06 Aug 08
The major issue is separating passengers and possessions. I often drive my partner's band to gigs and despite being able to fit most of their gear and all five musicians in the Volkswagen Caravelle, and amps in the boot, the keyboards have to fit between the two central seats and guitars sit across laps.
Obviously, this is far better than the traditional back-of-a-Transit journey, with people rattling around with their gear and no proper seats or seatbelts, it's still not very safe, as these heavy items can't be secured.
Volkswagen does offer the Transporter (the Caravelle's more utilitarian sister model) as a five-seater with three-person rear bench and large loadspace behind. There's not a full integral bulkhead, but Volkswagen offers a cage-style metal barrier as an option to stop stuff hurtling forwards in the event of an accident. In retrospect, I'd have traded some of the Caravelle's creature comforts - and especially that table - for this layout.
I also regret that we didn't order the optional Sleep pack (a bed extension, curtains, bed cover and three drawers in the base of the rear bench), which can't be retro-fitted. The rear seats fold to form a reasonably flat, wide sleeping area, once you've figured out a complex sequence of sliding, lever-pulling, manoeuvring and lining up of central seats in a suitable position of their rails. It's a two-person job and main thing I learned is that it helps if you read the manual.
