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• Volkswagen SA is celebrating the launch of the new T6.1 Kombi with a leisurely road trip across the Garden Route over two days.
• The first T1 Transporter assembled in Uitenhage came off of the production line in 1955.
• The Kombi is the best-selling derivative of the Commercial Vehicles T Series range.
• For more stories, visit Wheels24
Volkswagen South Africa selected a few motoring media to drive the all-new Kombi T6.1 - and what better way to do it than on a road trip along the opulent Garden Route.
While sunshine and shorts are usually the fixed theme on road trips, the weather didn't quite get the memo. Dark clouds and strong wind was the order of the day upon touching down in the quaint town of Port Elizabeth.
Getting to grips
After a quick driver briefing at the Boardwalk hotel, the show was now officially on the road as more than 300km of the open road was ready to be explored by a robust and spacious Kombi.
The model being tested is the mid-specced 2.0-litre TDI Trendline - an engine akin to all three Kombi's in the range - that produces 110kW and 340Nm, mated to a seven-speed DSG transmission. This model's standard price is R740 500, but there is also the base 81kW Trendline and top of the range BiTDI 146kW 4MOTION Trendline Plus, which retails for R725 900 and R907 000, respectively.
Do you think the Kombi has the recipe to follow in the same vein as the Polo? Email us, or please leave a comment below.
The new Kombi's comfortability and overall performance are apparent from the moment it met the N2 highway. The Caravelle might be the top of the range pick in the Transporter series, but the Kombi puts out a valid argument when in motion and getting to grips with everything. The looming dark clouds signified the arrival of imminent showers, and not long after being on the road, the heavens opened with some much-needed rain.
Towns like Knysna and Humansdorp came and went while simultaneously soaking in as much of nature's beauty as possible. Yes, the country might have its issues, but one just needs to take a drive along the Garden Route to appreciate how beautiful South Africa really is.
You feel right at home in the driver's seat with the infotainment touchscreen and leather-wrapped multifunction control steering wheel serving as the hub for convenience. With it being the best-seller in the T Series commercial range, the Kombi is not over the top but does the basic so well - just like the Polo.
In its element
There are a host of standard features, and they include park distance control in front and rear, as well as a multifunction display/trip computer.
The DSG transmission has to dig deep on a few occasions to find the right gear or mitigate the lack of speed range that an incline presents but then again, it is technically an automatic. That certainly is not a bad thing because it doesn't detract from the overall performance at all. The 8-seater's turbocharger emits a more-than-audible 'hiss' as the throttle opens and the boost builds through the rev range.
It's superb fuel consumption is perhaps the biggest tick in the box. It has a claimed figure of 6.6-litres/100km which, even with the aircon on for the entire trip while also overtaking along the way, is not felt a bit. On the long road with over and undulating environments, I managed to attain a respectable consumption of 7.4-litres/100km.
READ: OPINION | The VW Kombi is a national treasure meant to be preserved
The 80-litre boot capacity sucked up all the luggage with aplomb and even provided some much-needed shielding from the torrential rain that came down. For those with bigger families, the seats can be configured in a number of layouts, or completely removed to create a generous loading area.
ISOFIX child seat mountings on the second row
Some of the roads weren't the best, with gawking potholes and even concrete pieces lying in wait. Thanks to the Kombi's optional heavy-duty suspension and shock absorption, its purpose nullifies how bad a road actually is with absolutely no effect on driveability.
With the weather getting ever sinister driving out of Plettenberg Bay, the Ristorante Enrico eatery served as a late lunch spot to tide everyone over until the final destination for Day 1 that ended at the Gondwana Game Reserve in Mossel Bay.
