Goodbye
The Multivan can cope with anything, especially huge amounts of luggage and lots of people.
The departure of the Multivan has ushered in a new era of discipline. For months it’s been an enabler, allowing me to pack whatever I liked for even the smallest, shortest of trips. But now it’s gone I’m facing a harsh new reality of packing light.
Put it this way: two prams have been inhabiting the boot of the Multivan since Christmas 2022, and one of them hasn’t been used since February. With the rear third of the Multivan a great big box, you can overlook two prams in there. We’ve headed to airports with five hold bags or weekends away with two kids’ bikes, and even with the prams gathering dust, never packed above the window line. It won’t be the pitch a VW salesperson uses on a prospective buyer, but to have the stress of packing removed from family life is fabulous.
Even more than the boot, everyone loves the electric sliding side doors. Paired with fullsize seats in the second and third rows, and a floor raised high enough to run flat from front footwell to rear tailgate, it means anyone can sit anywhere and get there with ease. The kids can get in themselves; the huge door openings mean leaning in to help with seatbelts is easy; and adults don’t feel cramped when sitting between two child seats.
Other plus points include the tight turning circle and near30-mile electric range, both made possible by the Multivan’s switch to VW’s MQB platform, making it drive more like a car than a van. Our overall average of 41.5mpg probably makes the 2.0 TDI version sound more appealing
