Volkswagen has revealed the Tristar, a concept it claims to be as versatile as a Swiss Army knife. Built to mark the 30th anniversary of the first Syncro concept, this latest creation from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles may look whacky at first, but look a little closer and it's not quite as far from a production model as you might think.
Exterior
As van-based pick-ups go, the Volkswagen Tristar is as rugged as they come while the extended cab allows for even more useable features to exist inside. The ride height is raised by 30mm over a standard Transporter van while the sills, wheels arches and bumpers feature hard-wearing plastic cladding - and the Tristar rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels that are shod with chunky off-road tyres.
The front end features an updated grille, winch system and LED headlights, all of which help to give the concept a wider, more powerful stance and appearance. At the rear a flatbed loading bay features a watertight drawer underneath the main load section that also houses a full-sized spare wheel.
Interior
The interior features sliding driver and passenger seats, a 20-inch tablet table and all the very latest technology including a video conferencing facility. According to Volkswagen, the Tristar can be the perfect place for meetings. There's even a built in espresso machine.
Mechanicals
Backing up the rugged off-road style is a powerful 2.0-litre TDI engine producing 201hp and 450Nm, which powers a permanent 4Motion all-wheel drive transmission that features a mechanical rear axle differential lock. Sending power to the wheels is Volkswagen's seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, which helps the Tristar reach a top speed of 185km/h while the 0-100km/h dash is completed in 10 seconds flat.
Anything else?
For now the Tristar is just a one-off concept built to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Syncro concept, but should there be enough demand there's a small chance that Volkswagen may end up producing a very limited run of a model that is similar.