Beach Or Ocean

[Karlos]

Now that VW have in my humble opinion, decided not to make a T6.1Beach in RHD I was wondering why people in the UK chose the model they did.

I know why we chose an Ocean but I was wondering if anyone has had both a Beach and an Ocean and which one you preferred and why.

Did you have a Beach first and then an Ocean or the other way round and have you tried both then reverted to your first choice?

 

[clarinetbcn]

@Borris

 

[ArunAlec]

Oh No! @Karlos .... What have you started?
There Will Be Blood.

 

[Wesel]

4motion or not ?

 

[andyinluton]

Manual or dsg

 

[TripleBee]

With a towbar bike rack or tailgate...

Lowered or not?

Side bars...

 

[soulstyledevon]

I’ve had both...
Loved the Beach, when it was just the two of us.
Now there’s us two plus 1, the Ocean has been the better one to have...

Looking back, I wish I had moved across sooner.
As for 4motion. I’ve never needed it, but would spec it on my next van.
It’s only a few grand extra and with the power from the 204 I think it should come as standard...

 

[AlisonF]

I have an Ocean, bur realised it’s not big enough for camping with 4 dogs at agility comps. So am buying a wee Eriba to tow for that. And hence considering selling beloved Ocean for a Kombi.
I think a Beach would be better as it gives space for dog crates for day to day usage. And a place upstairs for my best mate when we go camping together...

 

[soulstyledevon]

I have an Ocean, bur realised it’s not big enough for camping with 4 dogs at agility comps. So am buying a wee Eriba to tow for that. And hence considering selling beloved Ocean for a Kombi.
I think a Beach would be better as it gives space for dog crates for day to day usage. And a place upstairs for my best mate when we go camping together...

Surely makes sense to get the Beach over the Kombi. Beach has a lot more to it and more useful.

 

[TripleBee]

And you would still be welcome here on the forum as you'd still have a California .

That was being ironical.

 

[AlisonF]

Surely makes sense to get the Beach over the Kombi. Beach has a lot more to it and more useful.

Sadly not an option (at the moment) in the UK. Will need to wait and see what happens as long term many of my visits will be in Europe. I may be able to persuade my friend there to get a LHD Beach, whilst I have a RHD Kombi...
I’ll come back on this in 2 years...

 

[Borris]

I see the weather has changed.

 

[willwander]

199 or 150?

 

[Amarillo]

Comfort dash or the uncomfortable version?

 

[Borris]

I imagine most people do a lot of research before buying so I would think most end up with the right choice. However, it's pretty clear that there are those that are won over by the allure of the fitted kitchen etc only to discover later on that the Cali life is not for them. You only have to keep an eye on the for sale section to see that.

We started out with a very high spec ex demo T5-1 SE 4MOTION. Lovely lovely vehicle but we also had a seven seat Beach at the same time. The SE wasn't getting used as much as we had intended so we sold it in favour of the more practical vehicle. Now on our second seven seat Beach. If our circumstances were to change we might go back to an Ocean but somehow I doubt it.

 

[Karlos]

We started out with a very high spec ex demo T5-1 SE 4MOTION. Lovely lovely vehicle but we also had a seven seat Beach at the same time. The SE wasn't getting used as much as we had intended so we sold it in favour of the more practical vehicle. Now on our second seven seat Beach. If our circumstances were to change we might go back to an Ocean but somehow I doubt it.
[/QUOTE]Borris, you could convert a lefty to a righty after all you have form if I remember correctly, but seriously I totally understand why a Beach is perfect for you and your family.

As there are normally just the 2 of us the Ocean works well and needs less organisation due to the cupboard space so less thought on my behalf.

 

[Amarillo]

We started out with a very high spec ex demo T5-1 SE 4MOTION. Lovely lovely vehicle but we also had a seven seat Beach at the same time. The SE wasn't getting used as much as we had intended so we sold it in favour of the more practical vehicle. Now on our second seven seat Beach. If our circumstances were to change we might go back to an Ocean but somehow I doubt it.

Borris, you could convert a lefty to a righty after all you have form if I remember correctly, but seriously I totally understand why a Beach is perfect for you and your family.

As there are normally just the 2 of us the Ocean works well and needs less organisation due to the cupboard space so less thought on my behalf.
[/QUOTE]
I can see the Ocean working well for a couple or for a small family as a second car. For a family car and excellent van for camping, the Beach is superb.

 

[Borris]

We started out with a very high spec ex demo T5-1 SE 4MOTION. Lovely lovely vehicle but we also had a seven seat Beach at the same time. The SE wasn't getting used as much as we had intended so we sold it in favour of the more practical vehicle. Now on our second seven seat Beach. If our circumstances were to change we might go back to an Ocean but somehow I doubt it.

Borris, you could convert a lefty to a righty after all you have form if I remember correctly, but seriously I totally understand why a Beach is perfect for you and your family.

As there are normally just the 2 of us the Ocean works well and needs less organisation due to the cupboard space so less thought on my behalf.
[/QUOTE]
Converting an eighties Allegro to right hand drive was cheap and easy. Converting a Cali would be a massive undertaking and one which would be mega expensive and way beyond my limited capabilities. Having just purchased a new Beach I won't have to worry about replacing it for quite sometime. If they aren't importing rhd Beaches by then it may have to become a keeper. That's certainly the current plan.

As for the usability of each model well everyone's needs are different. All I can say is that having tasted both flavours we find the Beach much more versatile and spacious but that's just us. If/when our circs change we may well go back to owning an Ocean. They are both fine vehicles but are also completely different.

 

[LemonDrop]

We're a family of 4 so it's pretty tight in the Beach on rainy days, but the main reason we went for a Beach rather than Ocean was because we wanted a big bed.

We would only have used the stove in the Ocean in bad weather so whilst it would be nice to be able to cook inside on a cold wet day, we opted for a comfortable nights sleep every night and suck it up when it's grim out. Works for us, but I know lots of people are happy enough with the size of the downstairs bed.

If it were just the two of us we might have gone for an Ocean and sleep upstairs but after having the luxury of a king size bed I doubt it! For 4, the Beach certainly works best for us.

 

[Wesel]

The size of the Ocean's bed is a good reason to keep you tight. This is also holidays.
It reminds me of the bed in my student room when I was at university.

 

[Dave70]

For me it was simple. I would rather bbq or use a camping job outdoor or go to the pub than cook on the small hob in the Ocean. More flexible, cheaper and lighter so better fuel economy. Beach.

 

[Racheelew]

We started with an Ocean . 2 adults , one child. Then switched to a van conversion for more space as Ocean downstairs bed too small . Both times as 3 rd car. It spent too much time sat on drive and didn’t use van conversion for day trips. Now have 4 seater Beach as a second car. Absolutely love it but mainly use it for day trips and don’t intend long camping trips in it. I Swim in the sea the whole year around and cycle a lot so it’s perfect for changing in and fabulous big seating area for friends, as no kitchen. We wanted king size bed downstairs and have put fridge in boot for travelling. I love the fact that roof is manual as so much easier on windy days. However electric roof you can raise roof box with 60 kilos in which you can’t with a manual. Also no big front window in roof with Beach which is a shame. In Beach you have no rattling pots and pans when you drive around. We hardly ever cooked in Ocean and tended to plug in electric kettle and toaster which you can do in Beach. However, I have no idea where we would store clothes etc on a camping trip. We absolutely love our Beach because it suits our life style.

 

[BeagleMum]

Now that VW have in my humble opinion, decided not to make a T6.1Beach in RHD I was wondering why people in the UK chose the model they did.

I know why we chose an Ocean but I was wondering if anyone has had both a Beach and an Ocean and which one you preferred and why.

Did you have a Beach first and then an Ocean or the other way round and have you tried both then reverted to your first choice?

We viewed an Ocean, 5 seater Beach & 4 seater Beach. After much consideration it was the 4 seater Beach for us, it’s roomy & flexible, absolutely meets our needs.

 

[Joker 1299]

Mine’s a silver one. It’s all about personal choice.

 

[SandyR]

Had 204ps 4Motion Ocean manual and now 150ps DSG Beach. I like the lighter drive with the lower weight and the DSG is great. Also it’s 3 seater beach with comfort mattress gives us a huge downstairs bed. Waiting for delivery of small kitchen module , largely to house Dometic CF35 fridge.