Volkswagen Automatic Campervans & Motorhomes

The Automatic Volkswagen Campervan: A Smoother Way to Tour

Continually changing gear in stop-start traffic, or when driving along windy country lanes or hilly terrain can take a lot of pleasure away from the whole experience of touring in your campervan. A great solution to the problem is to go automatic. eBay offers a large selection of VW campervan automatics from the nearly new, to the iconic VW shape of the 1970s.

Volkswagen launched the original split-screen Volkswagen campervan in 1950, and it became an instant hit with the early campervan trailblazers. Now a collector’s item, early models were basic, to say the least, and designed by most campervan converters to accommodate two occupants. Later models of the same basic shape, the ‘bay window’ models, were designed to hold two to four occupants, and are still popular today. The more modern VW campervans are designed with two to six berths. Since the mid-1970s, Volkswagen campervans have been available with a manual or automatic gearbox.

With Britain’s roads becoming more congested, constantly changing up and down through a manual gearbox becomes increasingly demanding and tiring, especially for older drivers, and especially when spending hours on the road, driving from one campsite to another. Other benefits of changing to an automatic campervan include:

• A smoother ride in town traffic. Light pressure on the brake peddle brings your camper to a halt. Remove the pressure and your camper will begin to creep forward.
• An improved, less stressful driving experience. No more slipping the clutch and revving the engine to move every time the traffic edges forward.
• Improved fuel economy. Modern automatic gearboxes are far more efficient than their early counterparts.

Late model VW T4 automatic campervans come with an impressive array of fixtures, fittings and appliances, including Wi-Fi and USB ports. That said, not everyone wants to buy a campervan that’s fully loaded. Many enthusiasts look for models that have just the bare essentials. Usually cheaper to buy than a fully kitted out model, it allows the enthusiast to fit out the camper to their own specifications and needs.

It’s nice to have all the latest gadgets and gizmos in your home away from home when parked up on site. But that’s only part of the touring story. Much of your holiday enjoyment disappears if you are tired and aching from hours of driving in the hot Mediterranean sun and stop-start traffic queues in unfamiliar cities and towns. Constant gear changing when following a large truck uphill and down dale. It all takes its toll on your touring enjoyment. Remove the stress, and let your right foot do the driving, by switching to an automatic VW campervan.