Have you upgraded from a T5>T6?

[David Eccles]

Whilst my Cali 5.1 is away for Roofgate 2, VW have loaned me a 19 plate Ocean.
To be honest the driving is not really that different (it is a bit quieter inside) and this model does not have all those toys driver safety features - but I would not really use them anyway so don't miss anything. It is a DSG which I actually like (though I cant be doing with the manual mode using those paddles) so is very smooth and effortless, but thats the DSG not the T6...
It's from a hire company so though new has not really been looked after (no surprise there) with lots of little broken stuff like catches etc..I have a list for when it goes back, though I doubt any notice will be taken!
I am interested in views from folks who upgraded from a T5 to a T6 about what they like and don't like when comparing previous 5 with new 6

I really like the shower option it comes with, very useful.
I like the split sink top, the bigger mirror in wardrobe, the additional lighting in wardrobe and cupboards...
And one thing I really like is the optional Deluxe topper mattress that folds out over the rear seat (I might get one of these!)

I hate the standard upholstery, its boring , hard/coarse fabric - but our Cali is leather / alcantara, so glad we chose that!
The pull out front windscreen blinds are useless, flimsy and only useful as a sunshade when parked. The side curtains also rubbish. We are using our T5 versions! (plus a windscreen / side windows wrap)
Don't really like the new dash compartments though the bottle holder thingy is a great place to keep my rum!
Clip on cup holder? Well that is useless as well!

Am looking fwd to getting ours back - had not realised quite how attached we have become to it!

What do you like / not like?

 

[Meoncoast]

We upgraded our T5.1 to a T6, to be honest, we upgraded because wanted to continue with the campervan lifestyle and decided we could afford to upgrade our 5-year-old camper to a new one if the T6 had not come out we would have a new T5. With some cities restrictions, Euro6 may allow us to centres we could not have gone with the T5 The best think about the T6 is the 5year warranty option but basically it is very much the same. We do not have the shower attachment or split cooker top on ours.

 

[Meoncoast]

I hate the standard upholstery, its boring , hard/coarse fabric - but our Cali is leather / alcantara, so glad we chose that!
The pull out front windscreen blinds are useless, flimsy and only useful as a sunshade when parked. The side curtains also rubbish. We are using our T5 versions! (plus a windscreen / side windows wrap)
Don't really like the new dash compartments though the bottle holder thingy is a great place to keep my rum!
Clip on cup holder? Well that is useless as well!

PS we transferred our colourful Jackyard seat cover from out T5 to T6 so the fabric is not an issue. We do not use internal windscreen blinds and passed on the cup holder to another member who wanted one.

 

[Borris]

We upgraded from a T5-1 SE dsg 4motion to a T6 seven seater manual Beach. They were two vehicles on the same platform but poles apart in character and application. We actually owned them both at the same time but eventually decided to keep the most practical and most used version, for our needs, so we kept the T6 Beach. However, in the time that we had them both we were able to gain a very useful comparison.

As you are probably looking for a straight like for like comparison I can only give my thoughts on the basic chassis of the two we had.

The T5 was a heavy 180ps bi-turbo 4motion SE as opposed to the lighter and simpler 150ps Beach. The difference in power wasn't as big as you would expect. That may well be different if you compare like with like however we have Cali friends who changed from a 180 bi-turbo SE T5 to a T6 150 Ocean and they have said as much. I have no experience of the 204ps engine.

Taking into account their different weights and driving characteristics, in terms of refinement there wasn't any noticeable difference. The main difference is you have to use Adblue on the T6. Just be careful not to fill the tank to the brim as it can cause a fault that requires a costly trip to the dealers. So under fill by a litre or two to be on the safe side. The dash tells you how much to put in and when.

 

[David Eccles]

One thing I have noticed on the T6 DSG is the fuel consumption is loads better than I thought would be....and definitely better than the 5.1 DSG that I had on loan for a couple of weeks a few years back which was more thirsty than our manual ..

 

[Romke]

We upgraded from a 5.1 Beach to a 6.0 Coast. I wrote a post about it:

Confessions of a Beach deserter

After 300 nights and 65.000 km in our two completely different Californias we’d like to share our experiences with fellow Cali-fans. A short intro. We are an Anglo-Dutch couple of 65 and 70. We abandoned our native countries over 30 years ago and never looked back, enjoying a happy and quiet...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[GrannyJen]

Well,

Hate to disappoint you but I love those front blinds.

If I am on a campsite then I use external screens but when wild/permissive in public I use the internal ones and find them remarkably effective. They have to be put in place first, before swivelling seats, so the sun visors can fold down over them without having the front seat headrests in the way.

I do find it smoother, quieter and more economical than my 5.1

I love the interior lights, not just the cupboard lights but the roof lights that can be used to light up the black hole in the cab area.

The yacht floor is brilliant, a huge improvement over the knobbly floor.

It is an evolution, not a revolution, so nothing goes "WOW"! but I just feel it is a lovely place to be, as was my T5 but just slightly lovelier

 

[David Eccles]

the ocean we have has the same knobbly grey hard to get clean floor


will try the blinds out without seats swivelled next week...though swivelling seats round is second job after raising the roof normally...

 

[Bellcrew]

the ocean we have has the same knobbly grey hard to get clean floor


will try the blinds out without seats swivelled next week...though swivelling seats round is second job after raising the roof normally...

We just remove the headrests, put them in a bag for life and leave them in a foot well. The seats are then turned. Gives an unobstructed view forwards and makes operation of the blinds a piece of cake.

 

[John Slater]

We changed from a Jerba T5 conversion to a T6 Ocean. 130bhp to 150bhp, both manuals. The Ocean is 4motion.
From a driveability perspective the T6 has the advantage, a bit less grunt at low revs but much smoother and quieter. More economic too by around 10%.
The dash storage is much better. Can't really comment much about the difference in sleeping and cooking arrangements but the little touches like the lights are great.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Whilst my Cali 5.1 is away for Roofgate 2, VW have loaned me a 19 plate Ocean.
To be honest the driving is not really that different (it is a bit quieter inside) and this model does not have all those toys driver safety features - but I would not really use them anyway so don't miss anything. It is a DSG which I actually like (though I cant be doing with the manual mode using those paddles) so is very smooth and effortless, but thats the DSG not the T6...
It's from a hire company so though new has not really been looked after (no surprise there) with lots of little broken stuff like catches etc..I have a list for when it goes back, though I doubt any notice will be taken!
I am interested in views from folks who upgraded from a T5 to a T6 about what they like and don't like when comparing previous 5 with new 6

I really like the shower option it comes with, very useful.
I like the split sink top, the bigger mirror in wardrobe, the additional lighting in wardrobe and cupboards...
And one thing I really like is the optional Deluxe topper mattress that folds out over the rear seat (I might get one of these!)

I hate the standard upholstery, its boring , hard/coarse fabric - but our Cali is leather / alcantara, so glad we chose that!
The pull out front windscreen blinds are useless, flimsy and only useful as a sunshade when parked. The side curtains also rubbish. We are using our T5 versions! (plus a windscreen / side windows wrap)
Don't really like the new dash compartments though the bottle holder thingy is a great place to keep my rum!
Clip on cup holder? Well that is useless as well!

Am looking fwd to getting ours back - had not realised quite how attached we have become to it!

What do you like / not like?

I’ve recently started to get really quite chuffed with my 2008 T5 174bhp 5 cylinder engine. I think the no adblue and no cam belt have made me realise I should stick with this vehicle. The engine seems tough.
We live just inside the ULEZ zone so £12 every time I want to use it, but £24 added to the price of two weeks of French camping bliss isn’t a reason to upgrade.
T4 look cool don’t they? I’m holding on for when T5s start to gain street cred !?!