T7 teetering on the edge....

[RetroRed5]

I don’t think this is correct. I have a T6.1 and because it’s classed as a motor caravan (due to the kitchen) and it’s £330 per annum and no luxury tax. Again I’m only going off what Breeze VW dealer told me today. The hybrid for some reason even with a kitchen is classed as a car and not motor caravan. Maybe some T7 owners of hybrid can confirm? The quote i have for a T7 diesel has VED at £330.

Yes, I stand corrected, you are quite right because of the classification, it doesn't apply.

 

[stoobthealien]

I don’t think this is correct. I have a T6.1 and because it’s classed as a motor caravan (due to the kitchen) and it’s £330 per annum and no luxury tax. Again I’m only going off what Breeze VW dealer told me today. The hybrid for some reason even with a kitchen is classed as a car and not motor caravan. Maybe some T7 owners of hybrid can confirm? The quote i have for a T7 diesel has VED at £330.

This has been confirmed by a number of people - the luxury tax only applies to the phev because of some quirk on the rules around the weight of it

 

[Paul Burgess]

This has been confirmed by a number of people - the luxury tax only applies to the phev because of some quirk on the rules around the weight of it

Thanks for that, it’s amazing to find all these details and for me the hybrid was already pricey but the tax classification totally rules it out for me. I worked out over 5 years I’d have circa 7000 miles of free fuel on the petrol at 30mpg. (£5k extra list price, £1500 extra VED plus 1.5 p per mile) As I only do around that mileage I may as well have the petrol one. I do lots of short journeys so diesel isn’t really a good option.

 

[Up10]

Thanks for that, it’s amazing to find all these details and for me the hybrid was already pricey but the tax classification totally rules it out for me. I worked out over 5 years I’d have circa 7000 miles of free fuel on the petrol at 30mpg. (£5k extra list price, £1500 extra VED plus 1.5 p per mile) As I only do around that mileage I may as well have the petrol one. I do lots of short journeys so diesel isn’t really a good option.

If you are concerned about the financial details, I have to ask how changing your already great vehicle for a newer model helps? Wouldn't it be be more cost effective to keep your existing one? (Devil's Advocate!)

 

[Paul Burgess]

If you are concerned about the financial details, I have to ask how changing your already great vehicle for a newer model helps? Wouldn't it be be more cost effective to keep your existing one? (Devil's Advocate!)

Haha that’s a very good point! But because of the strong discounts on new ones and the strong residual and great deal we had last December on the T6.1 we can almost straight swap with maybe £1500 extra. And that’s what I find tempting. Another 5 years of servicing / warranty etc, and the new vehicle which I’ve grown to like. I mostly use for my daily vehicle and prefer the drive in that regard of the new model. Much smoother / quieter / more comfortable seats etc.

 

[Up10]

Haha that’s a very good point! But because of the strong discounts on new ones and the strong residual and great deal we had last December on the T6.1 we can almost straight swap with maybe £1500 extra. And that’s what I find tempting. Another 5 years of servicing / warranty etc, and the new vehicle which I’ve grown to like. I mostly use for my daily vehicle and prefer the drive in that regard of the new model. Much smoother / quieter / more comfortable seats etc.

Ah, I see. That makes sense. Future proofing

 

[sticky1]

I find my diesel T7 very smooth and has plenty of power when fully loaded infact can't say I have noticed it feeling sluggish when heading off rammed to the max.
The ID lights are brilliant and definitely worth paying for.
The heated front armchair seats are superior in every way and the car certainly drives far nicer than a T6.1 van in my opinion, but then again its not a van which is what finally attracted us to a cali finally.
Oh and one last point regarding the missing table, dont forget the hidden table that connects on the end of the work station which is great for extra space.

Out of interest was the vehicle a MY25?

We had a loan of the dealers ocean cali (my25) due to a faulty leasure battery, our is a MY75. We found a number of differences such as interior lighting missing along the roof with a button missing to operate it. Also the blinds didn't fit as well as our car where I feel they have improved on significantly within model years making the blind tight to the edges letting minimal light in.

So I would recommend test driving a 75 plate onwards as I feel a few things have been tweaked and hopefully answer some of your outstanding questions??

The led light bar at the roof line is an option and I think comes with ambient lighting.
You are correct, if it is missing the third button above the kitchen then it isn’t included. Useful to know when looking at stock vehicles.

 

[sticky1]

If you are concerned about the financial details, I have to ask how changing your already great vehicle for a newer model helps? Wouldn't it be be more cost effective to keep your existing one? (Devil's Advocate!)

I also think it is easy to miss the driver features in the new model, the amount of driver assistance and display options make it far more car like in terms of driving experience. I’ve been surprised at how good the automatic cruise control is for instance.

 

[Canary]

I also think it is easy to miss the driver features in the new model, the amount of driver assistance and display options make it far more car like in terms of driving experience. I’ve been surprised at how good the automatic cruise control is for instance.

I think it is easily passed over too when discussing pros & cons - the interior ambient lighting is another well appreciated option with its endless colour options to light up the cabin and how it coordinates with the electronics to mirror the chosen colour, it really is very pleasant.

 

[Paul Burgess]

I think it is easily passed over too when discussing pros & cons - the interior ambient lighting is another well appreciated option with its endless colour options to light up the cabin and how it coordinates with the electronics to mirror the chosen colour, it really is very pleasant.

Yes I am realising a lot of little details that are all positives. How are you finding the two tone? I can't decide of to go for this or repeat starlight blue all over. And also if to go for art velour seats? Decisions decisions....

 

[stoobthealien]

Yes I am realising a lot of little details that are all positives. How are you finding the two tone? I can't decide of to go for this or repeat starlight blue all over. And also if to go for art velour seats? Decisions decisions....

I went Florida Beach Blue - still wavering on if it's the right decision but it's about to be built supposedly so that'll make the decision....I note there's a lot of dealer stock in that colour so they must think it's good to sell at least! I'm not sure I've seen a starlight blue all over. I also went for art velour but I'm getting a beach which has pretty basic cloth on the seats otherwise which I don't think fits such an expensive vehicle.

 

[Canary]

Yes I am realising a lot of little details that are all positives. How are you finding the two tone? I can't decide of to go for this or repeat starlight blue all over. And also if to go for art velour seats? Decisions decisions....

I've never really considered a california before buying this which was out of the blue, but the colour had to be two tone as it felt like how a california should be painted, atleast thats my opinion.
I had a loaner T7 for a couple of weeks which was painted in black which I wasn't sure about at all.

We have art velours and very nice they are too and hopefully they will wipe down easily enough should I drop food on them, im not in love with chair covers so this seemed logical to me.

We use the towbar for the bike rack and wouldn't be without it, so be sure to add that!

 

[Canary]

I went Florida Beach Blue - still wavering on if it's the right decision but it's about to be built supposedly so that'll make the decision....I note there's a lot of dealer stock in that colour so they must think it's good to sell at least! I'm not sure I've seen a starlight blue all over. I also went for art velour but I'm getting a beach which has pretty basic cloth on the seats otherwise which I don't think fits such an expensive vehicle.

Florid blue also seems like a jolly colour and helps to give those summer vibes, nice choice!

We have graphite grey slate effect cabinets which i dont think seem popular, but has really grown on me and more subtle, worth a consideration?

 

[stoobthealien]

I've never really considered a california before buying this which was out of the blue, but the colour had to be two tone as it felt like how a california should be painted, atleast thats my opinion.
I had a loaner T7 for a couple of weeks which was painted in black which I wasn't sure about at all.

We have art velours and very nice they are too and hopefully they will wipe down easily enough should I drop food on them, im not in love with chair covers so this seemed logical to me.

We use the towbar for the bike rack and wouldn't be without it, so be sure to add that!

That's a good point - I think not adding a towbar even if you're not going to be using it personally would be a mistake given it's the only sensible way for the next owner to use a bike rack

 

[FivetonesCali]

I’m with you on this point. This makes it all the more frustrating that VW seem to have completely failed at delivering the PHEV with a battery subsystem that is working correctly. I’ve seen no evidence yet on this forum that that is fixed for this model either, despite software updates and some having modules/relays replaced.

 

[WelshGas]

I will own up to driving a diesel T6.1 (2020) but as soon as I can I will change it for something more climate friendly. It strikes me that no one here is considering the environmental impact of perpetuating burning carbon fuels. Surely this is the time when we should all look at how we can reduce our carbon emissions.......... I think that to buy a new diesel or petrol now does not really help. At least the hybrid is a step in the right direction.

I know that many will slate me for even suggesting this but wake up people, we are careering towards an uncertain world of global warming, maybe at least consider the environment eh?

Nothing personal, but your comments show that people in general are confusing 2 things -
Climate Change due to the increase in CO2 production . Burning fossil fuels is the driving force for this whether you are burning fossil fuels in an engine or burning them to produce electricity for your EV or for manufacturing wind turbines or Solar panels makes no difference - you are still using fossil fuels.
Enviromental Pollution due to PM 2.5 particles from diesel engines, tyres and brakes on all types of vehicles, including EVs or poisoning the environment mining rare earth's, copper, cobalt or Lithium all used in EVs , wind turbines and solar panels on your house or in giant solar farms is a major problem for the environment, Not Climate change.
To reduce these effects globally will be impossible unless we Stop/Reduce using Energy.
And Stop/ Reduce breeding and increasing the Global Population.
Technology and adaption is the only way forward.
Driving an EV, Hybrid having solar on your garage roof or a Heat pump may make you happy your doing the right thing but in the grand scheme of things it does nothing.
Just my personal observations., and I drive a Hybrid because it is the best drive train for both short and long distance travel that I do bearing in mind the lack of nationwide charging infrastructure and the proliferation of LEZ s in the UK and Europe.

 

[Paul Burgess]

Oh dear, my innocent post about whether or not to upgrade to a T7 has turned into a climate change debate!
For the record I personally will not be spending an extra £8k of my hard earned cash to have a hybrid that does 50 miles or so on an electric charge that I have no facility at home to charge (top floor flat). It also seems to me given the nature of the vehicle and travelling relatively long distances as I do to visit new places that 50 miles of electric driving is minuscule in the context of the hundreds of miles each journey too and from the destination will be. So for me it’s a toss up between diesel and petrol but likely diesel as petrol is £3k more to buy and obviously circa 10-15 mpg worse.
I appreciate the positive comments above about art velours seats and towbar (purely for resale as I don’t have a need for a bike rack).
I’m still a bit concerned about posts regarding battery drain even though this issue I’m told by the dealer is fixed. But the cost to change will never be closer than it is now as 6.1 residuals are as strong as they’re ever likely to be and new T7 as cheap as they’re likely to be (circa £13k off list).

 

[Up10]

Nothing personal, but your comments show that people in general are confusing 2 things -
Climate Change due to the increase in CO2 production . Burning fossil fuels is the driving force for this whether you are burning fossil fuels in an engine or burning them to produce electricity for your EV or for manufacturing wind turbines or Solar panels makes no difference - you are still using fossil fuels.
Enviromental Pollution due to PM 2.5 particles from diesel engines, tyres and brakes on all types of vehicles, including EVs or poisoning the environment mining rare earth's, copper, cobalt or Lithium all used in EVs , wind turbines and solar panels on your house or in giant solar farms is a major problem for the environment, Not Climate change.
To reduce these effects globally will be impossible unless we Stop/Reduce using Energy.
And Stop/ Reduce breeding and increasing the Global Population.
Technology and adaption is the only way forward.
Driving an EV, Hybrid having solar on your garage roof or a Heat pump may make you happy your doing the right thing but in the grand scheme of things it does nothing.
Just my personal observations., and I drive a Hybrid because it is the best drive train for both short and long distance travel that I do bearing in mind the lack of nationwide charging infrastructure and the proliferation of LEZ s in the UK and Europe.

Agree. The volume of material excavated to produce a small amount of earth metals is hugely damaging plus the process undertaken to turn them into a usable end product. The next target to recover earth metals is deep sea mining which will be so damaging to the oceans and consequently to the environment as a whole.
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
We have a diesel vehicle but try to keep it efficient through maintenance and responsible use. We also try to offset our usage in alternative ways. We don't intend to change our van just yet as we are not convinced that electrically powered vehicles are quite as green as they are painted. But we will keep an open mind, subject to future developments.

 

[Up10]

Oh dear, my innocent post about whether or not to upgrade to a T7 has turned into a climate change debate!
For the record I personally will not be spending an extra £8k of my hard earned cash to have a hybrid that does 50 miles or so on an electric charge that I have no facility at home to charge (top floor flat). It also seems to me given the nature of the vehicle and travelling relatively long distances as I do to visit new places that 50 miles of electric driving is minuscule in the context of the hundreds of miles each journey too and from the destination will be. So for me it’s a toss up between diesel and petrol but likely diesel as petrol is £3k more to buy and obviously circa 10-15 mpg worse.
I appreciate the positive comments above about art velours seats and towbar (purely for resale as I don’t have a need for a bike rack).
I’m still a bit concerned about posts regarding battery drain even though this issue I’m told by the dealer is fixed. But the cost to change will never be closer than it is now as 6.1 residuals are as strong as they’re ever likely to be and new T7 as cheap as they’re likely to be (circa £13k off list).

Yes, sorry. My tuppence worth done too.

Good luck with your new van purchase

 

[chockswahay]

@Paul Burgess Hey Paul, yes I am sorry too, you did not ask for my opinion and in hindsight my comments were not best placed on this thread so I have deleted them.

As for your specific dilemma I can not really help as it is a very personal matter. I think the T7 is lovely but best suited to short weekend type stop-overs. We looked at one in the showroom but came away feeling a little disappointed with it's lack of storage in what is already a tight space. If you can live with that (and the battery issues) then go for it......... it does seem like a good trade off with the prices you have mentioned.

 

[WelshGas]

Oh dear, my innocent post about whether or not to upgrade to a T7 has turned into a climate change debate!
For the record I personally will not be spending an extra £8k of my hard earned cash to have a hybrid that does 50 miles or so on an electric charge that I have no facility at home to charge (top floor flat). It also seems to me given the nature of the vehicle and travelling relatively long distances as I do to visit new places that 50 miles of electric driving is minuscule in the context of the hundreds of miles each journey too and from the destination will be. So for me it’s a toss up between diesel and petrol but likely diesel as petrol is £3k more to buy and obviously circa 10-15 mpg worse.
I appreciate the positive comments above about art velours seats and towbar (purely for resale as I don’t have a need for a bike rack).
I’m still a bit concerned about posts regarding battery drain even though this issue I’m told by the dealer is fixed. But the cost to change will never be closer than it is now as 6.1 residuals are as strong as they’re ever likely to be and new T7 as cheap as they’re likely to be (circa £13k off list).

Aah, the point that you cannot charge at home was a major point with regards to a Hybrid purchase. Also the fact that you could only do 50 miles on EV is immaterial, except for short local journeys. When you switch to Hybrid mode then the EV drive is used for starting off and low speed manoeuvres and using GPS data it maximises regeneration and is also recharged by the engine when cruising so EV drive is Always available. I’ve travelled over a 1000miles over 3 days to Denmark, no charging and still arrived with 40% charge and 50 mpg en route.

 

[CaliBeachPhil]

I bought a T6.1 VW California Beach, registered in December 2024, about 8 x week ago from VW.
As part of the buying process I had the T6.1 and T7 models side by side & compared them to each other, test drove them both and i preferred the T6.1 so bought that.
I believe the last run of T6.1’s are going to hold their value for years due to their reliability and reputation. There were too many unknowns about the new T7 and I wanted a Van, hence why I got the one I did.
Ultimately it’s down to personal preference, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[stoobthealien]

I bought a T6.1 VW California Beach, registered in December 2024, about 8 x week ago from VW.
As part of the buying process I had the T6.1 and T7 models side by side & compared them to each other, test drove them both and i preferred the T6.1 so bought that.
I believe the last run of T6.1’s are going to hold their value for years due to their reliability and reputation. There were too many unknowns about the new T7 and I wanted a Van, hence why I got the one I did.
Ultimately it’s down to personal preference, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there - do people want a van or a car? Glad you managed to get a 6.1 Beach you were happy with - one of the reasons I've gone T7 (other than it being a car and not a van!) is finding a Beach with the right spec given how "bare bones" it is before options were added proved nearly impossible.

 

[owen_h]

I have found this an interesting thread and its prompted me to run some 'back of an envelope' numbers on how much variable (energy and tax) cost I might be looking at for my typical mileage and drive profile.
Current situation a 2012 Beach used for medium to long journeys and 2014 Seat Mii for runaround duties. Annual mileage ~ 7000 split 6500 Beach and 1500 Seat Mii.
Considering changing the Beach and would prefer to go back to a single vehicle, but not if its a diesel. My rough estimate is that PHEV hybrid would be ~ £300 / £400 less 'energy' costs than the Petrol but that would be wiped out by the extra tax (Luxury RFL and 1.5p mileage in a few years). Both Petrol and Hybrid are so close (within margin of error) on variable running cost for my scenario that it really come down to which version is the better drive. If it's the hybrid is that worth to me the extra purchase price.

In terms of version this time I would not go for the Beach. The slide out kitchen in the boot really wont work for me so would be looking at the Coast (probably).

 

[WelshGas]

I have found this an interesting thread and its prompted me to run some 'back of an envelope' numbers on how much variable (energy and tax) cost I might be looking at for my typical mileage and drive profile.
Current situation a 2012 Beach used for medium to long journeys and 2014 Seat Mii for runaround duties. Annual mileage ~ 7000 split 6500 Beach and 1500 Seat Mii.
Considering changing the Beach and would prefer to go back to a single vehicle, but not if its a diesel. My rough estimate is that PHEV hybrid would be ~ £300 / £400 less 'energy' costs than the Petrol but that would be wiped out by the extra tax (Luxury RFL and 1.5p mileage in a few years). Both Petrol and Hybrid are so close (within margin of error) on variable running cost for my scenario that it really come down to which version is the better drive. If it's the hybrid is that worth to me the extra purchase price.

In terms of version this time I would not go for the Beach. The slide out kitchen in the boot really wont work for me so would be looking at the Coast (probably).

Don’t forget Fuel Tax is also going up next September, I think.