You don’t need me to tell you that in the car world today, image is everything. Even cars whose role would at first appear entirely functional, such as MPVs, estates and off-roaders, can no longer rely on simple fitness for purpose to sell. Quite the reverse in fact: MPVs are losing seats, estates gaining smaller boots and off-roaders compromising their ability in the mud just so their owners can daily reassure their friends and family and complete strangers that they have style.

But there remain a few cars that don’t bother with all that nonsense. The design of the Land Rover Defender is 57 years old but even Land Rover’s own expert off-roaders will tell you that nothing, not even any of the cars it has built in the interim, can stay with it when the going gets really tough. It possesses a blend of honesty and ability unmatched by any other off-roader.

In the MPV world, the Volkswagen Caravelle has the same going for it. This is slightly odd as it is only now, with this all-new version, that VW has at last deemed it fit to be released from the clutches of its commercial vehicle wing and be marketed as part of its passenger car line-up — a big sister to the Sharan and Touran. But if you want your people carrier to do exactly that, I can think of none more suited to the job.

For a start, it’s vast. A Sharan (otherwise known as the Ford Galaxy in slightly different clothes) can seat the same seven people but it’s dwarfed by the Caravelle.

Inside, this has allowed VW to go mad. There are so many cubbyholes, pockets and concealed storage areas that I was still finding more after a week with the car. The two middle seats and the rear bench are mounted on runners that slide the entire length of the rear compartment, so, within broad parameters, they can be put where you like. The rear bench also folds flat, which is why, as well as the more conventional optional extras that are available for this car, you’ll also find a mattress.

The middle seats fold, slide and can be removed but they also swivel round to face backwards, converting the back of the car into a mobile boardroom. If you want, you can make a table pop up in the middle. And if all you want is space, chuck out all the rear seats and 4.5 cubic metres of it is at your disposal.

But can any of this distance it from accusations of being no more than a van with windows? Certainly, if you try to park in a crowded street, you’ll be aware of its size every step of the way and driving round town requires you consciously to drive around the outside of tight turns to avoid snagging the side of the car. But give it some space and these limitations disappear.

Indeed, choose a Caravelle with the 172bhp, five-cylinder turbodiesel that turned up in the car I drove and you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised by its performance. If this is a van, it’s a damned fast one, as its 117mph top speed attests.

Come the spring there’ll be a V6 petrol version that will do nearly 130mph. But for now this diesel provides both unlikely performance and stunning economy — more than 40mpg is feasible and you have to thrash it to within a inch of its life to see much less than 30mpg. I know, I tried. At its official combined consumption of 35.3mpg, it will go more than 600 miles between fills.

More impressive still is the Caravelle’s refinement. At any speed compatible with retaining your driving licence, noise levels inside are not even an issue. Moreover, the high-quality driving environment, standard six-speed gearbox and familiar VW architecture make long distances scarcely more painful or distasteful than if you are doing the same in, say, a Passat estate.

So good is the Caravelle at disguising its commercial vehicle origins on the motorway that you’re tempted to think it’s going to behave like a normal car on country lanes. Do not be deceived. It’s highly unlikely that anyone seriously considering a Caravelle is also going to wittingly search for its handling limits but even mild enthusiasm is to be avoided. Throw it around to any significant degree and its composure deserts it at the first turn, replaced by a lurching, wallowing progress that is startlingly reminiscent of a van.

But in the context of such a car, there are more serious criticisms, such as the weight of the tailgate and its astonishing ability to clout whatever is behind it when it’s being opened. The sliding side doors are heavy, don’t always close at the first pull and, on the car I drove, often required several attempts with the button on the key before unlocking.

However, the Caravelle offers enough to overcome these minor difficulties. With its colossal and versatile interior, great performance and economy and a list price of £27,750, it looks strong on paper and deserves success in the showroom.

Whether that will happen, of course, is another matter. I suspect that mortal fear of being thought a victim of one’s children will keep this otherwise excellent car from the large number of customers its talents otherwise undoubtedly deserve.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model: Volkswagen Caravelle TDI PD
Engine type: Five-cylinder, turbo, 2460cc
Power: 172bhp @ 3500rpm
Torque: 295 lb ft @ 2000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Suspension: (front) MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar (rear) semi-trailing arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Fuel/CO2: 35.3mpg / 240g/km
Acceleration: 0-62mph: 11.8sec
Top speed: 117mph
Price: £27,750
Verdict: Vast, fast and effective people mover