Volkswagen California 6.1 review - is this the best camper van you can buy?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 лют 2022
- The Volkswagen California takes an already proven formula and adds a sprinkle of improvements to make it one of the most complete camper packages on the market. Along with some subtle styling updates, Volkswagen is adding more in-car tech and a broader range of driver assistance systems.
Chapters
00:01 - Introduction
00:21 - Exterior design
01:26 - Rear storage
01:49 - Shower
03:00 - Interior layout
04:52 - Control panel
05:31 - Sleeping setup
07:36 - Driving impressions
10:37 - Verdict
Subscribe to the Complete Van UA-cam channel.
Follow Dave on Twitter: / lordhumphreys
Follow Dave on Instagram: / lordhumphreys
Follow Complete Van on Twitter: / completevan
Like Complete Van on Facebook: / completevan
Follow Complete Van on Instagram: / completevan - Авто та транспорт
The table has a clip at the bottom to secure and stop rattles. When putting the table away it needs to be pushed in against the clip to engage.
If only you could buy the VW California in California……seems a bit ironic that you can’t.
Exactly! How can they call it a California and it isn’t even available in the US! 🙄
Ironic? You mean IDIOTIC. What is wrong with VW?
@@graphguy Is it due to the Vanagon's inability to pass the 35 mph head-on crash test?
@@siberiantiger3917 I don't think so. I have Bern monitoring it and VW just doesn't think there is big enough market for it to make it feasible... personally I think they are idiots. I would buy one in a flash and at least here in California there is a large market for it.
My family had the 80’s camper van version of this. We drove it my entire childhood saw over 30 national state parks. I have such amazing memories. Please bring this to the US
Mr Continuity here.
Lovely painted thumbnail at 6:49
Pink is very becoming
Thank you! : )
This is a great choice my husband likes it so much space, I especially love the bed above and shower 🚿 with a mini freezer amazingly compact with everything
I totally agree!
great video
Thanks! Appreciate it
Wow it’s so nice
It's a bit of a dream car/van in many ways.
As below, the table has a clip at the base. Push back and the slightly forward and it clicks into place and doesn’t rattle. Nice video 👍
Thanks for the tip!
I love it. Kind of surprised how minimally different it is from my 72 vw type 2 camper. Bet it drives a hell of a lot better.
I've travelled in a '72-type Volkswagen van in Canada and the heating and insulation is so lousy that you are almost weeping in pain as you get to your destination with the heaters on "full". It starts as coldness in your hands and feet then converts into sheer pain and it's like being tortured in your groovy little VW van... The VW van can't handle anything tougher than a bit of rain...
True, but your 72 is surely even cooler
Really nice!
Thanks!
NICE
It reminds me of the Chevrolet Astro Van design. Are they ever going to produce this model the masses?
I like your delivery, the camera work and editing. Ended too soon, needed more detail
Awesome, thank you for saying. We could have made an hour long video of the California, there's so many features. ^DH
This isn’t the sort of thing I’d ever looked at, or even been aware of, it’s not something that’s been on my radar, but Omaze U.K. are listing one as an early bird prize for their new Cornwall house raffle prize , so having bought a ticket I started looking around and found this great review. You never know, fingers crossed, but I’ve no idea what I’d do if I won it 👍😀
I'll never be able to afford one of these, and was also considering doing omaze. I'll keep trying on BOTB for now 😉
@@nigelb5341 I think they might be working together in some capacity, I never seem to see one advert or pop up without the other ? Good luck either way 👍
Not sure what sense it makes to have such a big kitchen inside. Would love to have a slide out outdoor kitchen where u can keep all the smell outside and have more space for other things.
I renovated a 2013 vw van myself and spent only about 1/10 of this price. 😅
I can't believe the bed design still blocks the fridge when down. I've a swb T5.1 and even i can get into mine. Why didn't they do the u shape sofa with all the storeage underneath.
Intéressant
Thank you for watching
How is it to camp with this in winter? Lets say -10 degrees celsius, does it retain heat inside while parked overnight?
Plus DSG is the only gearbox option on all engines!
This is great choice my dream Car I love too much Trouble Holiday Did acquiring your dream car/entusiast car enrich your life .
Good choice!
How good is it off-road (well like some mud and stuff). Can you have it with a rear locker? I know they use to offer this some time ago.
You might ad a rear locker as an extra, indeed
Table doesn’t rattle if stowed away properly.
If I had that money I’d get a bigger van or even a house and rent it out 😅
DSG reduces fuel economy. It gives you comfort instead. It will always try to give the driver a nice ride. It’s a choice. Revs to high for my liking.
Likeable fella but I wonder if he’s driven a 150. It pulls like a train, and will cruise at 100mph all day long, but you’re in a campervan, so I’d say it’s unlikely many will want to - hammering across Europe maybe, but you’ll soon lose your licence in the U.K.
Quite a bit misleading there?
You can’t spec an Ocean with anything else than a DSG gearbox.
The 199 is now a 204ps engine (RDE2) and in my view is too snappy for a camper - when you floor it all your stuff flies back in the cupboards.
The 4 motion will be good for towing, but otherwise just hurts fuel economy permanently.You definitely don’t need it for wet campsites, just let off the brake and let it crawl off. He seems to say it IMPROVES fuel economy?! or was that the 199 engine? In fact both REDUCE fuel economy.
The table doesn’t rattle if you push it towards the cupboards when storing it (locks into place).
Instead of 4M save some money and improve the ride quality by spec’ing the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC). Put it in Comfort on the motorway, or firm up the suspension in Sport on the twisties
Great I'd luv to order one & have it shipped to the The States asap... Now what?
The VW California is coming to the States, but it will be called the VW Buzz and electrified in 2024.
@@hieuluu2 good to know!!!! I will def get one!!!
The ID. Buzz will have a camper version, with an even larger battery that has been shown already. Could be worth the wait.
#6:30 #Surprise Damn #perfect #cantBelive #Shocking
When there is a waiting list of 14 months and more,what is the point of more reviews and marketing? Dont take me wrong,thanks for your review but it just seems pointless when we cant buy it and use it until 2023 or 2024
Where do you store the mattress?
It folds up into three sections
Will that come to the USA
Sadly this model isn't available in the USA. The electric ID.Buzz will be coming there though! Here's our video on that ua-cam.com/video/TMKZWq5A3WA/v-deo.html
😘❤️👍
Weird that America doesn’t get any VW van imports. So the California isn’t a model sold here 🤷🏻♀️
But there will be the ID.Buzz coming and that will also offer a camper version in time.
Think how many nice hotel stays this would pay for. At least 400
Bring it in the States
Ford Nugget Plus FTW
The Nugget is very cool.
Never understood why the kitchen is on the side losing width for the bed. My friend is renovating an old VW campervan and has put the kitchen behind the front seats which leaves a wider bed.
So you can swivel the seats and sit 4 round the table
84k euros.. the price of a house. No thanks.
We'd love to know where you can buy a house for €84k!
@@completevan7567 All over Tulsa OK for example.😃
@@completevan7567 downtown San Antonio
@@completevan7567 on the beach in Mexico or Brazil , usually cheaper
For that kind of money you can buy a real campervan with twice the space and all modcons. YT channel Motaholic shows those vans.
One thing the entry door is on the wrong side for the uk. The heater controls are in the cab not next to you in bed. The fridge is a very poor top access design, there are no high level cupboards so storage is limited, the bed is narrow, it is not a long wheel base van so small inside, you have to sleep on the contoured seat side of the seats unlike a rib bed which folds to allow you to sleep on the reverse perfectly flat side. A better option would be to have a panel van professionally converted to avoid the luxury car tax for 5 years and purchase a van converted with exactly the requirements you personally want.
It does have a VW badge which makes the massive cost against other options all worth while ?
The door being on that side will help taller drivers to be able to move the diver seat back into a comfortable position and how many times do you park and allow kids to just get straight out into traffic? Do you want to move the drivers door too? The fridge in its position allows for more low level storage, the op opening is a choice some people prefer, especially if you are carrying taller items like bottles. The bed width is limited by the width of the vehicle. You could get a conversion with a wider bed, but that eats further into storage. The rear seats are not contoured in the back of the california so that's actually more of an issue for passengers than for sleeping. Short wheel base will fit in more driveways and car park spaces. The bed in the pop top is actually bigger and has better springs so that would be a much better option. Of course we all have our preferences. Getting a conversion done and having all the bells and whistles of a California Ocean means buying a top end transporter and adding a lot of options. This can easily take you very near to a brand new California price. Yes you will have a more customised van and you will feel its more of an extension of your personality. On the other hand, does it come with a warranty? Can you buy it with a PCP finance plan? Will you be able to repair your custom interior in 5 years time (imagine you've bought your van from a nice converter in the other end of the country. There are pros and cons.
The Ocean holds its value ten fold to generic conversions, absolutely no competition at sale time. They all have plus’s and negatives it a massive bonus when you sell your van 2 years later for what I paid for it . Waiting to pick up my new Ocean in April😊
@@CrazyCalifornia so you buy a van to suit the next buyer, not you ?
@@jonranger451 the other thing is the heater controls are above the driver, when actually good design would put them next to you in bed. Taking an electric roof down in very windy conditions would increase the chance of cutting the material with the scissor mechanism also. Then there is the VW price premium. This van is all about look at me than being fundamentally designed around camping foremost.
My van is a long wheel base and I have never found the extra 400 mm a problem parking but the extra space inside and access to all cupboards because of it, bed up or down, means the van is functionally better as a camper. I have a 4 foot wide rib altair bed in mine and because my van is slightly wider than a VW, it doesn't cut into the side cupboard space, which is excellent. Also I have two side doors. I also think that a tail gate is a poor logistical choice also, for retaining stored gear in the back. With barn gate doors you can open one at a time and all your gear doesn't fall out, meaning you can store more of it above and below the rib bed rear leaf positioned horizontally. Tail gate doors are again for show. My van was bought brand new in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic (admittedly artificially much cheaper than now ) and fully professionally converted to a very high standard for £44k inclusive. That leaves me about £30k to go camping and enjoy myself. I have enough confidence not to buy a vehicle that is a bragging show piece. I have recently bought a caravan as well and to tell you the truth, on a fixed base type holiday it is better than any camper van, big or small and much much cheaper to buy. The camper being better for continuous touring on less than perfect small roads, like Scotland's NC 500.
No fridge/coolbox?
42 litre fridge included!
The price is just too high. Would love one, but meantime I sleep in the back of my SUV.
It is a very costly vehicle. But if you do use it a lot then it makes more sense. We often hear that they're used daily as a family car/MPV as well as a camper. The size does help.
This as an EV would be so amazing.
100% agree. The ID.Buzz will offer a camper version in a few years' time. ^DH
An EV camper van isn't feasible. True boondock camping isn't going to provide nightly charging stations
No you’re so wrong
@@youtubesucks3393 No he isn't, I have had an EV for just over seven years and 32 k miles. It has now lost 1/3 rd of it's range and battery capacity. Batter life youtube channel's id 3 ( platform the id buzz is based on ) has lost 10% battery capacity in 2 years. All lithium ion batteries degrade with time and use cycles and the range that they offer would be about 1/4 of what a diesel van offers. The id buzz unconverted gives you 145 miles range in the winter on a motorway, according to EV database figures ( not mine ).
Then subtract range for weight of camping conversion gear and leaving 15 miles or so, in case the rapid charger is not working on arrival and you have now got a range of circa 125 miles in the winter on a motorway. Now just imagine waiting for more than an hour charging, every 125 miles. You would never get anywhere and whilst you were on the road it would be stress, stress, stress looking for the next charger on a totally inadequate recharging infrastructure. I know, I have done it. My lwb 170 bhp diesel van has a range of 650 miles, go anywhere, with a perfect re-fuellung infrastructure, when I do eventually need it. No problem !
Too bad it's not offered in the 2.0 TDI configuration, I'd buy it for certain, No EV for me.
It is a 2.0 TDI diesel not an EV.😂
The comfort mattress on the lower bed and the shower are both optional extras … might be worth pointing that out if you are doing a review! And yes the table has a clip to stop it rattling. Not much point doing a review if you get the facts wrong!
I preferred the Ford Nugget Plus..........A toilet, and a hot shower. And it's cheaper.
Looks great too
Well,
I guess you CAN make a silk purse out of a sows ear - oh, WAIT! The driver and front passenger are STILL in the crumple-zone (bye-bye legs), PLUS they'll get crushed by the Li-Po-Ion battery just before it splits open and showers them with highly toxic and corrosive lithium-hydroxide. YAY!!!
Wow, boring look. Why didn't they use the T1 look?
Stop beating around the bush, it's a minivan, and we all know it. Now are people going to grow up, and stop caving into peer pressure, about being stigmatized from buying a minivan?
no room to swing a cat, ill definitely get a proper camper
I want an electric version
It's coming with the ID.Buzz California
trying to sell a small space pathetic size to live
Another great camper from VW, just can’t sell it in America with the name California! The state has such a negative reputation here that would play into purchase decisions. Great machine though.
California only has a negative reputation among hillbillies who spend all their time watching Fox News.
The Eagles didn't name their song Hotel Texas. California has a negative connotation because of the poor performing politicians. There are still fun times available, the more remote you go the better it gets. I wish that they imported them to Los Angeles.
@@melaniecotterell8263 Funny, when I think about poor performing politicians Texas comes to mind.
@@melaniecotterell8263 The fifth largest economy in the world!
amazing how people pay so much for so little room :(
they pay so much for having so much in such little room...not everybody wants to drive a truck around town...
@@coconut_cartel congrats on the most useless comment on here
So damn expensive😤😞
That’s the downside
Great for Dogging
LOL
VW left so so many would be customers/ dollars on the table. A large portion of the population would buy a VW camper van but many will not buy a van named California. This state has so many negative policies that the name alone have chased many away who would otherwise buy this product. Really really bad marketing move Volkswagen……duh.
Is this even available here in the states? I doubt Europeans care about California politics.. edit and no it is not available in the states.
So glad this is not an EV. EV's suck. EV's have no range and cost a fortune. God bless the frackers!
what ugly car that's a waste of money !