Volkswagen Grand California

The Grand California is very tall, so watch out for carparks, overhanging trees and height barriers. It is in fact so much bigger than the standard California that it feels far more unwieldy to drive, and you wouldn’t want this as your daily commuter.

From the outside, this looks like a massive, ungainly, old-fashioned van with its upright grille and raised roof.

This is the raison d’être of the Grand California over its smaller sibling. You could exist happily in this van for the entire summer.

You can specify two fold-out chairs and a table stored in the rear doors if the weather is good enough to eat outside, or you can make use of the four seats inside the vehicle with a table slotting in between them on a rail below the side window.

The double bed on the “ground floor” is plenty wide and long enough for two adults, while the double bunk bed above the driver, accessed via a ladder, is fine for two further adults, as long as they don’t mind the ceiling being inches above their face.

The Grand California doesn’t come cheap, with a starting price north of £80,000, but then neither does the standard California or indeed any other Volkswagen van or car.