By Sala Masindane

Generally, the festive season is a time to let your hair down and take a break from the rat race. This is usually done by going on vacations, road trips or visit your hometown. Unfortunately, it only happens in a specific period, being typically either the Easter holidays or December, these times occur once in a year and the wait is often too long. Fortunately for some of us Christmas came early this year. We had an opportunity to go on a trip/tour in the recently updated Volkswagen Caravelle T6. Media delegates from all walks and across the country converged to the Eastern Cape, where the tour was going to commence in East London.

The #caracaratour is in full swing. First stop was the Kei Mouth Motorcycle Museum. There are bikes that go as far as back as the 1930s here and they have a collection of over 650 motorcycles for you to see. Worth a visit. @VolkswagenSA #CaravelleTour pic.twitter.com/XWtxbDHJVL

— Khulekani on Wheels (@khuleonwheels) June 14, 2019

Day one was a relatively calm affair which comprised of a brief lunch stop at the Cantina Craft restaurant for a meal and a cold beverage. The time was cut short as the planned programme was running behind. This was not the fault of our own or the host, but all scheduled flights from Johannesburg were delayed due mist that forced some of them to land in Bloemfontein or worse enough Gaborone in Botswana. After the lunch the convoy of Caravelle moved to Morganville Motor Bike Museum. Its managed and owned by “self-confessed hoarder” Ben Nel.  The Museum houses over 600 motorcycles that go far back as the 1932, a rare Yamaha GTS100A and the highlight of the collection is the Convair 800 Passenger Jet. There are only two of these Jets left that are still in their original condition, the other being owned by the late Elvis Presley, named Lisa Maire and is parked in Graceland. We departed from the Museum to our overnight home which was the sea facing Premier Hotel ICC of course, and the dinner spot was the Graza Food and Wine restaurant.

Rolling with the Caravelle Highline and Panamericana. Both have striking looks and the two tone colour scheme stays winning. We are looking forward to enjoying the space, comfort and turbo-diesel engines over long beautiful distances. #caracaratour #CaravelleTour pic.twitter.com/c1oDELP9yv

— Khulekani on Wheels (@khuleonwheels) June 15, 2019

The following day was preceded by the standard photo opp next to the sea for the gram and breakfast at the hotel. And as the saying goes, “the early bird, catches the fat worm” and we were fortunate enough to get the keys of the much in demand cherry red Caravelle Highline for the trip to Scribante Track in Port Elizabeth. The Caravelle Highline stands out with features such as a decorative chrome bar in the lower radiator grille, fog lights with cornering light function, 17-inch silver ‘Cascavel’ alloy wheels, full LED headlights and LED rear lights. Electrically operated sliding door enhances convenience of entering and the middle table in the interior. The table includes two compartments for maps, two storage areas for drinks bottles, a drawer and a storage tray for small bits and pieces. We never felt the 300 kms that were travelled to the racetrack. On arrival at Scribante, we were met by the smell of burnt rubber, screeching tyres and the roaring crowds. The Volkswagen National Race Day was in its fourth round of the Extreme Festal that presents the Global Touring Cars (GTC), Falken Polo Cup, Investchem Formula 160, SBK SA Superbike Series and EP Modified Saloons. Volkswagen pulled out all the stops to ensure that we rubbed shoulders with the drivers like Jonathan Mogotsi and Raais Asmal, had pit access and the best seat in the house at the raceway. After all that exhilarating racing, we moved to the beautiful Boardwalk Hotel in Summerstrand where we retired for the evening.

We are at VW National Race Day in Scribante Raceway, Port Elizabeth. The extreme festival will showcase the following classes/races; Global Tour Cars(GTC), Falken Polo Cup, Investchem Formula 1600, SBK SA Superbike Series and the EP Modified Saloons. #caracaratour #CaravelleTour pic.twitter.com/gMVcvsuwlq

— Khulekani on Wheels (@khuleonwheels) June 15, 2019

The tour concluded with a trip to the City Surf Series at Pollock Beach. It comprises of the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) rated events for men and women, plus Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) events for men and women aged 18-and-under. This leg of the tour was done in the Caravelle Pan Americana. It is recognizable by the multi-part bumper and its black-painted radiator grille with three chrome bars. The ‘Devonport’ 17-inch alloy wheels emphasize the dynamic appearance. The interior has decorative inserts for the side panels. Additional standard features include semi-automatic Climatronic climate control system, roller sun blinds in the passenger compartment, a boot- space cover, multi-function steering wheel, rain sensor, Nappa leather seat trim covers and automatic anti-glare interior rear-view mirror.

1/2Good morning from PE. We with the Caravelle. The Highline stands out with features such as a decorative chrome bar in the lower radiator grille. Electrically operated sliding door enhances convenience of entering & the middle table in the interior. #CaravelleTour #caracaratour pic.twitter.com/zeNxqKYs5b

— Khulekani on Wheels (@khuleonwheels) June 16, 2019

The Caravelle or the caracara as it’s affectionately known in the streets has been one of the best sellers in the segment for the past six decades. Now in its sixth generation, the T6 Caravelle continues the heritage of its predecessor. The exterior has been redesigned with a sharper front end, lines, beads, edges that run continuously from front and back. These updates can also be seen inside the Caravelle with a new full touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity. The range topping Caravelle can seat seven passengers with 360 degree swiveling and folding seats for the first row, while the rear has a newly designed three-seat bench. Under the hood of the Caravelle is a 2.0 litre Bi-Turbo engine with power output of 132kW and 400Nm of torque. This is paired with a seven-speed DSG transmission. The Caravelle can be ordered with front-wheel drive or 4Motion all-wheel.

Good morning on Youth Day. 🇿🇦 We are still with the @VolkswagenSA crew. This morning we are the Volkswagen City Surfing Series in PE. #caracaratour #caravelletour pic.twitter.com/t2vasoMzbl

— Khulekani on Wheels (@khuleonwheels) June 16, 2019

We would like to thank Volkswagen for fulfilling our lifetime bucket list of going to watch the GTC and the Falken Polo Cup.

The pricing of the Caravelle is as follows:

Caravelle 2.0 BiTDI 4MOTION DSG Pan Americana          R962,800

Caravelle 2.0 BiTDI DSG Highline                                           R995,200

Caravelle 2.0 BiTDI 4MOTION DSG Highline                      R1,027,700

This includes a standard three-year/120,000 km manufacturer warranty and five-year/60,000 km Automotion Maintenance Plan.