The Volkswagen California has been delivering the spirit of motoring adventure for 30 incredible years – providing owners with the perfect home from home when venturing off the beaten track. To celebrate three decades as the benchmark camper van, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has introduced the most exclusive California to date.

The California 30 Years is a limited production run special with just 999 scheduled for build. Of these, just 30 examples will come to the UK, making it an instant collector’s item for those fortunate enough to secure an order.

In keeping with California tradition, the California 30 Years offers owners five-star luxury in every area. Based on the acclaimed range-topping California Ocean model, the 30 Years special adds a host of additional equipment, along with bespoke design details.

All examples come with a numbered plaque on the B pillar, full LED headlamps, removable towbar and a contrast roof and wing mirrors finished in either Reflex Silver or Indium Grey metallic. Customers can also select a brand new colour – Turmeric Yellow – which is available for the first time on the California range.

Inside, buyers benefit from Volkswagen’s intuitive Discover Media Navigation Pro infotainment system as standard, along with front and rear parking sensors, side scan and cruise control and heated front seats. App-Connect – which allows owners to access and use music, mapping, and other apps on the dash from a compatible smartphone is also standard.

Customers will be able to choose between three different engine and drivetrain combinations: power outputs from the 2.0-litre TDI engine are either 150 or 199 PS, all have a seven-speed DSG gearbox as standard, and the range-topping 199 PS version is available with 4MOTION four wheel-drive.

With just 30 examples earmarked for the UK, the California 30 Years is the most exclusive special edition ever offered by Volkswagen. Prices start at £64,307 (OTR) for the 2.0 TDI 150 PS model and rise to £70,629 (OTR) for the range-topping 2.0 TDI 199 PS 4MOTION variant. As interest is expected to be extremely high, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Van Centres are urging potential buyers to secure their orders before the allocation is snapped up.

Since its introduction in 1988, the California has become the default choice for campervan owners, with more than 157,000 examples sold. And while the current California can trace its roots back to the late 1980s, Volkswagen has a camper van tradition that spans more than 60 years.

Four generations of the California have been built by Volkswagen since 1988, with each one delivering a step increase in comfort, features and refinement. Since 2004, all California have been built ‘in-house’ at Volkswagen’s advanced production facility in Limmer, Germany.

The current California T6 was launched in summer 2015 and has been a huge hit with buyers. Last year, a record 15,155 new Californias were delivered to happy, adventurous customers.

Please visit our featured dealerships map to find out more about ordering a Volkswagen California.

Step inside the VW Grand California 600 & 680; which have to be the best we’ve seen in their class, and at a start price of €55,000 for the 600 it’s keenly targeted to make waves in its category.

The medium (600) and long wheel base (680) both have four passenger seats; however we are coming to terms with the capacity to take a large family on a road trip in this new camper, which is something many in this size struggle to deal with, but Volkswagen have at least made an attempt to include the children.

In the 600 you only get a sideways 195cm bed length, which may be a  bit tight for many of you. However, extra room has been achieved with some cunningly created space – look closer at the window design in the gallery below and you can see how they have extended the bed width.

The optional children’s bed in the roof is much shorter at only 165cm –  meaning the kids may eventually grow out of it and be forced to sleep in a tent outside, but the 680 has a wonderfully large lengthways bed 200cm x 170cm – but alas, despite being bigger, the option of a second bed is not available so this is strictly a two-berth. 

The kitchen, as you might expect, has a twin hob and sink unit with a 110 litre water tank and two 11kg gas bottles that run the cooker, heating and yes, a hot water system! A spacious 70 litre fridge with ice compartment make it ideal for those long hot summer nights!

The interior build quality and design is fabulous and is absolutely going to be a huge hit with owners.

We are told more options may be added in the future, and we are convinced that further development will come. For example VW have reverted back to cloth curtains fitted with magnets for the front cab and we would like to have seen blinds to the front windscreen added in the same way as the T6 California. But what was a welcome addition to see mosquito screens to the door and kitchen in addition to the windows.

One innovative feature is the option to control the loudspeakers in the living area via Bluetooth. This makes it possible to listen to music independently of the infotainment system using a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

A new control panel is also fitted to control and monitor water levels etc and ports for a Satellite dish and TV. A 104 watt (600) and 174 watt (680) solar panels help maintain the leisure battery and an inverter allows you to charge other devices such as laptops etc.

A couple of other options we like is the panoramic tilting sunroof (700 x 850 mm) and the option of a separate air-conditioning system when stationary.

As for the drive and comfort we’re told it is exceptional with automatic gearbox (not DSG) and optional 4×4 making it prepared for all terrains. Adaptive cruise and features we love in the California are all there with addition of 360 sensors and cameras that will make it a pleasure to drive and park. The wheels are 17 inch (same as the standard size on the 204ps T6 California) but due to the vehicle weight we are told there are currently no options for larger or more stylish alloy wheels which personally we would have liked to have seen.

The anticipated arrival of the VW Grand California to the UK will be Spring 2019, and in short we love what Volkswagen have achieved here. For some it’s going to offer excellent opportunities to travel and explore in a new level of comfort.

We cannot wait to try one out next year – but it is a shame a family of five won’t all be able to enjoy the experience just yet, meaning it’s back to the T6 California Beach for them!

Both the 600 and 680 are on show on the Volkswagen stand at the Caravan Salon Düsseldorf until the 2nd September 2018.