Return of the VW Kombi
The very word 'Kombi' represents freedom, style, travel adventures and old-fashioned fun with family and friends. The new Kombi Beach captures that same spirit in a way that hardly any other vehicle can. Kombi Beach is a true getaway vehicle that helps you escape from the routine and rigours of everyday life. It gives you genuine versatility with its capability to move people around through the week and then come into its own on a weekend for a couple of days of rest and relaxation with comfortable sleeping areas and innovative German functionality. The Kombi Beach has a distinctive two-tone design that reflects its famous past and the glory days of the 60s. The spartan interior deliberately sets the tone for Kombi Beach, achieving comfort, safety, flexibility and function without fuss. A clever modular system is central to the storage solution, with stowage box, soft bags, table and chairs safely tucked away.
It's only when you start packing the vehicle that you realise just how much space is provided and discover the tremendous versatility of the Kombi Beach. The structural element that makes Kombi Beach so flexible is the unique rail system in the floor that gives you the ability to configure the interior seats in any combination you want. Moulded rails above and below the rear side windows support two handy fabric bags for stowage. Both bags can be easily detached and feature strong carry straps. The rails also act as a harness for a roof net, which doubles as back-up storage for things like blankets, sleeping bags and spare clothes. The predominant feature inside the Kombi Beach is the adjustable and removable two-seater folding seat bench, which forms either a huge interior sleeping area or a spare seat bench. When you fold down and combine the bench seat with the upholstered stowage box and bed extension at the rear, you end up with a cosy sleeping area 2.3 metres long and 1.7 metres wide.
The optional "Good Night Package" for the Kombi Beach includes curtains and elastic covers for additional security and privacy. For those who like to read at night there are two flexible lights in the headlining on either side of the rear sleeping area. The Kombi Beach gets top marks when it comes to safety with an anti-lock braking system and electronic brake pressure distribution. Driver and front passenger airbags are standard. Front side and curtain airbags can be ordered as an option. For additional grip, the Kombi Beach is equipped with traction control system and anti-slip regulation. As an optional extra, the Kombi Beach can be equipped with an electronic stabilisation program plus brake assist system. If you like to drive on the beach, the option of Volkswagen's 4MOTION (all wheel drive) is also available. The Kombi Beach is powered by a 128kW 2.5-litre TDI engine. It develops 96kW of power at 3500rpm and 340Nm of torque at 2000rpm - 2300rpm.
The driveline variations are 2.5 TDI manual (6-speed), 2.5 TDI automatic (6-speed automatic with Tiptronic) and the 2.5 TDI 4MOTION (6-speed manual, all wheel drive). These transmission combinations give the Kombi Beach a top speed of 168km/h, 164km/h and 165km/h respectively. The Volkswagen Kombi Beach is priced from $54,990 for the TDI manual, $57,990 for the TDI automatic. The first Kombi van was designed in 1947 by Dutch VW importer, Ben Pon. Three years later the first production model left the factory at Wolfsburg, Germany. The rear wheel drive T1 model of 1950 continued in production until 1967. The T2 was introduced in 1968. It was built in Germany until 1979, before production shifted to Mexico in 1980 and Brazil in 1996. The T3 model was built between 1979 to 1992. The Kombi evolved into the Transporter and inherited a front engine in 1990.
