must have's

Smiffy4bikes · May 2, 2017

thehorse said:
Parking sensors and preferably the camera are must haves for me.

You only need to avoid reversing into one bollard and it pays for itself. But most importantly I don't want to squash my or anyone else's kids that might wander behind as there is no way you'd see them without sensors or a camera.

And, a point worth considering is your Insurance company. When I arranged my cover with mine (Safeguard) the first questions they asked were a) does it have parking sensors front and rear and b) does it have a reversing camera fitted? The premium would’ve have been a fair bit higher without either.

I wouldn’t be without mine, my drive is pretty tight so its very useful. And its a big old lump to drive about, they are a godsend in my view. Particularly when many car parks have short poles sticking up at the end of a bay which aren’t always easy to see, until of course its too late... :headbang

ElsJan · May 29, 2017

Hi, just a quick follow up, after some dealer visits and a test drive.

- extended warranty seems impossible in Belgium
- I won't take the opening window in the sliding door. Doesn't help ventilation when parked, can't be opened while driving.
- DSG+150 pk+ cruise control works fine & gives a smooth ride. Hesitating about adaptive cruise control.
- rear camera & parking sensors yes, and they do count in your insurance fee.
- The full automatic airco is great but if you drive mainly alone or with one front passenger then the manual airco is sufficient i.m.o.
- Parking heater: absolutely
- Towbar, awning, privacy glass, bike rack: yesyesyesyes

Still undecided: colour, radio/satnav system (that's a hard one, for me personally), headlights.

Thanks for all your help. I'm getting nervous now decision time is closing in - it's a big heap of money.

Any testimony about dealer discounts (compared to the website configurator price) in Belgium are welcome, by the way. Although I definitely get the impression that discounts don't come easy where Cali's are concerned.

Jan

BerndRos · May 29, 2017

I love the either side opening windows, when having a relaxed cruise on a road trip, weather hot, nice to have them both half open and cruise along, with the air con off....

Hotel California · May 29, 2017

ElsJan said:
Hi, just a quick follow up, after some dealer visits and a test drive.

- extended warranty seems impossible in Belgium
- I won't take the opening window in the sliding door. Doesn't help ventilation when parked, can't be opened while driving.
- DSG+150 pk+ cruise control works fine & gives a smooth ride. Hesitating about adaptive cruise control.
- rear camera & parking sensors yes, and they do count in your insurance fee.
- The full automatic airco is great but if you drive mainly alone or with one front passenger then the manual airco is sufficient i.m.o.
- Parking heater: absolutely
- Towbar, awning, privacy glass, bike rack: yesyesyesyes

Still undecided: colour, radio/satnav system (that's a hard one, for me personally), headlights.

Thanks for all your help. I'm getting nervous now decision time is closing in - it's a big heap of money.

Any testimony about dealer discounts (compared to the website configurator price) in Belgium are welcome, by the way. Although I definitely get the impression that discounts don't come easy where Cali's are concerned.

Jan

I got only the sliding window above the kitchenunit but like to have one in the sliding door.
I did not get to chose any options as mine was a showroommodel
Opening both sliding windows sure must create good ventilation . I do not see why it does'nt help ventilation in your opinion?
Also if it rains you can open the awning 30cm and the sliding window and you will have no water coming in ....big advantage compared the oposite side.

Only downsize is that the sliding window is thinner glas and therefore less insulated

BerndRos · May 29, 2017

Sure both sides were standard spec on my 2010 Cali...?

Hotel California · May 29, 2017

BerndRos said:
Sure both sides were standard spec on my 2010 Cali...?

Not in Belgium

kave · May 29, 2017

First weekend with hot tempertures here and a night in the cali revealed that two windows open are great. Even during winter we have one open on each side and it makes a big difference. Ignition needs to be on to be able to operate front door windows so its much nicer to control the rear windows manually.

BerndRos · May 29, 2017

kave said:
First weekend with hot tempertures here and a night in the cali revealed that two windows open are great. Even during winter we have one open on each side and it makes a big difference. Ignition needs to be on to be able to operate front door windows so its much nicer to control the rear windows manually.

Windows in the Van, or up top in the pop top ?

In my many many hundreds of nights sleeping in the Cali, I have only slept down below once. I lock up everything below and sleep up top, then fling the canvas windows open to get good through ventilation.

Amarillo · May 30, 2017

hotel california said:
Opening both sliding windows sure must create good ventilation . I do not see why it does'nt help ventilation in your opinion?

The through breeze when parked is a big advantage with windows both sides. You can create the same effect by using the front windows, but do you really want to be fumbling about with the ignition to open the electric front windows when the sun is turning your van into a greenhouse at 6.30am on a summer morning somewhere in southern Europe.

Stoneybroke · May 30, 2017

hotel california said:
Not in Belgium

Nor on the UK - window in sliding door optional extra, standard on fixed side.

Lewis · May 30, 2017

We got 2 sliding windows as standard on our MY17 Ocean. I was surprised as they weren't ordered. Maybe they are standard now?

Stoneybroke · May 30, 2017

Lewis said:
We got 2 sliding windows as standard on our MY17 Ocean. I was surprised as they weren't ordered. Maybe they are standard now?

Possibly. Or it could be a Ocean Vs Beach thing. Ours is a Sept 2016 Beach and the door window was extra.

Edit - just checked the current price list... Standard on Ocean, £192 extra on Beach

Bellcrew · May 30, 2017

kave said:
First weekend with hot tempertures here and a night in the cali revealed that two windows open are great. Even during winter we have one open on each side and it makes a big difference. Ignition needs to be on to be able to operate front door windows so its much nicer to control the rear windows manually.

You can operate the front windows with the key at any time out of the ignition, press unlock and hold to open, lock hold will close the windows, ensure a door is opened after unlocking to ensure it does not auto-lock after 30 seconds.

andyinluton · May 30, 2017

2 opening windows standard on a UK spec Ocean only 1 on a UK Beach

ElsJan · May 30, 2017

Hi all, concerning the extra sliding window this is what I learned - please correct me, all opinons welcome !

- the best ventilation is created diagonally from front to back, so the best option for (stationary) ventilation is to insert a screen (don't know the exact english word) in a front window and to leave the rear door slightly ajar with a lock extender (little piece of bend metal)
- wind noise is too loud when driving with slide windows open
- and I should mention that the vehicle will normally be occupied with 1 - 2 persons, so ventilation while driving can be created by opening the front windows

Life long learning, that's what we're here for !

Cheers
jan

TomSawyer · Jun 7, 2017

I think it depends quite a bit on how, when and where you want to use it. For example, we use ours for one or two nights at a time to steal a weekend away. At this stage in our lives, we won't park it up for a week or a fortnight on a campsite. We live in the UK in the midlands and most outward journeys are on a Friday night when the traffic is very heavy.

So for us options which make it a nicer drive in heavily congested, dark nights such as adaptive cruise, Dynaudio and LED headlights have a high value but wouldn't necessarily to someone who lives in a less congested area and tends to drive during the day.

Equally, we didn't bother with an awning because we wouldn't use it and it marks the van out as a camper when parking it in towns and cities but others wouldn't be without it.

I guess the point I'm trying to make, not very succinctly, is that some options influence how well the vehicle drives and some how well it camps and if you have to prioritise your spending, it has to be in the context of how, when and where you intend to use it.

EnricoWindsurf · Aug 27, 2017

2haw said:
I do wish I'd paid the small amount for the rear sliding window on the drivers side, when we all sit in the rear eating our regular takeaway, I wish I could open a window both sides to allow a breeze through.

Why don't you open the sliding door a bit?

2haw · Aug 27, 2017

EnricoWindsurf said:
Why don't you open the sliding door a bit?

We do but the trouble with the door slightly open is my 3 year old tends to play with it and as we tend to park overlooking the sea on a fairly busy road, it would of been better to just have the additional window.