2022 VW Multivan review: The ascent of van

Volkswagen may be having a tough time with its mainstream products, the eighth generation Golf and electric ‘ID’ models having not exactly gained the rapturous receptions that VW would have hoped for. Its more niche offerings are far more convincing. Such as this one.

Drive VW’s new Multivan and you’ll wonder why on earth the conventional MPV has been all but replaced by the altogether less satisfactory cod off-roader. Whether it is a Fiat Panda or Ferrari F40, I love cars that know what they are for, and few cars on sale today are more self-aware than this. And it’s all the better for it.

It comprises a cavernous but clever, smartly appointed but durable interior so flexible than when you’ve removed the middle and rear row of seats, you might as well be driving a van. And yet it’s never less than pleasant to drive, and at times more engaging than you’d imagine a car weighing over two tonnes powered by a plug-in hybrid 1.4-litre engine and electric motor. It’s true it won’t go very far off road but if I had to pack up a young family and head out for a fortnight’s adventure, I’d far rather have the immense practicality I need than the off-road ability I almost certainly will not.

I guess it comes down to image, and cars that look like vans just aren’t that cool. But then neither am I, so that sits very comfortably with me. AF

VW Multivan 1.4 TSi Style e-Hybrid

• Price £58,212
• Engine 1.4 litres, four cyl, petrol, turbo, electric motor
• Power 215bhp
• Torque 184lb ft
• Weight 2190kg (DIN)
• Power to weight 98bhp per tonne
• Transmission Six-speed double clutch, front-wheel drive
• 0-60mph 9.0sec
• Top speed 119mph
• Economy 148.7mpg
• CO2 43g/km
• Verdict Practical and spacious