Volkswagen Transporter Trakkadu 400 AWD camper van 2018 review

The 400 has a 2.0-litre twin-turbo-diesel – producing 132kw at 4000rpm and 400Nm at 1500rpm – and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It has VW’s '4Motion' all-wheel drive system.

From the dash-top cupholders (one for the driver, one for the front-seat passenger), glove box, and door pockets, all the way back to the Trakka-fitted extendable shower hose at the rear, the interior is on the right side of practical.

While there are some downsides to the camper van’s generous dimensions, mostly when driving, there are huge positives when it comes to the interior’s practicality; let’s face it, if this van wasn’t so big it wouldn’t be able to fit the couch/bed, the stove top and all of the other touring-friendly stuff.

Both passenger and driver seats come standard with swivel bases, so they can be turned to face inwards for when your camper van is stationary.

The interior of the Trakkadu is definitely on the right side of practical.

When the van is parked, the pop-top roof can be raised on its gas struts, creating plenty of headroom inside the living area of the van. There is also a roof-bed up top, really only for kids, but with the pop-top raised, it also allows for greater ventilation throughout the van as it has three large screened mesh windows. (Before you drive again, make sure you lower the pop-top and secure it down with its sturdy clips – a bit of a tricky operation but something you’ll improve at the more you do it.)

An extendable Anthracite awning is built into the side of the van at roof height. It winds out over the passenger-side sliding door and has two adjustable struts that lock into place on the side of the van while you’re raising or lowering the awning, or those struts can be used as poles on the ground when the awning is fully extended. (Again, a tricky operation for a camper van novice and best tackled with two people, rather than one, to be on the safe side and avoid any strife. I had assistance from my videographer/photographer.)

The kitchen area inside has a glass/ceramic diesel-fuelled stove (no other fuel type required, no open flame in vehicle) with a meal-prep table, bench space, utensils, a stainless-steel sink (with folding tap and glass lid) and an 80-litre 12-volt/240-volt compressor fridge/freezer. 

Both passenger and driver seats come standard with swivel bases, so they can be turned to face inwards for when your camper van is stationary.

Below, there are shutter-door openings to storage spaces, as well as soft-close drawers. There is shelved wardrobe space towards the rear of the camper, as well as on the floor, and a hidden drawer under the bench seat/couch. There are nifty spaces throughout to neatly tuck things away, so they don’t rattle around and cause any strife while you’re on the move.

There is an easily moveable indoor/outdoor table that clicks into place, either on the side of the kitchen bench or on the passenger-side of the van.

An easy-to-read electronic digital control panel allows you to switch on/off 12V power, the electric water pump, as well as monitor air temperatures, battery levels (vehicle and camper*) and water levels (there is a fully protected 55L water tank hidden away in the Trakkadu). (* It has a 100Ah deep-cycle house battery, and there are extra-cost lithium upgrade and solar options available. Starting and house batteries are charged automatically from the alternator and mains 240V power.)

There is a built-in 12-volt fan on a swivel base inside as well as 12-volt and USB charging points.

When the van is parked, the pop-top roof can be raised on its gas struts, creating plenty of headroom inside the living area of the van.

When night comes, you can use the two metres of high-powered LED strip-lighting; some of it can even be dimmed.

At bed time, you slide the bench seat forward, fold down the head-rests, fold down the seat-back so it’s horizontal, then slide the entire now-flat seat towards the back so it meets the back bed platform. Pull the window blinds, clip on the shade cloths and then it’s simply a matter of throwing your bedding on top. It’s a basic set-up but adequately comfortable – well suited to short-stay trips, not lengthy stops. It’s certainly not the worst sleeping arrangements I’ve ever had on a camping trip.

Note: The Trakkadu 400 does not have a toilet but that’s a problem easily solved: take a portaloo – or shovel – on your trips away, or simply use the toilets at your next caravan park or campsite.

There are nifty spaces throughout to neatly tuck things away, so they don’t rattle around and cause any strife while you’re on the move.

The Trakkadu 400 is 2060mm tall, 5290mm long, 1900mm wide and weighs 2480kg, so you must adjust your driving style to suit the vehicle’s dimensions. But be mindful of its size at all times and you won’t have a problem, especially when parking or reversing into an overnight spot or carpark, as it doesn’t have a reversing camera, only rear parking sensors.

The little engine is a punchy unit and nudges this hefty beast along at a fair clip and with little urging. It does, however, tend to hold gears for too long – especially up and down hills – and that happens enough to be annoying.

There’s a fair bit of body-roll through corners due to its height and weight and the camper’s high sides are prone to copping wind gusts as this one did in the high-wind areas we’ve driven through. But you don’t climb into something like this – a purpose-built campervan – and expect sportscar ride and handling. If you do, you need some serious counselling.

However, the Trakkadu’s length and long wheelbase actually help it to feel stable and settled once you hit the open road. It has standard suspension – coil springs front and rear – and rides on 17-inch tyres on steel rims.

The little engine is a punchy unit and nudges this hefty beast along at a fair clip and with little urging.

The claimed fuel consumption is 8.3L/100km (combined). After 250.3km of driving, including a smattering of dirt roads, we recorded a dash readout of 8.6L/100km. Our actual calculation worked out to be 9.5L/100km. It has an 80-litre fuel tank.

It has a three-year Trakka warranty and the vehicle’s own three-year/unlimited km warranty.