Caravelle: Barn Doors or Tailgate?

[Lukavell]

One of the things I like about my Kombi is the increased practicality of the Barn Doors. I also, believe it or not prefer the look of it. I'm fully aware that it will impact the resale value. However, before I spec it I would like to know if it has any detrimental effect on the interior noise as the Barn Door is designed for industry rather than passenger comfort?

 

[PaulE]

No major differences, but it does depend a little on the equipment level = interior plastic covers and/or insulation thickness.
I also like the idea of barn door useability and comfort, but to be honest the hinges do look kind of ugly on the outside

 

[Lukavell]

No major differences, but it does depend a little on the equipment level = interior plastic covers and/or insulation thickness.
I also like the idea of barn door useability and comfort, but to be honest the hinges do look kind of ugly on the outside

I think as far as interior lining goes that a Caravelle is a Caravelle, unless you specify the Acoustics Package Extra. So it ought to be ok if they cover the doors properly, although I have never seen a Caravelle with Wing Doors. hmmm...

As far as looks go as with everything it's all down to taste!

 

[PaulE]

Well barn doors for Caravelle(Multivan in EU) is a new thing, but as far as looks it does not differ much from Transporter(Transporter or Caravelle in EU)

 

[Tourershine]

All my previous none VW vans were Barn Door, and we were actually looking forward to not having that on the VW, and opting for the tailgate.
We assumed this would suit us better, with the bonus of that tailgate shelter.

In reality, my van is my work van, and we work out of the side, and rear with our kit, and 99% of our work is done on customers driveways. The tailgate needs a lot of room to open, and can actually make things a little more difficult for us at work.

Saying that, I will tolerate this, and get used to it, but for practicality, I agree in some circumstances, barn doors are slightly better.