aren’t road-tripping and exploring (in the cut-and-thrust of daily life).
Although, the ride quality isn’t on par with other vans or SUVs. You can sense the commercial bones of this California, which are quite old by this stage. It feels a bit firm and jittery, responding gruffly over rough road surfaces.
| Key details | 2023 Volkswagen California Beach TDI340 4Motion |
| Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel |
| Power | 110kW @ 3250–3750rpm |
| Torque | 340Nm @ 1500–3000rpm |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 45kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 2457kg |
| Spare tyre type | Full-size (steel) |
| Tow rating | 2500kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.9m |
Should I buy a Volkswagen California?
There are cheaper ways to convert a van into a camper, sure. Just look at all of the old Toyota HiAces with a plywood bed base and some window curtains cruising Australian roads.
And many will relish the long journey of modifying and adapting something to exactly their taste. You’ll become an armchair expert on all matters of 12V, joinery, weights and materials along the way, but it’s not for everyone.
But for a set-up that is more holistic and ready to roll straight off the showroom floor, this California works well. It’s cohesive and well executed, working well to turn Volkswagen’s famous people mover into a camper (a decades-long tradition).
Something like an Achtung or Trakka has the advantage of bringing some extra functionality through fridges and kitchens, but this Volkswagen works well enough to be a part-time road-tripper and full-time family hauler.
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