B
Bjohnson
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Couple of weeks back we hired a Cali for a week to try one out. We are seasoned campers (in a tent) and have been considering (and saving up) with a view to buying a used Cali.
Theres only two of us, so no kids to worry about and we regularly camp weekends and weeks predominantly in the uk.
so firstly, why change and why a Cali? Simple really, a colleague purchased a Cali about 5 years ago and we had a good look round it at the time and were really impressed. A close friend has a bay window camper and when we camp together there are some apparent benefits from the camper over the tent, and lastly, we have plans to start exploring a bit further afield and the prospective benefits the Cali offers could make this much more viable.
We like the VW scene but wouldn't say we are hard core VW fans, but plenty of close inspections of various vw campers have led us to this point. We like the older vw's but our plans for exploring further afield suggest a more modern, more speedy (well 70mph at least) and more economical form of transport is in order. Plus whilst I enjoy some weekend spannering, I don't want to spend all my time and money keeping something running or in fact worrying when it may next breakdown! (I'm sorry if you do own an older vw camper, but we regularly play "count the broken down vw camper" when travelling during summer months!
Weve also looked at vw conversions and I've considered doing a T5 conversion myself, as had been said many times on this forum they just don't seem to compare and cost almost as much.
So we keep coming back to the Cali.
So we hired from Oli at BMVS in Bognor Regis, to give it a try before spending out a considerable part of our hard earned savings. I specifically hired the 180PS DSG model as if/when I buy that's the spec I have in mind.
BMVS have 5 Cali to choose from so this was the place to go for us, even though it was a bit of a trip from our home in Bristol.
So we ended up with an almost brand new 180PS DSG Cali in white, 1200 miles on the clock with awning, privacy glass, front and rear parking sensors, tow hitch, seat covers and cruise control, pretty much the spec we would want, apart from maybe the multi function steering wheel.
First impressions, perfect
I've driven a few T5's and previously the lower output manual Cali (130PS). The 180 and DSG were very smooth and with more than enough power. High driving position and very comfortable meant the Cali was great for long distance cruising.
We toured from Bognor Regis to looe, looe to Fowey, Fowey to Falmouth, Falmouth to west bay Dorset and then back to Bognor over the course of a week. The Cali was a pleasure to drive for both me and my wife who is always a bit nervous about driving larger vehicles and automatics!
We averaged about 33mpg over the week and did a total of 620 miles. We got just over 500 miles out of a tank before refilling, costing £90, we had to top up the tank before dropping off at a cost of £35, so fuel costs were £125 for us for the week. It's worth noting that's it trip to looe from Bognor at the beginning of the week and then Falmouth to Dorset,Dorset to Bognor at the end of the week was on main A roads, cruising at 70-75mph and using the cruise control. The rest of the week was on very tiny single track roads around Cornwall. So the mpg was pretty impressive considering.
We found the Cali to be the perfect size for all the Cornish single track roads, even though our first couple of days was pretty daunting for us both, especially getting in and out of some of the tiny beach ca r parks at then end of the single track roads - you often wonder if you will come across a dead end and be trapped forever :crazy
We spent our first 3 nights at an idyllic campsite, and even though electric hookup was available we didn't use it and didn't drive the van anywhere during the 3 days. The on board power was more than adequate for that period, running the fridge, lighting, heating and the portable DVD player in the evenings. We used the hookup later in the week just to try it out, but we're pleased by the length of time it would probably last without hookup. Although my wife did use the onboard socket for her hair dryer lat in the week, which apparently is another camping luxury!
Our week away was actually pretty cold at night, plus my wife wanted to take the duvet to sleep in rather than sleeping bags :doh So we elected to try the downstairs bed first. Really comfy (a Brandrup topper was in the van) enough space and very cosy. Due to the cold, we actually had the roof up, and the roof access hatch closed to keep the cold down draughts out of the cabin at night. As it happened, we never did get round to sleeping in the upstairs bed, we used it to store all our stuff when we went to bed at night!
We did note that all the built in blinds take a lot of care and we could see that they could be easily damaged or broken if not careful, I suspect this could be a expensive mistake to make.
I also noted that the internal blind on the sliding door is actuall infront of the door, so if you have to get out in the night you have to lift the blind, seemed slightly odd that the blind couldnt somehow be accommodated in the door so you can leave the blind up and open the door.
We also found that the blind behind the hob and sink needed care to ensure it had 'clipped' in place at both ends otherwise it pops back up when you least expect it!
The front blinds fold/twist up and we stored these in the drivers door pocket for easy access.
As previous comments on this forum, I expect that the insulated internal or external screens would make a much more noticeable improvement, as would one of the many varieties of cover for the roof.
The heating worked well and we used it often. Sleeping downstairs the fuel pump 'clicking' is noticeable at night, but the heater was so efficient that we generally only had it running in the evening intermittently. Not sure if it would be as noticeable if we had slept up stairs.
We packed a lot of clothing and took a lot of food for our week away, we weren't entirely sure what the weather may do and I didn't want to go anywhere near a supermarket :lol: our first few days it was very noticeable that we have to move a lot of gear and bags around in order to use the van. That said, we didn't fully utilise all the storage space, so so more careful packing and hiding of items would probably have made a big difference to this. Similarly, the use of a small tent outside the van or a drive away awning would allow all the internal gear to be 'stored' when you occupy the van. Because we wanted to be flexible and weren't sure when we would drive and when not (i.e. when based at a campsite) we didn't use an awning.
On the plus side though, if you do have an awning or small storage tent, it marks your pitch for the occasions you do drive off the campsite to go somewhere - something I hadn't even considered!
We used the outside awning a few times and this worked great, although I was cautious of the wind and didn't use it in locations where I though it may be a problem. The are pegs for the awning legs so you can peg it down if needed.
It's much easier to spin the passenger seat than the drivers! You need to make sure that the passenger seat is pushed forward far enough so it doesn't hit the sink cabinet behind when it's turned. The drivers seat needs more careful attention as the seat back adjuster always seems to clip the door pillar as you twist it round. With both seats twisted round there is handy storage space behind them in the footwells is you need it overnight.
Levelling blocks are essential. We used these a lot and again once we got the hang of them it was a easy job to get the Cali level in most locations.
Seat covers are a MUST HAVE accessory! I can't imagine how dirty the upholstery could get over the life of a Cali. We were very careful and didn't have any really bad weather, but I can imagine it would get pretty dirty pretty quickly.
The privacy glass is also a MUST HAVE option. The Cali gets plenty of admiring glances and looks, so its nice to be able to sit inside with a brew and not feel as though everyone can see you. We hadnt realised how important this option was until trying out the van.
Our van was provided with one of the telescopic ladders, but we never needed it to get in and out of the roof. we managed just fine climbing up off the front seats. If I owned a van though, we would definitely need one for access for cleaning and washing.
We generally had good weather most of our week, but only had a couple of BBQ's outside. Most of the rest of the week we cooked inside on the 2 burner hob. We always did washing up at the campsites and didn't put any dirty water into the holding tank, apart from rinsing our cups etc.
We had a Cobb BBQ as I wanted to try one out, but we only ended up using it twice and not enough to really find out if it's any good. Needs more time I think before I'm convinced on that one.
Our Cali came with a separate portable single burner gas stove which we used a few times for cooking outside the van - the couple of occassions we had a fry up :clap I have a double burner multi fuel Coleman stove we use for camping and would take this with us in future to use for cooking outside the van as it's bigger and the two burners give more flexibility for cooking.
The water tank lasted us all week and was still showing 1 bar left on the display when we got back, we did drink a lot of tea in the van though
Lastly, we both commented that it was great to arrive at a campsite late in the evening and not have to spend an hour unpacking the car and pitching the tent; I'm not sure how we are going to cope going back to normal camping :?
So all in all, everything worked out really well and we really enjoyed our week. The Cali was a complete success and we are spurred on to try and pick one up over next winter, all being well.
I've posted some pics on the photo section of the forum, and if I think of anything to add I'll edit this further.
Hope this proves useful for any other beginners considering a Cali, the weeks trial was very worthwhile for us.
Theres only two of us, so no kids to worry about and we regularly camp weekends and weeks predominantly in the uk.
so firstly, why change and why a Cali? Simple really, a colleague purchased a Cali about 5 years ago and we had a good look round it at the time and were really impressed. A close friend has a bay window camper and when we camp together there are some apparent benefits from the camper over the tent, and lastly, we have plans to start exploring a bit further afield and the prospective benefits the Cali offers could make this much more viable.
We like the VW scene but wouldn't say we are hard core VW fans, but plenty of close inspections of various vw campers have led us to this point. We like the older vw's but our plans for exploring further afield suggest a more modern, more speedy (well 70mph at least) and more economical form of transport is in order. Plus whilst I enjoy some weekend spannering, I don't want to spend all my time and money keeping something running or in fact worrying when it may next breakdown! (I'm sorry if you do own an older vw camper, but we regularly play "count the broken down vw camper" when travelling during summer months!
Weve also looked at vw conversions and I've considered doing a T5 conversion myself, as had been said many times on this forum they just don't seem to compare and cost almost as much.
So we keep coming back to the Cali.
So we hired from Oli at BMVS in Bognor Regis, to give it a try before spending out a considerable part of our hard earned savings. I specifically hired the 180PS DSG model as if/when I buy that's the spec I have in mind.
BMVS have 5 Cali to choose from so this was the place to go for us, even though it was a bit of a trip from our home in Bristol.
So we ended up with an almost brand new 180PS DSG Cali in white, 1200 miles on the clock with awning, privacy glass, front and rear parking sensors, tow hitch, seat covers and cruise control, pretty much the spec we would want, apart from maybe the multi function steering wheel.
First impressions, perfect
I've driven a few T5's and previously the lower output manual Cali (130PS). The 180 and DSG were very smooth and with more than enough power. High driving position and very comfortable meant the Cali was great for long distance cruising.
We toured from Bognor Regis to looe, looe to Fowey, Fowey to Falmouth, Falmouth to west bay Dorset and then back to Bognor over the course of a week. The Cali was a pleasure to drive for both me and my wife who is always a bit nervous about driving larger vehicles and automatics!
We averaged about 33mpg over the week and did a total of 620 miles. We got just over 500 miles out of a tank before refilling, costing £90, we had to top up the tank before dropping off at a cost of £35, so fuel costs were £125 for us for the week. It's worth noting that's it trip to looe from Bognor at the beginning of the week and then Falmouth to Dorset,Dorset to Bognor at the end of the week was on main A roads, cruising at 70-75mph and using the cruise control. The rest of the week was on very tiny single track roads around Cornwall. So the mpg was pretty impressive considering.
We found the Cali to be the perfect size for all the Cornish single track roads, even though our first couple of days was pretty daunting for us both, especially getting in and out of some of the tiny beach ca r parks at then end of the single track roads - you often wonder if you will come across a dead end and be trapped forever :crazy
We spent our first 3 nights at an idyllic campsite, and even though electric hookup was available we didn't use it and didn't drive the van anywhere during the 3 days. The on board power was more than adequate for that period, running the fridge, lighting, heating and the portable DVD player in the evenings. We used the hookup later in the week just to try it out, but we're pleased by the length of time it would probably last without hookup. Although my wife did use the onboard socket for her hair dryer lat in the week, which apparently is another camping luxury!
Our week away was actually pretty cold at night, plus my wife wanted to take the duvet to sleep in rather than sleeping bags :doh So we elected to try the downstairs bed first. Really comfy (a Brandrup topper was in the van) enough space and very cosy. Due to the cold, we actually had the roof up, and the roof access hatch closed to keep the cold down draughts out of the cabin at night. As it happened, we never did get round to sleeping in the upstairs bed, we used it to store all our stuff when we went to bed at night!
We did note that all the built in blinds take a lot of care and we could see that they could be easily damaged or broken if not careful, I suspect this could be a expensive mistake to make.
I also noted that the internal blind on the sliding door is actuall infront of the door, so if you have to get out in the night you have to lift the blind, seemed slightly odd that the blind couldnt somehow be accommodated in the door so you can leave the blind up and open the door.
We also found that the blind behind the hob and sink needed care to ensure it had 'clipped' in place at both ends otherwise it pops back up when you least expect it!
The front blinds fold/twist up and we stored these in the drivers door pocket for easy access.
As previous comments on this forum, I expect that the insulated internal or external screens would make a much more noticeable improvement, as would one of the many varieties of cover for the roof.
The heating worked well and we used it often. Sleeping downstairs the fuel pump 'clicking' is noticeable at night, but the heater was so efficient that we generally only had it running in the evening intermittently. Not sure if it would be as noticeable if we had slept up stairs.
We packed a lot of clothing and took a lot of food for our week away, we weren't entirely sure what the weather may do and I didn't want to go anywhere near a supermarket :lol: our first few days it was very noticeable that we have to move a lot of gear and bags around in order to use the van. That said, we didn't fully utilise all the storage space, so so more careful packing and hiding of items would probably have made a big difference to this. Similarly, the use of a small tent outside the van or a drive away awning would allow all the internal gear to be 'stored' when you occupy the van. Because we wanted to be flexible and weren't sure when we would drive and when not (i.e. when based at a campsite) we didn't use an awning.
On the plus side though, if you do have an awning or small storage tent, it marks your pitch for the occasions you do drive off the campsite to go somewhere - something I hadn't even considered!
We used the outside awning a few times and this worked great, although I was cautious of the wind and didn't use it in locations where I though it may be a problem. The are pegs for the awning legs so you can peg it down if needed.
It's much easier to spin the passenger seat than the drivers! You need to make sure that the passenger seat is pushed forward far enough so it doesn't hit the sink cabinet behind when it's turned. The drivers seat needs more careful attention as the seat back adjuster always seems to clip the door pillar as you twist it round. With both seats twisted round there is handy storage space behind them in the footwells is you need it overnight.
Levelling blocks are essential. We used these a lot and again once we got the hang of them it was a easy job to get the Cali level in most locations.
Seat covers are a MUST HAVE accessory! I can't imagine how dirty the upholstery could get over the life of a Cali. We were very careful and didn't have any really bad weather, but I can imagine it would get pretty dirty pretty quickly.
The privacy glass is also a MUST HAVE option. The Cali gets plenty of admiring glances and looks, so its nice to be able to sit inside with a brew and not feel as though everyone can see you. We hadnt realised how important this option was until trying out the van.
Our van was provided with one of the telescopic ladders, but we never needed it to get in and out of the roof. we managed just fine climbing up off the front seats. If I owned a van though, we would definitely need one for access for cleaning and washing.
We generally had good weather most of our week, but only had a couple of BBQ's outside. Most of the rest of the week we cooked inside on the 2 burner hob. We always did washing up at the campsites and didn't put any dirty water into the holding tank, apart from rinsing our cups etc.
We had a Cobb BBQ as I wanted to try one out, but we only ended up using it twice and not enough to really find out if it's any good. Needs more time I think before I'm convinced on that one.
Our Cali came with a separate portable single burner gas stove which we used a few times for cooking outside the van - the couple of occassions we had a fry up :clap I have a double burner multi fuel Coleman stove we use for camping and would take this with us in future to use for cooking outside the van as it's bigger and the two burners give more flexibility for cooking.
The water tank lasted us all week and was still showing 1 bar left on the display when we got back, we did drink a lot of tea in the van though
Lastly, we both commented that it was great to arrive at a campsite late in the evening and not have to spend an hour unpacking the car and pitching the tent; I'm not sure how we are going to cope going back to normal camping :?
So all in all, everything worked out really well and we really enjoyed our week. The Cali was a complete success and we are spurred on to try and pick one up over next winter, all being well.
I've posted some pics on the photo section of the forum, and if I think of anything to add I'll edit this further.
Hope this proves useful for any other beginners considering a Cali, the weeks trial was very worthwhile for us.
