VW California camper is so good you could use it every day – its interior is a masterclass and it drives like a car

NEW recipe. Same great taste. That’s the Volkswagen California summed up in five words.

Some might question why VW switched its legendary camper from Transporter underpinnings to the bones of a Multivan.

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But, boy, has it worked.

Longer, wider and just as tall, you’re driving a car now – and not a T6 like your builder does.

And with that comes vastly improved refinement, ride, handling and steering.

Having tested it over three days in the beautiful but often treacherously twisty Slovenian mountain roads, many hundreds of miles were munched with considerable confidence and in refreshing comfort.

This is also the first campervan out there with TWO sliding rear doors – meaning you can walk right through it, even though it has a fully-fitted kitchen including a gas stove, a sink and a fridge in it.

That’s a packaging masterclass.

It sleeps up to four, as before – two downstairs and two upstairs in the automatic pop-up roof.

The front seats swivel 180 degrees to create a four-seat living/dining room, while the two individual rear ones (both with under-storage) can slide almost the entire length of the cabin on rails to your preferred position, fold flat or be taken out completely.

Worked its magic

Two camping chairs and a table are almost invisibly stowed in the back.

The standard-fit Thule side awning can go on whichever side you choose.

And if you really can’t choose, you can now option one on each side, factory fit.

We tried the bread-and-butter 2-litre turbo diesel with 150hp which returns around 40mpg, give or take, paired with a seven-speed DGS autobox.

Coming soon is a 204hp petrol and a 245hp four-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid.

The old Cali was diesel only.

There are three specs to choose from – all with a pop-up roof.

Entry-level Beach Camper, starting at £63k, is a five-seater with a manual pop-up roof, plus a compact mini-kitchen with a single gas hob that extends from the rear when the boot is open.

Coast is a four-seater featuring a fully- fitted kitchenette (sink, storage, fridge and gas hob), electric pop-up roof and tablet remote control and 17in alloys. That’s £70k.

While the top-spec Ocean, for an extra £7k, adds matrix LED lights, embroidered and heated eco-friendly fabric seats, ­ambient lighting, electric sliding doors, 10in infotainment screen and more.

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You’ll find more charging points for devices than you can shake a tent peg at as well as three-pin UK plug sockets and a multi-positional foldout table-cum-worktop extender if you want to cook outside the camper and not make a mess inside.

Loaded with all sorts of driver-assistance tech, long distances and multi-storey ­parking situations are a doddle.

VW has really worked its magic to not only make this a bona fide California worthy of its heritage but one that delivers more than before for both the frequent and the less frequent camper.

It’s that good, and that sophisticated, it could even be used as your daily driver and not just a weekend hotel vroom.