The VW Kombi in Trendline DSG spec is a very spacious, capable and versatile holdall for the large family or small business. Before you take the plunge though, make sure you swing past Hyundai and take a squizz at the H-1 first, it does everything the VW does, for less.

For some reason when I think about Volkswagen I think about my childhood. This probably means that somewhere somehow Volkswagen’s marketing ploy worked, because generally company’s making people feel warm and squidgy means we identify with their product, or something like that, I’m no marketing expert. Maybe it was that tear jerking Touareg advert…?

It’s more likely the fact that my Dad had a handful of company Jetta’s, most of my mate’s parents drove Golfs or Kombi’s and my Mom drove a Passat station wagon for as long as I can remember. Or perhaps it’s because probably half or more of my friends acquired Citi Golf’s upon their first whiff of independence. Ah, good times.

Either way, VWs have featured prominently in my youth, and most likely yours too. No surprise then that they are consistently one of the top, if not the top manufacturer in South Africa, by volume.

Alright enough reminiscing. What we do we have here?

Sure, one more thing though. You see when I was growing up, if your family needed more space than what your Golf, Jetta or Passat could offer, you looked in the direction of the Volksie Bus/Kombi/Caravelle/Mircrobus, yup the brick-like bus from those ubiquitous David Kramer adverts. This was before the advent of the SUV/Crossover remember. Big families drove Kombi’s. Volkswagen made great adverts. The end.

What we have here is a direct descendant of that David Kramer peddling Kombi. They’ve even kept the name. Although whatever affectionate name given to the Volkswagen bus of yesteryear, nowadays Kombi represents what is the budget version in the range. Caravelle is reserved for the full-fat mommy-mobile I’m afraid.

It’s hard to mention budget and half-a-million Rand in the same sentence but that is essentially what we have here. The model I have been driving is the Kombi Trendline 2.0TDi DSG 103kW and while there are cheaper versions in the range, this model represents what most people are looking for when considering an 8-seater Mircrobus. Diesel, automatic with a reasonable amount of spec.

Hopefully you’re sitting down, because this ‘cheap’ Kombi costs R505 550.00! I know….WHAT!? Like I said, the one you see here is middle of the range specced (sans alloy wheels even), an entry level bog-standard model 2.0 TDi Trendline Manual 75kW costs R459 100.00 and the most expensive 2.0TDi Comfortline DSG 103kW will set you back R549 500.00. And to put that into perspective the ‘cheapest’ Caravelle 2.0 BiTDI Manual 132kW costs R671 800.00 and goes up to a butt-clenching R722 800.00 for the 2.0 BiTDi 4Motion DSG 132kW.

Phew! You need deep pockets for of these then?

Indeed, with those heart palpitation-inducing figures out the way we can look at what you actually get for your money with the Kombi 2.0TDi Trendline DSG 103kW. Well, without pointing out the obvious, powering this bus is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine – in fact 2.0-litres is standard across the range, Caravelle’s benefit from bi-turbo power – developing 103kW and 340Nm of torque. It sounds like enough and in reality it is more than enough. And when compared to the 132kW of its posh Caravelle sister, I’d rather have the de-stressed version found here.

Coupled to VWs (mostly) brilliant DSG gearbox and you have the perfect combination of effortless diesel pulling power, fuel efficiency and people/stuff and people and their stuff load lugging capability.

About that DSG ‘box. Generally it’s an excellent piece of kit and with a vehicle as big as this it’s no brainer really as it allows you to concentrate on actually driving the behemoth (it’s nearly 5m long), particularly watching your space when in and around town and tight corners etc. It’s in slow town driving where the gearbox is not as happy as say, freeway driving, and often feels confused with jerky, clunky gearshifts, which is disappointing as city/slow driving is where it’ll spend most of its time.

The now, mandatory ‘take off in second’ which is becoming a VW DSG trait is even more frustrating in the Kombi. With its heavy kerb weight, it either bogs down in second or shifts awkwardly into first, inducing a whiplash-like effect and ‘clucks’ and ‘hissing’ from passengers. Show it an open road though and it makes cruising a joy, seamlessly finding the right gear and hitting the torque sweet spot.

VW claims the Kombi will consume 8l/100km and while this is achievable on the open road, in mixed town and freeway driving I managed around the 9.5l/100km. Still, not bad considering its size and weight.  With an 80 litre tank capacity you should be able to put yourself roughly 850km from the nearest forecourt. Hit the open road and you might even get from Durban to Jo’burg and back on one tank.

Cool. I have four children is this the car for me?

Indeed it is. This Kombi swallows seven passengers – two rows of three and the front passenger – and offers masses of space and visibility. All side windows have pull up blinds allowing passengers to block out the sun – great for little’uns, although I might spec tinted smash and grab for added sun protection.

Access via sliding doors on both sides is easy and convenient, even for the third row of seats, especially in tight parking spaces (which will be the norm by the way as the Kombi is a bulky vehicle). Fold the third row down and load space is cavernous. Remove the third and second row completely and essentially you have a massive courier van for the month end move.

Okay, let’s wrap this up.

The VW Kombi in Trendline DSG spec is a very spacious, capable and versatile holdall for the large family or small business. It is very expensive though and if you’re really set on a large bus of this kind and can afford it, go for it. But make sure you swing past Hyundai and take a squizz at the H-1 first, it does everything the VW does, for less.

Thumbs up:
Huge space
Powerful diesel engine
Good build quality

Thumbs down:
Very expensive
Where are the mags!?
You want the expensive options

Pricing:
Kombi Trendline 2.0 TDI Manual SWB 75kW – R459 100.00
Kombi Trendline 2.0 TDI DSG® SWB 103kW – R486 200.00 (Driven)
Kombi Comfortline 2.0 TDI Manual SWB 103kW – R532 000.00
Kombi Comfortline 2.0 TDI DSG® SWB 103kW – R549 500.00
Kombi Trendline 2.0 TDI Manual LWB 75kW – R467 100.00
Kombi Comfortline 2.0 TDI Manual LWB 103kW – R540 000.00
Kombi Comfortline 2.0 TDI DSG® LWB 103kW – R557 500.00