If half-a-dozen rugby players need a lift to the pub, this is the car for them. Whichever of its seven seats you find yourself in, the Caravelle has plenty of head-, leg- and shoulder-room. What’s more, plentiful luggage space and a
full-size spare contribute to an excellent practicality score.
It tows reasonably well, too. The 2.0-litre engine has its work cut out towing two tonnes of caravan, but it gets there in the end. Straight-line stability is good, although the back was pushed a bit in the lane-change test. The ride is uncomfortably stiff.
In the hill-start test, the handbrake needed a very firm tug before it held. The Caravelle pulled to the top of the slope easily enough, but the vibrations coming through the seat and floor as it did so aren’t what you’d expect of a £35,000 car.