Is 4 motion really necessary?

[Sunstoner]

Is a Cali really necessary ?

LOL. Definitely worth its own post! #WW3

 

[sapto]

I am sure these guys have 4wd.

 

[sapto]

Hi,
I am still working on my first purchase of a VW California. Unfortunately, there isn't much available in Spain at the right price. The exchange rate is a killer at the moment and prices here are generally high for vehicles with starship mileage. Importing just attracts Spanish taxes that defeat any cost savings. My original wish was to go for a new T6 150 4 MO DSG, but I have since come across a 2015 T5 DSG Comfortline (similar to Ocean) which has only 17.5k kilometres on the clock and is in immaculate condition. It also has all the knobs bells & whistles including extras such as a VW bike rack, xenon headlamps etc but it does not have 4 motion. The vehicle is priced at 50k euros and I might be able to make a cheeky bid at less than that. This is a considerable saving on a new T6 as described above. Assuming the second hand vehicle is as good as it is described, I would value opinions on the alternative of a T5 FWD Ocean from people who own one. We are unlikely to do any really serious off road stuff so I think I could probably lose the 4 Motion. What do people think?

ChrisB give us a hint: Where is this thread leading you? Torwards 4Mo or 2wd?

Look forward to read!

 

[Joker 1299]

Does this not just come down to a matter of he who dies with the most toys wins? But how do you know what toys I bought with the money I saved by buying TWD?... he who dies with the most toys... still dies.

 

[vmaxkiddy]

ChrisB give us a hint: Where is this thread leading you? Torwards 4Mo or 2wd?

Look forward to read!

They're probably sat in a dark corner somewhere wishing they'd never asked the question way back in March 2017, so I would think they've bought what they wanted by now. Not been on the forum since 13th Nov 2019.

 

[Velma's Dad]

They're probably sat in a dark corner somewhere wishing they'd never asked the question way back in March 2017, so I would think they've bought what they wanted by now. Not been on the forum since 13th Nov 2019.

They've probably bought a Marco Polo.

 

[Calimili]

They've probably bought a Marco Polo.

4 Matic

 

[WelshGas]

4 Matic

Not available in UK

 

[Wesel]

Not available in UK

But they are located at Torre Del Rico, Spain .

 

[WelshGas]

But they are located at Torre Del Rico, Spain .

Don't think there are many Marco Polos sold in Spain so would have to import and the taxes are high.

 

[Wesel]

Despite all the negative reviews read here, they bought a 4motion and are very happy.

Is 4 motion really necessary?

Plus in the years driving, he's only needed chains once and you only need to fit one set with 2wd. 4motion also fit one set! (according to the manual)

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Calimili]

"As a response to my original post, I did end up buying a new 150DSG 4 Motion with diff' lock and all season tyres in Late Oct 2017. "

Is a Diff Lock really necessary ?

 

[soulstyledevon]

He was concerned about 2wd vs 4wd, then bought the under powered 150 where 4 wd makes the least sense...
Your really couldn’t make this stuff up...

 

[Wesel]

He was concerned about 2wd vs 4wd, then bought the under powered 150 where 4 wd makes the least sense...
Your really couldn’t make this stuff up...

Strongly disagree with this opinion.
Is the 150 under powered or the 204 over powered ?
The 4WD on a 150 HP makes sense or not depending on the roads you are traveling.

 

[soulstyledevon]

To be fair, not under-powered...

However, as I’ve stated before.
The 204 is, over powered for a 2wd van and although I do agree with others about general driving and 4wd pros and cons, the 204 should come standard with 4motion as moving the weight of the vehicle with 200bhp in damp conditions spins the wheels, all to easy.

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

"As a response to my original post, I did end up buying a new 150DSG 4 Motion with diff' lock and all season tyres in Late Oct 2017. "

Is a Diff Lock really necessary ?

4motion and diff lock has got mine going in some muddy and icy conditions.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Don't think there are many Marco Polos sold in Spain so would have to import and the taxes are high.

The Vito van, which the MP is based on, is manufactured in Spain and exported to the rest of Europe. The MP is sold through official Mercedes dealers. We have the same issue Cali/MP as everywhere else, but there are plenty of MPs around.

 

[briwy]

As long as folks are happy with what they have it doesn't matter a bit. We have 4motion and bloody glad we have. Just been up into the mountains, usual hairpins etc very wet road and bits of ice. I know for a fact that 2wd would be scrabbling like hell round every bend but if we didnt go to these kind of places and no off road Im sure we would be fine with 2wd. Horses for courses. I would say though that if I only had 2wd I would prefer rear wheel drive.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Don't think there are many Marco Polos sold in Spain so would have to import and the taxes are high.

No, the taxes are not high. Used Calis and MP are about 20-30% lower in price in Germany compared to Spain, which is one of the many reasons it makes sense to import. There are lots of imports on the road here. Mine was imported as an ex-demo by my local oficial Westfalia dealer, with full equip and a very competitive price.

 

[clarinetbcn]

I would say though that if I only had 2wd I would prefer rear wheel drive.

Rear wheel drive in slippery conditions is a non starter(!), as I discovered years ago when I to took my BMW to ski.

 

[Loz]

Here we go again...

 

[Calimili]

Rear wheel drive in slippery conditions is a non starter(!), as I discovered years ago when I to took my BMW to ski.

my E90 320d rwd was a disaster even with snow tyres. but to be fair it had no weight on the rear axle. Now a MP probably weights comparable to a Cali, so I'm confident it would be different.

 

[clarinetbcn]

my E90 320d rwd was a disaster even with snow tyres. but to be fair it had no weight on the rear axle. Now a MP probably weights comparable to a Cali, so I'm confident it would be different.

Interesting discussion, but out of consideration for @Loz ‘s forehead, we’re OT.

 

[WelshGas]

No, the taxes are not high. Used Calis and MP are about 20-30% lower in price in Germany compared to Spain, which is one of the many reasons it makes sense to import. There are lots of imports on the road here. Mine was imported as an ex-demo by my local oficial Westfalia dealer, with full equip and a very competetive price.

Comment regarding taxes based on the Original Post. My mistake.

 

[California4x4]

Not necessary but definitely fun. This is a 150 with manual with diff lock. Unfortunately manual 4Motions don’t seem to be available anymore. Great shame.

New video by David Hamilton-Jones

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