Car underpinnings and a boxy top … it’s a new direction for fuel-saving gain when entertaining mass movement.

HERE’S a question increasingly asked on owner forums: Seven-seater electric-involved cars, where are they?

Well, true it’s a sparse segment for the new vehicle market; the model here is really just the second to enter a space until now solely the preserve of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

Fighting for the same turf, now, however is the Volkswagen Multivan eHybrid, running a plug-in replenished electric-petrol drivetrain that will deliver 50kms’ pure electric running on any given day. Still 30kms’ short of the rival’s cited optimal, yet still easily all you need, with some left over for spare, according to studies.

But … hang you. The request was specifically for a car. The VW identifies quite plainly as a van. Which is an entirely different thing.

True that, but it’s a van by nameplate rather than nature. VW contends if it could have, the name and the T7 designation that suggests it’s the seventh generation of the Transporter van from which previous passenger models were derived would have been expunged locally, had it been able to do that.

That’s because there’s a twist to this tale. The Transporter van (identified as the 6.1) continues, to be replaced in the future by another that’s being co-developed with Ford. This Multivan has been developed on a different platform altogether.

In order to create its first plug-in hybrid and also reinvent this type to utterly prioritise passengers (notwithstanding all seats behind the front pair can be plucked to create a carpeted parcel-ready space), VW Commercials went off reservation.

The new T7 Multivan isn’t really based on a van. Instead, it runs on the MQB platform which underpins a wide variety of VW Group passenger products. One of which is in this market. Were the bodies removed and their technical and mechanical nakedness exposed, the VW and Skoda’s Superb iV would appear as the same thing. Very same drivetrain, a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine married to an electric motor fed by a 13kWh (10.4kWh net) lithium ion battery, in very same tune.

Affording very same outcomes? Close enough not to quibble. Skoda experience showed the performance is adequate with this powertrain but never feels overly punchy and, since the VW is heavier even when empty and all the moreso when it is carting seven full-sized seats, it’s no rocket either. Zero to 100kmh in 11.6 seconds says a lot about that.

The engine in isolation makes 85kW and 330Nm, the electric delivers 110kW and 250Nm … together, because the mathematics are more complex than adding both together, the outputs are 160kW and 350Nm, which is decent.

Actually, when at ideal operability, everything is. Economy of 1.7 litres per 100km and CO2 output of 37 grams per kilometre by Skoda’s in-house evaluation, or 1.1L/100km and 12g/km under the WLTP measurement. Sounds too good to be true? Our 80km taster run was short but punishing, with lots of climbs, curves and some traffic congestion. Half was undertaken in hybrid mode, half in pure electric. There was plenty of battery life left at the end and the fuel hit appeared to be just under two litres. This, by the way, with three adults aboard.

More kays and kilos might well tip the balance, of course; I’ve found that the Skoda is only so good for so long in those circumstances. When the engine has to act in isolation, you not only hear about it (though, in respect to that, the VW appears to have a better insulated engine bay), but also feel a more significant fuel burn. But that’s a trade-off for all PHEVs.

The idea of course is that you keep the battery in a state where it can always contribute to the driving experience. You can use the engine to act as an on-the-go charger, but that’s a hydrocarbon hit, of course, so ideally the better way would be to simply stop every while at a charging station for, say, a 10-20 top up. Ideally.

The Mitsubishi allows that, because it’s DC enabled. Unfortunately, the VW Group electric architecture is designed for much slower, more measured uptakes and that could be a real turn-off for some. Hook up this Type 2 arrangement any kind of commercial charger and you’re facing a tedious two-hour recharge time. Overnight charging from home asks five times that.

That might all lead to conclusion a diesel version arriving next year could be better for inter-city, but prioritising the PHEV for in-city will likely be enough to keep it nicely in the Green zone, where its size won’t be as much of an impediment as you might think – sure, it’s big and quite long, but with a wheel on each corner, is reasonably handy for negotiating the urban jungle.

A pity, all the same, that in order to squeeze under $80,000 and so attract a Clean Car rebate of $5750, it gets Park Distance radar but not Park Assist, Lane Assist but not the full Side Assist package, which raises potential for it becoming a dent magnet. Those dimensions will certainly fill a parking space.

Speaking of … that’s also the appeal. Space I mean. VW’s vans have always been great been wonderfully flexible, to point of serving as the starter pack of the California camper adventure, and passenger versions certainly aren’t new.

As is usual practice, all rear seats are individual items, hooking into an ingenious rail system, making it easier to adjust, move or even take out of the vehicle (and they’re 25 percent lighter than the chairs used by the previous Transporter, too).

As before, there’s a sliding multifunction centre console that can slide the length of the cabin, giving front, middle or rear passengers cup holders and a handy height adjustable fold-out table. Four USB ports are also available for rear passengers, with two up front.

In Transporter, the mid-row seats can be swivelled to face backward, what they call a vis-à-vis setting, but not in NZ-market Multivan. Vis-à-vis is availed overseas, but requires the seatbelts to be integrated into the chairs. On ours, the mid row belts anchor off the C-pillar.

Agreed, the whole ‘car, not a van’ logic would work better if it didn’t look so … erm, ‘van-like.’ Even in the optimal provision called Energetic (the version mainly photographed), costing $106,000 and set to be reasonably rare to sight, as just 30 are coming, it is still plainly a box. It’s not ugly yet, in street cred sense, it’s not as cool as the upcoming wholly electric equivalent, ID Buzz, even though that’s a bit square-cut, too.

Still, the modern headlights and grille make the Multivan look more civilian and even though the Family provisions in solid colours as standard and, of course, has sliding rear doors on each side – so convenient in tighter parking spaces than conventional hinged doors - and a big upward lifting tailgate (non-powered the Family) it won’t be mistaken for a courier rig, if for no other reason than it having flash alloys and, of course, lots of windows.

The big plus point is the optimisation of interior space. The only competitor van in the market (and it is a van) is Ford Tourneo, and that’s $20k dearer than the Family. Outlander is right in the zone, even cheaper, but VW NZ boss Kevin Richards, a man with past Mitsubishi experience, says it doesn’t stack up for rearmost seat space. Indeed, he says the big difference between Multivan and everything in that respect is that the VW is designed to accommodate seven adults, whereas everything else is more five tailored to put smallest bodies – kids in the main – right at the back.

The best place to be is up in the front seats. These are the most comfy (and are heated). There's an elevated driving position with excellent visibility. Along with the Multivan's large windscreen, a split A-pillar adds more glass to reduce the potential for blind spots.

The steering wheel and the dash have a premium feel but it’s the instrumentation and infotainment displays that really the bar as they are all digital and the same as you’d find on the new Golf. While there have been critics of VW’s menu layout, the screen is crisp and the responsiveness great. It and the instrument display can be configured in different ways; it’s easy to switch between hybrid and EV-only modes with a dedicated button below the central screen. The touchscreen has the usual smartphone connectivity, including wireless. But no wireless charging pad. That’s had to be left in Germany.

To maximise room in the front, the Multivan uses an automatic gearbox, the familiar direct shift type, so that the smaller shift-by-wire gear selector can be fixed onto the dashboard between the two display screens. It’s basically a black switch on a black background; I actually couldn’t find it for a moment. There is also an electronic parking brake leaving a flat floor in the front and enough space to walk through to the rear.

In the initial planning phase, VW decided making Multivan feel smaller in any way they could than a Transporter van would make it less demanding to park. Hence why the roof height is 1907mm (a Transporter is 1990mm). That;s to make it easier to access undercover car parks.

To interest passenger car buyers, they also went to great lengths to make it a more enjoyable vehicle to drive. A lot of effort went into the suspension design in a bid to provide a more comfortable ride, which car buyers would expect to experience. They’ve done well. It doesn’t bounce around like a van. Slinging the 13kWh battery under the floor also settles the ride.

As with all VW Group plug-in hybrids, the Multivan will always start off using electric power so long as there is some charge in the battery. It’ll comfortably hold 100kmh using only the electric motor; only when hitting beyond 140kmh does the combustion engine automatically activate.

Power levels are adequate with the electric motor alone and the delivery is expectedly smooth and quiet. The 1.4-litre petrol engine will also remain hushed in reasonably gentle use. Put your foot to the floor and the two working together get a bit noisier plus the six-speed’s shift can occasional jolt a touch.

Recharging is via a port on the driver's side front wing. To help prolong electric running, there’s a setting to increase energy recovery, instigating a sort of one-pedal driving feel. When the battery depletes, it will continue in a hybrid mode that alternates between the engine and the motor. The driver can also reserve a set level of charge in the battery if it needs to be kept for a zero-emission segment of the journey.

There’s another reason why the Transporter 6.1 is going to sit alongside Multivan for the next 12-18 months. While the latter will also provision with diesel (and 4Motion all-wheel-drive) in time, the PHEV model is not up to towing. Yes, theoretically it is limited to 1600kg, but at the moment the factory has not permitted it to tow at all. The diesel T7 will be certified, but the max of 2000kg is 500kg short of the 6.1. That’s another price of switching from a van to a car underpinning.

The addition of a plug-in hybrid patently adds an extra layer of appeal at the right time but obviously this is a halfway step to the fully-electric route that’ll be open for business when the funky ID Buzz comes. For sure, there’s potential the latter could dent the Multivan’s prospects, though assumption they’ll occupy the same prizing zone is probably mis-placed.