Volkswagen Kombi T6.1 (2021) First Drive Impressions

Alongside its posh Caravelle sibling, the lowlier Volkswagen Kombi received a comprehensive spec update at the end of 2020. This upgrade goes deeper than the usual mild restyling, with some significant engineering changes and added sophistication. 

The location chosen to showcase the new Kombi could not have been more perfect: the windy Garden Route gave the new mainstream Volkswagen bus plenty of opportunity to demonstrate its steady handling, ample (if not exhilarating) power, rock-solid build quality, and excellent fuel efficiency. It’s still the Transporter we know and love, but improved in almost every way.

​Related: Shop for new and used Volkswagen Caravelle cars for sale here.

 

What’s new?

There’s a new, more-potent engine/drivetrain combination for the mid-level automatic Transporter variant, a switch from hydraulic to electric power steering, slight styling changes, and some cool new driver aids and technology boosts – some of which are first-in-class items. It also looks sharper, and offers the option of the high-output 146 kW/450 Nm bi-turbo diesel with 4Motion AWD for those with a penchant for speed, but who fall short of the luxury Caravelle’s substantial pricetag.

Our steed for this media drive event was the Kombi 2.0 TDI DSG, however. The engine is uprated from 103 kW to 110 kW for use with the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, along with 340 N (up 20 Nm from before). There’s a 5-speed manual at the entry-level, but that one’s restricted to only 81 kW and 250 Nm, so it won’t be anywhere near as spritely as the automatic Trendline.

 

Driver assistance boosts

Updated electronic architecture enabled the engineers to adds some handy safety- and driver assistance systems, some of which trickled down from the larger Crafter van. Parking sensors all round are standard, along with a rear-view camera and a hi-res display on the dashboard; but the side proximity protection, cross-traffic alert, trailer assistance, and park assist systems remains exclusive to the Caravelle and California.

There’s another interesting gadget that’s standard across the new Transporter (T6.1) range. Crosswind Assist is a function of the stability control system, which monitors the effect of crosswinds on the vehicle’s direction of travel, and applies remedial brake force on individual wheels to keep it from being blown off-course. Its operation is well-integrated, and rarely draws attention to itself – in fact, it’s as polite and quietly efficient as every other element of the new Kombi.

​Related: Shop for new and used Volkswagen Kombi cars for sale here.

 

Considerate touches

In keeping with its tradition of all-round usefulness, the latest Kombi offers everything you need, but without many of the fancy trimmings that push the Caravelle’s price skywards. For instance, the instrument cluster uses analog gauges instead of the Caravelle’s all-digital display, the seat upholstery is in flat-weave cloth instead of leather, and the air conditioner is manual instead of automatic. 

These are minor omissions, though, and can be regarded as irrelevant by buyers. The important things remain: each seating row has its own roof-mounted air vents (with individual blower- and temperature control for the rear rows) and plenty of cabin lights to create a quietly classy interior ambience. 

Thoughtful touches extend to the middle row’s “easy entry” folding mechanism and built-in roller blinds for the rear side windows. Comfort items also include standard cruise control, a colour touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone mirroring. The front cabin also has plenty of hidey-holes, with a broad cross-dash shelf and two large pockets per door.

 

Some minor downsides 

If there are any criticisms to be leveled at the Kombi’s convenience kit, it would relate to only two issues: there’s a general lack of cup- or bottle holders in the rear compartment, and the rear occupants are also bereft of USB charging points. In other words, they’ll be very comfortable in their individual seats and enjoy a fresh breeze from the ceiling, but they’ll be rather bored when their mobile devices run out of battery charge...

Compounding this entertainment oversight is the fact that the standard audio system comprises only 4 speakers, even with that crisp touchscreen front and centre in the dashboard. This means that only the two front seat occupants can derive real benefit from the standard Bluetooth connectivity and integrated SD card slot. 

Of a rather more serious nature is the fact that Kombis only have two airbags fitted as standard, with side- and curtain airbags all appearing on the option sheet at a R 24 000 premium. In addition, the Kombi Trendline (81 kW and 110 kW) also does without the LED headlights that come standard on the Trendline Plus (146 kW) and Caravelle – for those, buyers have to tick a R 34 100 option box. Make it an extra R 58 100 to get your Kombi’s safety spec up to standard, then...

 

The value proposition

Starting at R 725 900 before options, the Kombi T6.1 Trendline 81 kW manual is pretty pricey for the power on offer. However, spending a little more to upgrade to 110 kW DSG spec results in a fairly compelling package for the money: starting at a base price of R 755 300, the automatic mid-power Kombi will cost R 813 400 with the needed safety upgrades fitted. 

That’s still somewhat expensive in a market segment where similar money can get a more-powerful Ford Transit, but it’s almost R 200 000 less expensive than a similarly-equipped (and less-powerful) Mercedes V200d and about R310 000 less than the faster, plusher AWD Caravelle. Seen in this perspective, the Kombi Trendline 110 kW makes a strong case for itself, with plenty of brand equity and a long heritage of market leadership to go with its robust build and practical attributes.