Confused/bemused and bogged down in detail

[MrT]

Hi all
Newbie to this forum...spend most of my time on cyCling forums much to wife's annoyance, though she is happy that i am on here. We took the momentous decision to get a Cali when on holiday this year. We are sad Francophiles who also love the Tour de France....original plan was to wait until retirement then follow cycling season in Europe........but sometimes life is too short. We have 3 kids 10/8/2 so beach seems like obvious option. We are keeping our Sharan so don't need extra seats......but despite all I've read key questions are.
Will we all fit in? ( I'm 6ft 3 the wife is 5 ft)
Isn't the blue motion underpowered ? ( the sharan is 140)
Does it come with a mains hook up to recharge batteries?
What should I get as extras.....having owned VWS for nearly 20 yrs it's interesting that their extras seem to be rivalling BMW for expense!
Is there a good awning attachment which sort of acts as a tent othe than the vw attachment?
I like the look of the bike attachment but having 4 bikes sticking above the roof looks as if it will kill fuel consumption.....my experience is with the Thule tow bar type
Has anyone used Drive the Deal?
Lots of qs....we are v keen and excited but spending close to 40 k want to get it right.
Apologies for long post

 

[MichaelB]

Hi there...I know how you feel I got bogged down in a lot of detail before placing the order. As it happens we have a Cali SE so can't shed to much light on specific Beach questions but....

Hire an example of what you think you might want. It give you a chance to see if you are on the right lines before making an expensive mistake.

We have a Thule tow bar bike rack..and we love it but some things to consider are. 1. It will make you very long in a carpark which can be an issue. 2. make sure you get one that has enough clearance to open the tailgate. To my knowledge the only one that does is the EuroClassic G6 LED.

Hope that helps a bit

 

[James]

Hi all
Newbie to this forum...spend most of my time on cyCling forums much to wife's annoyance, though she is happy that i am on here. We took the momentous decision to get a Cali when on holiday this year. We are sad Francophiles who also love the Tour de France....original plan was to wait until retirement then follow cycling season in Europe........but sometimes life is too short. We have 3 kids 10/8/2 so beach seems like obvious option. We are keeping our Sharan so don't need extra seats......but despite all I've read key questions are.
Will we all fit in? ( I'm 6ft 3 the wife is 5 ft)
Isn't the blue motion underpowered ? ( the sharan is 140)
Does it come with a mains hook up to recharge batteries?
What should I get as extras.....having owned VWS for nearly 20 yrs it's interesting that their extras seem to be rivalling BMW for expense!
Is there a good awning attachment which sort of acts as a tent othe than the vw attachment?
I like the look of the bike attachment but having 4 bikes sticking above the roof looks as if it will kill fuel consumption.....my experience is with the Thule tow bar type
Has anyone used Drive the Deal?
Lots of qs....we are v keen and excited but spending close to 40 k want to get it right.
Apologies for long post

I'll answer the ones I can - others here will be able to help.

You'll not go short on space - I don't know if you are ordering from factory or considering a dealer demo - but get the extra seats if you can and in particular if you are ordering from the factory.

The Beach is really more of an occasional camper - so no mains hook up.

Options - I think this has been covered but the options are extensive - with the Beach you are paying the fact it's a Beach and you have to decide whether you are prepared to do that. You're not buying a well kitted out car. It still has the basics but lots of things are options.

Options are personal but you certainly want privacy glass - multi function steering wheel - from what you said you'll want the parking heater as well. If 40k is your budget you'll probably get those - look out for fogs as well

The Bluemotion is not underpowered - you feel the weight and the fact it is a van pulling away - and i do think it needs a 6 speed - but having driven back from Norfolk on Saturday which is a three hour drive - I never felt there was a lack of power. It has to be said as well, the fuel consumption on the Beach considering the size is impressive in Bluemotion guise.

There are one or two things I miss equipment wise on my Beach but I have never owned such a fun vehicle - one that is very comfortable, safe and always a joy to drive. It can make any journey an adventure.

It has that one thing most modern vehicles are accused of not having, character.

I am sure would not regret buying one but then I am biased

James

 

[MrT]

Thanks useful stuff....when you say extra seats...do you mean aside from the bench.....are these part of the bed set up ( we already have 7 seats) so don't need people carrier ability. Andy

 

[Custardtart]

Agree with above.

Think about the extra seats - if you don't get them initially I think it's a major cost/headache to retrofit them as I don't think it'll have enough rails. You'll know your own circumstances but may seem odd to have to use the smaller vehicle when carrying more people!

In 5 seat guise (1x 3 seater rear bench) the boot or cabin space will be HUGE. We got all our gear for 5 in our 7 seater without using the cabin/spare seats.

Options I would definitely choose:

privacy glass - avoids shop window feel and probably makes big difference when you sell it
built in sat nav - less nickable
cruise control (especially in France where roads are less congested)
ipod dock
parking sensors

lots of other nice options but above are most important to me.

As for power - I've got the 140 version and it's great but due to the extra weight of a van you do need to drop down a gear more often in the hills than in a car. On the French peages it cruises at 80mph no problem.

I'm planning on getting the vw bike rack - I've seen nothing but good reviews of it.

 

[James]

Thanks useful stuff....when you say extra seats...do you mean aside from the bench.....are these part of the bed set up ( we already have 7 seats) so don't need people carrier ability. Andy

I would consider having Sat Nav fitted after - you could save money. It depends what system you want.

As for seats - it depends what version you go for.- just remember the two seat bench version is a different version to the three seater bench version. Personally I'd go for the three seater - you get (obviously) three rear seats - and the adjustable board at the back. There's no price difference as such and you'll probably find it easier at resale time - but that's just a personal opinion.

The three seater bench allows two extra seats to be fitted in the back, but as you say, you don't need them but I would say if you ordering from the factory - spec them.

Agree with Custard Tart on the the extras - good choices

I'd also add - and I am sure you've done it, but just have a look round the net at Beaches and look at what they come with and the price - get an idea of what is out there.

Where abouts are you based?

James

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Feel free to give us a call to discuss them and speak to Hugh in our sales department 01403 839640. I know we don't have a Beach in group stock at present, but if you want a factory order then please give us a shout as we can deliver nationwide!

cheers

 

[syrup1971]

From what I've seen on the forum here too, you can probably make money by ordering the extra 2 seats with the 3 seater rear bench, and then selling them on, as I think it was James, who said that VW want £2K for them as an aftermarket purchase.

I think James has covered it pretty well, but will back up his opinion, that the Bluemotion has plenty of power for the job. I guess if you regularly wanted to drive at 90MPH plus (where law permits ) then the 140 may be worthwhile, otherwise it makes no sense to me, over the Bluemotion, which also gets you cruise control thrown in for standard.

In terms of options, again, covered pretty well, but parking sensors I'd say are a must have. For me parking heater was a must have. For a lot of people awning is a desirable option, but I specifically didn't want it, as I thought it would add to the fuel consumption, and also takes the height over the 2m mark.

 

[James]

From what I've seen on the forum here too, you can probably make money by ordering the extra 2 seats with the 3 seater rear bench, and then selling them on, as I think it was James, who said that VW want £2K for them as an aftermarket purchase.

I think James has covered it pretty well, but will back up his opinion, that the Bluemotion has plenty of power for the job. I guess if you regularly wanted to drive at 90MPH plus (where law permits ) then the 140 may be worthwhile, otherwise it makes no sense to me, over the Bluemotion, which also gets you cruise control thrown in for standard.

In terms of options, again, covered pretty well, but parking sensors I'd say are a must have. For me parking heater was a must have. For a lot of people awning is a desirable option, but I specifically didn't want it, as I thought it would add to the fuel consumption, and also takes the height over the 2m mark.

Thank you - I'd agree with parking sensor.

The seats are about 2k - that was the quote i had from Alex on here - there are places that provide them but it is not easy to find them.

Just to clarify - the Beach comes from the factory with the same rail system. But still, if you are ordering from the factory, get the seats, you may not need them but they are not expensive and if you could sell them for about £700 each.

And I would say, once you see a three seater bench Beach with the two extra seats and the adjustable rear board then you have a truly multi purpose vehicle - it's amazing. It may change how you'd want to use it. It seems obvious but these vehicles are designed to be practical - a swiss army knife of a vehicle.

James

 

[MrT]

I knew I had come to the right place for help. We are in Ely cambs....and managed to pop over to dealer in B st Eds who had the 3 person bench beach in stock. Interesting to watch the pickle he got himself into when trying to take the additional seats out to show me how the bench bed worked. He managed one but I got the idea. Big hefty beasts.
We will definitely go for the 3 seat bench.....new brochure out with no mention of mf steering wheel.....but lots of other goodies....will ask for t drive of bmotion and 140... Tend to head to Alps and Pyrenees....so need some pulling power but happy cruising at 70-80 ....no more speed demon days.

 

[James]

I knew I had come to the right place for help. We are in Ely cambs....and managed to pop over to dealer in B st Eds who had the 3 person bench beach in stock. Interesting to watch the pickle he got himself into when trying to take the additional seats out to show me how the bench bed worked. He managed one but I got the idea. Big hefty beasts.
We will definitely go for the 3 seat bench.....new brochure out with no mention of mf steering wheel.....but lots of other goodies....will ask for t drive of bmotion and 140... Tend to head to Alps and Pyrenees....so need some pulling power but happy cruising at 70-80 ....no more speed demon days.

I am in the new brochure - so I've been told!!!!

I don't know if the dealer showed you but if you have the additional seats they can form part of an extended bed

Obviously you've seen a Beach but if you get stuck why not come to the SMG open day. It's really worth speaking to Alex at SMG - in the very least he can give you some advice.

There was something on here about MFSW - about it not being in the brochure.

Any questions - there are a few of us on here who own Beaches and have done for a while, one or two before me and they will all help.

There is still a lot that is unknown - but over the last few months people have really added to Beach knowledge, it's not exactly a buyers guide here but at some stage we've all had the questions you've had or different ones and sort of scratched and fumbled our way to answers

James

 

[syrup1971]

Interesting to watch the pickle he got himself into when trying to take the additional seats out to show me how the bench bed worked. He managed one but I got the idea. Big hefty beasts.

A couple of points. Firstly, yes the seats are big and heavy, but after you have done it a couple I times, it is surprisingly easy. The trickiest part is getting the fiddly floor clips in and out!

Did the dealer know you don't have to remove the extra seats to make the downstairs bed? There are three bed configurations in the beach, and the downstairs seats can stay in place for one of them. That said, if it is more than a night or so's camping, I tend to remove tem, as they do make interior space slightly limited when the be is down.

Chris

 

[shambly]

[]

I am in the new brochure - so I've been told!!!!

James

It's up online now - Harry is in it on page 22 too :lol:

 

[MrT]

Again, thanks for all the massive help......just specked everything into to drive the deal and they are saving me 5 k on all the bits.....bringing the beach in at just over 37 k.....we are sorting finance out in mid autumn......so looking good....sorry to be a pain but is uthe mattress any good or are there better out there?