Volkswagen Transporter Kombi T30 Highline 2.0 TDI 140 DSG: Second long-term report

Volkswagen Transporter Kombi T30 Highline 2.0 TDI 140 DSG

CHRISTMAS has been and gone, we’ve welcomed in 2016 and it’s hard to believe that I’ve been behind the wheel of our Transporter  for just over a month. Not long after I’d filed the first long-term report on the Transporter, like current trends with these Kombi vans being bought as tax-efficient dual use vehicles, the Kombi T30 Highline 2.0 TDI 140 DSG was pressed into use as family transport for the usual seasonal visits to relatives. The weekend before Santa’s arrival we were off on a trip to Bath, via Somerset which involved a late night family drive from home. Even with the extra seats of the Kombi, the Transporter didn’t break sweat when swallowing our entire luggage and presents, for what would be a long weekend’s travelling. Both my kids liked the extra space in the rear bench and despite those optional 18-inch wheels making the ride a bit bumpy, my wife and I were grateful when they slept soundly the whole way. Driving the Transporter on this trip proved to be no problem either; the mixture of torquey 2.0-litre TDi 140 engine, DSG transmission and cruise control meant a smooth, refined drive despite the wheels. And with light late evening pre-Christmas traffic, the 140-mile mixture of motorways, A and B roads were dispatched in just over two-and-a-half hours. That was despite heavy rain all the way! With relatives filling all six Transporter seats, a memorable trip to meet Santa on a steam train during the trip saw the T6 add to its mud quota both inside and out. I was certainly grateful for the wipe-clean floor, although like the interior, a lack of time and bad weather mean that the outside of the Transporter is still dirty. Other observations I noted over the 400+ mile long weekend are some flaws with the T6’s curvy dashboard design. Both my wife and I like the cup holders on the top corners of the dash, but are less convinced by the other areas of stowage in the new dashboard.