01 Jul 08
After a few months being mistaken for a private hire minicab, the Caravelle has been pressed into service as a family wagon.
As the only member of the 4Car team to have a spouse and kids - the resident smug married, as Bridget Jones would put it - it falls to me to give the 'Velle the ultimate quality and reliability testing that comes with being a conveyance for a family of four.
How does it stand up to muddy footprints, crumbs from oat-cracker and rice-cake mid-journey snacks, spillages from drinks cups and bottles, and the sundry other ways that my two little darlings test the cars that the Thomas household uses?
Can it take a load from a trip to Ikea? Can it manoeuvre easily around the narrow mean streets of south London? And will it draw admiring comments and questions about its price from passers-by?
Well, the 'Velle certainly passes the first customer satisfaction test, receiving the thumbs-up from Daisy (7) and Evie (3). To their young eyes, the swivelling single seats and table are a marvel; they like the high riding position being in the back; and, best of all, they love the drop-down screen for the roof-mounted DVD player. In fact, little Evie now associates the Caravelle with one particular film, having watched it on numerous occasions soon after we started using the car/van. Now every time she approaches it, she shouts out: 'Simpsons Movie'.
