Tarquers
Lifetime VIP Member
So after 3 years of the 6.1 beach and last orders being taken, I have spent 3,000 miles and 30+ hours driving I have got a list of what I do and do not like and just deciding if it’s worth changing to a final version.
While we do camp with the beach, it is primary a day van, serving skiing, cycling, days out with family etc and a general long distance workhorse for travel either with family or solo. I want to avoid the 3 car solution which rules out either a bigger camper or an ocean.
Living with the beach I have a few boxes that I want to tick and a few I am unsure about, the net result is a decision to stay as is or to order a new van. The good news is that residuals on a nearly 3 year old and current dealer prices for me mean very little to pay for a new van especially when ordered to taste.
1. Electric roof. It's a nice to have but being able to lift the roof with a roofbox on is nice and the general ease is the one SE/Ocean feature I miss.
2. Beach cooker. Honestly I would prefer to have twin sliders. Yes the stove is clever but so is my jet boil and despite having the stove, my Costa bill hasn’t dropped. With no tax issues like the U.K. to worry about, the price difference isn’t much.
3. 3 seat bench. Yes it is not ideal for camping given the height when the roof bed is in use, but as the car for transporting visitors, 5 seats wins out. Also spent 12 hours driving from Calais with the ability to sleep flat-ish across the bed for the co-driver, 3 seat bench is a must.
4. Interior. I originally thought I wanted analogue dials and had no choice in the van in Covid to upgrade infotainment but the basic system sucks. I miss the digital dash and better screen so would need to upgrade head unit and speakers. Again being picky but I want to look at it and smile rather than think if only…
5. General stuff. I have LED lights which are great, shame matrix is not available. Seat heaters are a must, and both water and air heaters along with heated windscreen. I do use park assist (great in a multi story). Towbar removable is used and I would probably add trailer assist because I can. 4motion and diff lock would be kept because of use.
6. Engine. This is the one area where I have doubts. Having been happy with the 150, driving across Europe into a headwind last week was horrible and the van felt underpowered for the first time. Also overtaking on the smaller roads of the U.K. I felt the lack of power. The flip side is I intend to keep the van for a long time, I thought the 150 would be best. Now thinking that the 204 is the way to go. Coming back last night with a tail wind flew across Europe and found without ACC on speed easily crept up so it’s not everyday that it’s an issue. Leaning towards 204.
7. DSG. Included for good measure. 99% of the time DSG is great but it sucks dealing with snow and ice or more off road conditions. Manual is much better but I am not going to kid myself about the realities of living with a manual.
8. Camping setup. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things but generally what we have found works is we put camping kit in to camp and take it out when we don’t so we can fit in bikes/boards/etc. Bottom line is if I camp other than a roadside sleep, we use a tent to setup kitchen etc and store camping stuff and only sleep in the van.
9. Colour. Don’t buy a white van when you drive gravel muddy tracks. Plus a white van (Cali or otherwise) is a bit too delivery. I want a different colour.
10. Ride quality. A lot comes to road quality but the ride can be tiring. Contemplating air suspension anyway but would also consider DCC as an alternative. I don’t want to lower and I don’t want to raise full time so wondering what would make things less tiring. Winter tyres don’t help. Thinking about a non rotating drivers chair to give that bit of extra comfort. We never turn it anyway so would I be better off?
11. Fuel tank. Current van came with 70L would upgrade to 80L. Only an additional 10L but saves a stop on a long run and reduces the time between driver swaps without the “oh we should refuel just in case” moments.
Conclusions. None really but leaning towards a beach tour, 204 4motion DSG. Not in white. With a better entertainment system. Current market allows me to upgrade to a new van from a 3 year old van for not much more and will I kick myself in the future for not doing it. Does the 204 make that much difference in terms of ride and comfort?
While we do camp with the beach, it is primary a day van, serving skiing, cycling, days out with family etc and a general long distance workhorse for travel either with family or solo. I want to avoid the 3 car solution which rules out either a bigger camper or an ocean.
Living with the beach I have a few boxes that I want to tick and a few I am unsure about, the net result is a decision to stay as is or to order a new van. The good news is that residuals on a nearly 3 year old and current dealer prices for me mean very little to pay for a new van especially when ordered to taste.
1. Electric roof. It's a nice to have but being able to lift the roof with a roofbox on is nice and the general ease is the one SE/Ocean feature I miss.
2. Beach cooker. Honestly I would prefer to have twin sliders. Yes the stove is clever but so is my jet boil and despite having the stove, my Costa bill hasn’t dropped. With no tax issues like the U.K. to worry about, the price difference isn’t much.
3. 3 seat bench. Yes it is not ideal for camping given the height when the roof bed is in use, but as the car for transporting visitors, 5 seats wins out. Also spent 12 hours driving from Calais with the ability to sleep flat-ish across the bed for the co-driver, 3 seat bench is a must.
4. Interior. I originally thought I wanted analogue dials and had no choice in the van in Covid to upgrade infotainment but the basic system sucks. I miss the digital dash and better screen so would need to upgrade head unit and speakers. Again being picky but I want to look at it and smile rather than think if only…
5. General stuff. I have LED lights which are great, shame matrix is not available. Seat heaters are a must, and both water and air heaters along with heated windscreen. I do use park assist (great in a multi story). Towbar removable is used and I would probably add trailer assist because I can. 4motion and diff lock would be kept because of use.
6. Engine. This is the one area where I have doubts. Having been happy with the 150, driving across Europe into a headwind last week was horrible and the van felt underpowered for the first time. Also overtaking on the smaller roads of the U.K. I felt the lack of power. The flip side is I intend to keep the van for a long time, I thought the 150 would be best. Now thinking that the 204 is the way to go. Coming back last night with a tail wind flew across Europe and found without ACC on speed easily crept up so it’s not everyday that it’s an issue. Leaning towards 204.
7. DSG. Included for good measure. 99% of the time DSG is great but it sucks dealing with snow and ice or more off road conditions. Manual is much better but I am not going to kid myself about the realities of living with a manual.
8. Camping setup. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things but generally what we have found works is we put camping kit in to camp and take it out when we don’t so we can fit in bikes/boards/etc. Bottom line is if I camp other than a roadside sleep, we use a tent to setup kitchen etc and store camping stuff and only sleep in the van.
9. Colour. Don’t buy a white van when you drive gravel muddy tracks. Plus a white van (Cali or otherwise) is a bit too delivery. I want a different colour.
10. Ride quality. A lot comes to road quality but the ride can be tiring. Contemplating air suspension anyway but would also consider DCC as an alternative. I don’t want to lower and I don’t want to raise full time so wondering what would make things less tiring. Winter tyres don’t help. Thinking about a non rotating drivers chair to give that bit of extra comfort. We never turn it anyway so would I be better off?
11. Fuel tank. Current van came with 70L would upgrade to 80L. Only an additional 10L but saves a stop on a long run and reduces the time between driver swaps without the “oh we should refuel just in case” moments.
Conclusions. None really but leaning towards a beach tour, 204 4motion DSG. Not in white. With a better entertainment system. Current market allows me to upgrade to a new van from a 3 year old van for not much more and will I kick myself in the future for not doing it. Does the 204 make that much difference in terms of ride and comfort?
Last edited:
![Comfort Insurance](https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/square20ad20image.jpg"")
