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Winston Rumfoord
Lifetime VIP Member
That’s the tour version isn’t it? I do not think it is available in the uk.
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RedWhiteMonkey
The fixed kitchen unit thing on the left would annoy me. Each to their own but my T6.1 Beach has more space than the new Beach and is definately more flexible for how my family uses it.
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FamCamping
Hi, yes, we bought Beach Camper, we love it
, now still looking for bits and bobs, but overall been already out, and it is a great fun to own it
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stoobthealien
Correct (annoyingly) - I assume they didn't want to muddy the waters with the tour being classed as a car and attracting significantly more tax in the UK....which is annoying as I doubt someone dropping 60K plus on a vehicle is going to care if the tax is £600+ a year
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Winston Rumfoord
Lifetime VIP Member
Agree. And the photo quoted is actually just the battery unit. The kitchen unit takes up even more room!
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stoobthealien
Unfortunately it's all about compromise - we've ended up ordering a T7 beach as it's going to be our daily driver and I'd miss modern driving features such as an electronic handbrake (and lots of others such as auto lights unless I can find someone who has specced them used!) and the comfort that comes from a car based platform so going to have to deal with carrying round a kitchen box unfortunately - sadly there's always compromise in life!
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RedWhiteMonkey
Whatever works for you is the best solution.
Our T6.1 is our daily driver and we aren't planning on changing it anytime soon. Yes, it is a van but it drives perfectly acceptably (better than some cars I had in the past). Not particularly bothered about electronic handbrakes either way, it would be nice to gain the space it takes up the van though.
For us, the holidays in the van are about camping and being as flexible as possible. The T6.1 gives us that flexibility, I don't think a T7 would work for us.
Kayleigh
In the Beach, at the beach
Top Poster
Lifetime VIP Member
I agree, the T7 would not work for me either. I like the huge range of aftermarket interior pods and accessories that can be purchased for the T6. The 230ah battery I installed under the drivers seat powers my little fridge for well over a month between charges. A powerstation covers all my 240v needs including induction hob, Thermomix and charging all my electrical devices. It’s my mobile office, it’s my travelling home on wheels, I can park it in any car bay without it overhanging, it’s not overloaded with electronics that can go wrong. It’s just such a versatile vehicle!
Amcali
Read again. My beach is without kitchen and therefore has more space than a T6.1 check before make untrue comments...
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Winston Rumfoord
Lifetime VIP Member
Hi can you help me understand this better please, as it would very much change my opinion of the new beach.
For instance, from your photos your car appears to have a section of the boot blocked off for the battery/electrics and also has the table stored under the shelf. Both of these appear to take up room and create less space then what is available in my t6.1 van.
Please do let know what I am missing we genuinely interested. Thank you.
Aldoi
I think the version the @Amcali has is a Beach Tour which is available on the continent, but not the UK.
Perhaps this is the source of confusion as you will likely only have seen the Beach Camper in the UK @Winston Rumfoord?
Perhaps this is the source of confusion as you will likely only have seen the Beach Camper in the UK @Winston Rumfoord?
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Winston Rumfoord
Lifetime VIP Member
The beach tour version of the new California still appears to have less room in the boot then my t6.1 beach camper, due to the new ‘features’ I described in my post.
This is why I am really interested in why Amcali thinks Redwhitecali’s comments are untrue. Clearly I must be missing something…
Amcali
Spot on @Aldoi ! Thanks for that!
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RedWhiteMonkey
Which model California is it then (Beach, Beach Tour, Beach Camper)?
I'm in Germany so I'd be surprised if we had different models to the Netherlands. I had a good look at the new Calis at CMT and couldn't see one that didn't have a fixed unit in the rear (I don't mean the full kitchen like a Coast or Ocean). I mean this seeminly fixed kitchen pod thing:
Does yours not have this?
Even without that kitchen pod thing the new van didn't seem internally bigger to me than the T6.1, at least not in areas where it actually counts. It may be longer but the additional length seems to be a longer bonnet and an increased internal distance from the dashboard to the windscreen.
If the new van works for how you want to use it then that's great. All I am saying is I don't think it would work better for me and my family.
sticky1
Lifetime VIP Member
The space under the rear shelf is bigger than the T6. It’s not a lot about 25% but it makes a difference. Also because the rear seats are so easy to move around you can be creative with how you store stuff behind the rear seats.
I loved my T6 but the T7 can be used the same way.
The comments about battery capacity are also worth noting, by moving to lithium v 230Ah AGM the capacity is similar and the lithium can charge quickly with the DC / DC charger on the dash.
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RedWhiteMonkey
Here is exactly what I have in my T6.1 Beach:
Heckauszug VW California Beach + Multivan T5 T6 T6.1 800mm 3er Sitzbank / Multiflexboard – Grünthal Mobilcamping
www.gruenthal-mobilcamping.de
Here is what you can buy from the same company for the T7 Beach Tour
Heckauszug VW T7 New California Beach TOUR 1000mm – Grünthal Mobilcamping
www.gruenthal-mobilcamping.de
Unless my maths is wrong that is a 13 % difference, in favour of pull out tray for the T7 Beach Tour. So, you are correct that the space under the shelf in the T7 is larger than in the T6.1 but personally prefer not to lose that space to the side and having the wider width is more useful to my setup. The additional 0.20m depth would be problematic in terms of where the rear seats have to be be positioned as well. Is it possible to still fit a portaloo between the folding down bed and the front seats in the T7?
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RedWhiteMonkey
Looks like someone has already asked this question, this post sums up the problem:
T7 Beach and porta potti with the bed down
Sorry another question! I've seen a picture of a coast with the porta potti in place with the bottom bed made up - can any beach owners confirm if this is possible please? Happy to shuffle the front seats about etc to make it happen!
vwcaliforniaclub.com
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stoobthealien
That was me and indeed the answer was yes if you don't take the middle seat out camping with you (which I wasn't planning on doing so)Looks like someone has already asked this question, this post sums up the problem:
T7 Beach and porta potti with the bed down
Sorry another question! I've seen a picture of a coast with the porta potti in place with the bottom bed made up - can any beach owners confirm if this is possible please? Happy to shuffle the front seats about etc to make it happen!
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RedWhiteMonkey
Thanks, good to see photos that show it exactly.
That setup wouldn't really work very well for me and my family, hope it meets your own requirements.
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FamCamping
For my family, T7 works great, there is so much space it’s ridiculous, we never take middle seat camping and this opens up a lot of room, I have small kids so need to take pram with us and a small bike for the older child, we have fridge and porta potti, on top of it a huge car seats, it all fits to the van with a lot of space left. It drives great, we use it as our normal car, so this was very important, the seats are the comfiest I had in a car and the driving assistant stuff works perfect with ACC stopping in a traffic and starting, so my legs do nothing . Overall I don’t believe the earlier version would work for me at all, I didn’t see space for the stuff I needed to take and it’s less versatile for us. Overall, I can’t wait for better weather, to start camping again. Hope you all enjoy your vans
. Overall I don’t believe the earlier version would work for me at all, I didn’t see space for the stuff I needed to take and it’s less versatile for us. Overall, I can’t wait for better weather, to start camping again. Hope you all enjoy your vans Similar threads
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