The last several years have revealed that people have a strong desire to go off-road and get outdoors. More rugged variations of everything have been launched by automakers, from pickup trucks to crossover SUVs. Subaru even double-dipped by adding a Wilderness version of the Crosstrek, which was already a taller, more capable version of the Impreza hatchback. The aftermarket is getting in on the action, too, and one of the latest releases comes from German tuner Irmscher. The company has created a couple of sets of parts for the recently redesigned Volkswagen Caravelle van, the passenger version of the new Transporter, and one of those sets at least gives it rugged looks, if not the capability.
It’ll Be Great For Taking The Family And Your Bikes To The Trail
The Caravelle Cross Kit is quite basic. The main parts of the full kit include a tubular front bumper guard, tubular side steps, a rear spoiler, and a set of 18-inch wheels. The bumper and side steps are available in matte black or polished stainless steel finishes, while the wheels seem to only be available in black. The wheels certainly look chunky, and they seem to allow for a bit of sidewall, but you’ll need to supply your own all-terrain tires to get some more traction. The bumper guard probably offers a bit of protection, and would give you a mounting point for accessories like lights. The sidesteps seem like a bad idea to us, though. Irmscher doesn’t lift the van, so you probably don’t need them, and they definitely sit lower than the van’s rocker panels. If anything, they’re probably going to make it harder for you to get to biking and hiking trails. Plus, if we’re being honest, with no tire, suspension or mechanical upgrades, that’s about as much off-roading as this will do. At least it’ll match your mountain bike.
The Street-Oriented One Makes More Sense
Irmscher will also offer a more traditional body kit for the Caravelle. This one is clearly aimed at sportier driving on pavement. It features a new front spoiler, side skirts, and rear bumper extension, plus a rear spoiler. A set of 19-inch wheels painted black or given a polished finish. Irmscher even offers a lowering kit to go with the body mods, which drops the van by 1.18 inch. Add some sticky tires and it could be an entertaining people mover.
Related
Ford Transit Van Gets Tough With Raptor-Style Grille
All vans should look this cool.
Ford Could Create A More Capable Option
One of the interesting aspects of the new VW Transporter and Caravelle is that it’s not quite a VW. The van was co-developed with Ford, and it’s functionally the same as the Transit Custom for Europe. These vans slide between the full-size Transit and compact Transit Connect. With the previous generation of Transit Custom, Ford offered a Trail trim level. They were offered with a choice of all-wheel drive, or front-wheel drive, and the front-drive versions received limited-slip differentials to aid traction. They even got front grilles inspired by the Raptor line of trucks and SUVs, as well as some extra black cladding. So perhaps Ford will do the same with its new Transit Custom in the near future.
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