VW’s exec-tech Multivan on standby for Oz

A HIGHLY specced luxury passenger van is set to join Volkswagen Australia’s T series line-up when the sixth generation Transporter arrives locally later this year.

The Multivan Business is a full-size six-seat van in a highly equipped form, and will join the new-gen Mercedes-Benz Valente, due in August , in the Australian luxury van market.

Based on the Multivan Highline, the Business will be the mostly highly equipped – and most expensive – ‘Kombi’ to ever be sold in Australia.

Volkswagen Australia public relations manager Kurt McGuiness said that nothing was confirmed as yet, but the local arm was considering it.

“Our T6 model line will be similar to the one we have now, but we are looking at the Business,” he told GoAuto at the international media launch of the T6 in Sweden.

Sold as a six-seater in Europe, the Business is based on the top-spec two-wheel-drive Multivan Highline, and will be offered with Volkswagen’s latest EA288 twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel which produces 150kW, 450Nm and can propel the Business to 200km/h. A seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission supplies drive to the front wheels.

The Highline contributes its spec to the Business, including auto wipers, tinted windows, LED headlights and tail-lights, fog-lights, VW’s multi-zone ParkPilot front and rear, Side Assist, electric folding side mirrors, adaptive cruise control, autonomous pre- and post-collision emergency braking assistance and a highly specced 6.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with rearview camera, Apple Car Play, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming and satellite navigation.

In addition, the Business is also equipped with a three-stage driving mode switch, which adjusts the T6’s adaptive dampers between Comfort, Standard and Sport settings.

All six seats are covered in Nappa leather, while genuine wood inlays and parquetry feature throughout.

There is a fridge between the two rearmost seats, while all seats are individually heated and can be electrically adjusted. European-spec vehicles come equipped with phone functionality in the rearmost seats, but it is not clear whether this will be offered locally.

A hard-wired microphone system allows the driver and passengers to converse at normal volumes, with the sound level augmented by the Business’s top-grade stereo system and fed through the vehicle’s speakers.

A remote control multi-zone climate system can be adjusted from the rear, and rear cabin temperatures can be varied down both sides of the cabin.

A stowable central table offers additional storage options, while the T6’s sliding rail system allows the second-row captain’s chairs to move forward and aft.

No price has been indicated for the Business the current-model T5 Multivan Highline is priced at $73,990 plus on-road costs, which could place the Business closer to $80,000.

While the Multivan line competes directly with Hyundai’s iMax and the Mercedes-Benz Vito Wagon range in the seven-seater category, the Business will move past Merc’s similarly specced Valente in the luxury van stakes.

Volkswagen has sold 1103 T5s in the first six months of 2015, with more than 60 per cent of those in commercial-centric Transporter trim. Both passenger versions – Caravelle and Multivan – are down on last year’s numbers by 14.5 and 6.4 per cent respectively, while the Transporter is up by 12.3 per cent year on year.