The CaraCara of Yesteryear is regaining its charm!!

Imagine you are sitting on the deck and the valley below echoes a melody that only nature can produce.

It is a rather chilly spring day in the Somerset region of the Karoo.

We made our way here from Port Elizabeth airport in the Volkswagen Caravelle facelift.

You see the Caravelle is unapologetically family oriented vehicle but more so, a vehicle for long journeys where families bond.

We arrived at Kuzuko just before 14:00 on Monday.

Nestled in the……valley, Kuzuko is a stuff made of dreams. It has the African charm while offering a global feel. We are welcomed with a glass of bubbly by the equally charming stuff.

To everyone’s surprise I go for ginger beer, Siyanga from VWSA can’t hold it in,

She expresses her “disappointment” at the sight of me having ginger beer.

We burst out into laughter. We must sit for lunch, we are reminded by the VWSA team, what A bunch of professionals. After lunch, we are told it’s time for our spa treatments.

Everyone that knows me know that I’d take a spa any time. Lunch arrives in no time and I’m determined not to dig in too much so I can enjoy my full body massage.

Kuzuko is also home to the endangered cheetah population. After my spa treatment I walk to my suite, number 16, there I’m greeted by luxury mixed with simplicity. I’m in absolute awe as I take in every detail in the room. I nod in appreciation, whip out my smartphone to document what’s before me. The advantages of modern technology. I walk outside to stand on the deck of my suite. I haven’t felt this much peace in a while, my mind wonders as I look down to the bottom of the valley. It is a place of dreams, created to be shared with someone special. My mind starts to wonder as I think about my late husband. The man I’ve shared many similar trips (but personal travel). I start to think how much he would have loved it here. I’m starting to feel a little sad when I shout at myself to snap out of it.

Now here I am in the middle of the Karoo with VWSA launching a car that has a long history in South Africa. The Caravelle has seen all South African trends. I grew up in Mamelodi, Pretoria and anyone who grew up there in the late ‘80s and 90s like myself would tell you how the Kombi and Caravelle shot up those days. We rode them to town as everyday transport for the township residents. We were snobbish about how the Kombi or Caravelle one takes, looked like. It was a spectacle as young taxi drivers compete for passengers by the type of R&B music they played, the colour of their Volkswagen bus, how clean it was and how clean he was too.

Back to the T6.1 the car at launch, it is world apart from the 90s car I’ve just shared with you but the ideals are still the same. The T6.1 has transformed from the face to the interior to drivability. A lot has gone into making the T6.1 a driver’s car. The folks at Volkswagen have put in some work to modernize the Caravelle. The interior boasts full leather seats, a fold away table (for meetings on the road), the sliding doors are automated. The drive itself is comfortable especially on road. We did some dirt driving which the Caravelle handled exceptionally well but don’t get me wrong it is not its natural territory, so expect some rattling and bumpiness. The T6.1 model range consists of the Crew Bus, the Kombi and of course our star of the show the Caravelle.

I must say, the new headlights with LED lighting have transformed this car into a stunner. It looks and feels like a luxury family carrier. The facelifted Caravelle range is driven by the 2.0l TDI producing 81kW and 110KW version while under the skin of the Caravelle lies a 2.0l BiTDI producing 146kW.

Over and above other new features, the Crosswind Assist is one of the highlights in the new Caravelle. This feature helps to stabilise the car in high wind situations by automatically applying the brakes before you as the driver is aware that the car is unstable. And this feature is standard across the range.

I could go on and on but I shall leave it here. All I can say is that the folks at Volkswagen are not sleeping, it appears with the Caravelle the fight for the luxury family bus is getting or taken to the door of Mercedes-Benz.