Negativity towards the T6... why?

[treecity]

In August 2014 we almost bought a Cali SE. My wife was 38 weeks pregnant so we decided to wait.

We then heard news of a model change and, what with a new baby as well, decided we were not in a mad rush to buy and decided to wait for the T6, which promises better engines, better emissions etc, a more modern and up to date vehicle and engineering.

I found this forum and was amazed at the wealth of information yet I soon noticed that almost every time I or someone else mentioned the T6, there was a lot of negativity towards this new model.

I posted briefly about negativity towards T6 posts in another thread and quickly saw my post get disliked 5 times!

I have just seen someone else comment on this as well and I wondered why some of the forum members are so negative towards a newer model of their beloved Cali?

Surely this is an exciting time to be embraced? I know I am keen and excited to see any news, images etc of what might be coming and I am bewildered why some members 'groan' with displeasure at the sight of an image of what might or might not be, for example, the new Cali dash.

I know there are always cliques on forums but I'd hoped this forum would be more inclusive than exclusive in its views.

 

[Hotel California]

I need to see first what's it gonna be like , the T6 ...
From what i have seen and read , mostly here on the forum , it is just gonna be a bit of a facelift on the outside , and new engine's so do not see why it is gonna be more of a sucses than the T5 , i 'm happy got my T5 and mine will be better than the comming T6 as long i have my T5 .....
It's a forum , don't take everything you read to seriuos...

 

[SimplyDubs]

It's always the way... people tend to dislike change in many ways, particularly in forums for "enthusiasts" rather than just users... VW forums are well known for it.

Trust me, there is little worse than the "banter" that exists in the T4 community for the T5's, it's relaibility and their owners. (not talking Calis - Westy or VW here... just straight T4's and T5's)

Most is good natured, but not all.

Saw it in all of the transitions that the transporters have gone through.

It's inevitable when people are passionate about things... which is what it's all about.

(Interestingly, the smaller the change, the more people seem to dislike it)

The important thing is to enjoy what you have and aspire to what you want... irrespective of other peoples views. (either likes or dislikes - have an opinion of your own )

Oh... and the 5 Cylinder engine was way better than the new 4 pot!

Rgds

Mark

 

[Hotel California]

This gonna be a loooong booring thread ......watch an see ....or read...

 

[Splitrich]

Surely it's a T5.2! Calling it a T6 suggest a new design/van. It's the same chassis, face lifted with new engines

 

[Georgiegirl]

Inevitable when people have invested a lot of money in something. Human nature to justify why you have bought something when it is just about to be replaced by a new model. Same reason that some people don't get the Beach model whereas I am chuffed to bits with mine
I have resigned myself to the fact that everyone on here is passionate about their hobby and will always have an opinion. Try not to take it to heart, if you are happy with your decision then that's all that counts.

 

[GrannyJen]

I don't care whether it's a 6 or a 5 or a 5.5...

I don't care whether it's a facelift or not ...

If it's an improvement on that gorgeous vehicle that I have now then it's good for me, us, the industry and everyone who wants to enjoy the sheer exuberance of freewheeling living that the Cali provides for so well.

 

[pjm-84]

I did post this morning about your "like" on the dash as I didn't understand it. I had to look and then look again to spot the differences.

The Wife and I, plus Scooby the dog, have just enjoyed one of our best "getaways" in a long time and we're chomping at the bit to "escape" again and to get away at every opportunity.

Whilst we're beginners in this "arena" I'm starting to understand the "vehicle" and it's about the experience not the journey. Hence the number of older variants on the road

The Cali is an van pure and simple but it offers a freedom. In that regards I accept it the way it is.

 

[rich-s]

I think there is a certain amount of 'Green Eyed Monster' going on here. I'm sure that many people on here would love the latest model when it comes out, myself included. However for various reasons, most have opted not to wait. Which was my choice too. I should take delivery in 2 weeks of my ex demo SE. I could have decided to wait for the new model, but didn't. This was not down to anything negative about the T6, which I expect will be fantastic. It was purely down to not wishing to wait another year or more. Sure there maybe teething problems, but ultimately it will be a great refresh on an already super platform.

 

[WelshGas]

Basically, the T6 is really a T5.2. It is not the model upgrade people were expecting as shown by T4 to the T5.
It is basically pandering to the EU 6 Emmisions regulations with some minor modifications so tha VW can charge a higher price.
We need a new generation of engines that are clean and technologically simpler than the present offerings where they take basically old engine designs and bolt on more and more gadgets to meet the targets which destroy the reliability are expensive to maintain and just introduce more problems for the owner, especially when out of warranty.

 

[reserves]

No negativity from me, love my T5 Cali and sure I'll love the T6 too, can't wait to see what's it all about.

 

[MKRW]

If I get the right offer I will be moving from T5 Cali SE to a new T5 Beach. No need to wait, in my opinion.

No need to mention the difference between Manual and Automatic on here when talking about passionate differences of opinion....

 

[marshian70]

Like many others I suppose my disappointment over the T6 is that it's a facelift rather than an all new model. I'd have loved to have seen something new and funky like the Bulli concept but sadly, whilst I'm sure it will be very nice, if I was in the market now, I'm not sure I would want to wait

 

[motacyclist]

As others have said, it's human nature, if you have aspired to what you think is the best available and a better one comes along you feel slightly p*****d off. But really I'm glad the T6 is coming out soon, it got us a good discount on our new T5, a vehicle which has had a good number of years to get problems sorted out .

By the time we are ready to change again we'll know whether it's worth changing for a T6, Mercedes Marco Polo*, or whatever else is around at the time.

* Hope not that, wouldn't want to leave here

 

[larrylamb]

i'm going the other way, when i'm done with T5 i fancy a nice T4 Westy Cars/technology etc. what's new one day is very quickly superceded.
I will never forget going to see an Apple "genius" with my 6 year old £2000 MacBook Pro and being told they couldn't repair it as it was mac vintage!!

 

[calicasas]

You can't dislike what you don't know. The fact is that no one yet knows the details for the T6. The sure thing will be that when we do get to know the details, there will be something's we like and something's we may like a little less. We hope and expect that overall there will be an overall improvement as happened when moving up from the T5 to the T 5.5.
Let's embrace change and look forward to the good and maybe not so good things. It will still be a Cali after all....

 

[rich-s]

You can't dislike what you don't know. The fact is that no one yet knows the details for the T6.

Let's embrace change and look forward to the good and maybe not so good things. It will still be a Cali after all....

You can dislike the fact that you're not going to be in the market to buy one, which I think is what drives a certain amount of the negative comments.

 

[LowMan]

I think I'd be lying slightly if I suggested I didn't take a little pleasure in reading a few negative comments re the T6. The recent purchase of our Cali was a major outlay for us, so whenever we read of something that further justifies our decision it does make us chuckle.

I believe the Marketing folk call it Post-purchase Cognitive Dissonance, the natural human need to seek reassurance following a major purchase

The truth of course is that we take far more pleasure in seeing any fellow free-wheelers on the road, whatever they're driving. T1, T2, ones with bits bolted on, it's lovely to see them all. I'm sure the T6 will be another fine addition to the stable.

Won't be as good as our 'Foxy' though

Paul

 

[rippers]

Even thought I have a new T5 imminent I am genuinely excited to see the "T6" I had the choice to wait but I didn't want to waste this year and I didn't want to risk not being able to afford a T6 version as they could put prices up and take away any discounts.

Early indicators are it a facelift plus new engine. Intrigued to know whether there will be any actual difference in the cali's as the T5 - T5.1 Cali difference was minimal. We simply don't know what we will end up with.. maybe they will vastly improve the spec or maybe they will simplify the spec... or maybe it will be the exact same spec in a different colour/trim.

I love the way the T5.1 looks especially with the Sportline bits and hopefully the T6 will continue the sporty look, the promo video suggests it will although there is always that slim chance they may get the styling wrong (like of lot of the recent BMW imo) and take it a step to far. T5.1 could be the goldilocks Camper in the end.. only time will tell

Just a couple of final points.. have VW officially announced the California's will continue? there where rumours of Westfalia taking over the builds again, Also I notice they are considering the US market again so will they make a world class camper.. will they even continue the 'California' name for the new campers..

The unknown is the exciting element.. I'm hoping we will know more 15th April.. although my fear is we'll get a to see a new T6 commercial panel van and still be no further forward lol

 

[motacyclist]

styling wrong (like of lot of the recent BMW imo)

BMW is a make that springs to my mind regarding naff styling, they look really dull. In contrast, Hyundai and other "cheap" car makes are turning out cars which catch the eye ...

 

[David Eccles]

The Limmer plant is gearing up to fit Cali interiors to the new T6 - confirmed by VW. As dimensions are almost identical no real design revamps needed (apart from making a roof that does not rot)
I think the launch may well see a windowed and panel van version and will post up some pics from the event next week....

 

[ajdowson]

We decided not to wait for the T6 as we wanted to use it for a holiday this year, also accessories will take forever to be available for the T6 ( I remember this scenario with T4 changing to T5) , imagine having to camp without seat covers
I also think there will be a big price hike putting any good spec Calim well over £50k and there will not be any discounts to be had on launch.

We plan to get a T6 in 2017 when there are loads of accessories available & the teething problems have been sorted

 

[Tntoast]

Personally I think it's a missed opportunity.
The thing is, we keep getting fed snippets of funky concepts which fits into the ethos of the vw van harking back to the split and bay.
Then when you see it, it appears to be a face lift of a face lift, to me it's lazy by VW.
Dare I say emperors new clothes!.
We'll see when all is revealed, I'm sure we'll all want the new 'shinny thing' and that will be that.
Now, saying all that, the Cali is a fantastic bit of kit, just get one and enjoy it. Don't dither, just jump in.
Good luck and enjoy

 

[Alan]

I don't think that VW would want to drastically change the T6 from its current model and create a slump in the Cali second hand market
generally car manufacturers favour a more steady change over in design etc.
Totally agree that vehicles are becoming to complext ie a quick repair job on a workshop computer that can result in a hefty bill, however I made my choice
Bring on the T6 and lets see what she has to offer

 

[pjm-84]

Looks like our Cali will arrive at the end of June and after our touring holiday in Scotland. I have the dealer's Cali at the moment until ours arrives.

We're in an ideal position for the T6 so I thought what would VW need to provide on the T6 to make me pay a premium over the T5. Here is my list.

1) Electric memory seat for the Driver
2) Keyless entry
3) Adaptive cruise control
4) Factory full leather option.
5) Electronic handbrake (avoids the issue with turning the seats around)
6) DSG shift on the stalk (will save my knee)