By: IOL Motoring Staff
Wolfsburg, Germany - Volkswagen plays down the evolutionary styling approach taken by its new bus by calling it “instantly recognisable”. Yet there's no shortage of newness underneath its familiar-looking skin.
65 years and 12 million vehicles after the original T1 bus hit the scene, and captured the imagination of the swinging '60s, the new T6 takes a high-tech and pragmatic approach to modern motoring and with a wide range of interior formats from the practical Transporter all the way up to the bespoke new Multivan range-topper.
The cabin is, in VW's words, “a veritable playground in terms of reconfiguration” and the glut of storage compartments make room for everything from coffee cups to tablets and even folding rulers and everything in between.
T6 also claims its place in the modern age with a new range of gadgets that are available, depending on model. There's now an electric tailgate to make life a little easier and a modern web-connected infotainment system with a 6.33-inch touch-screen with proximity sensors.
New hand-me-down dynamic gizmos come in the form of Adaptive Cruise Control, Adaptive Chassis Control, Driver Alert System and City Emergency Braking.
The T6 gains a completely new generation of 2-litre TDI engines, at least in the case of European markets, with outputs ranging from 62kW all the way up to 150kW, and fuel consumption is reduced by 15 percent on average. VW will also offer two 2-litre petrol variants with outputs of 110kW or 150kW.
The T6 is set to reach South African shores in the fourth quarter of 2015 and the local line-up and prices will be made known closer to the time.
An interesting development is that, in Germany at least, the various T6 models will either cost the same as their equivalent predecessors or will be considerably cheaper. We hope the same applies to local versions.