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New Beach - first impressions

Tim Cooper said:
Picked up my new Yellow Beach on Friday from Listers Droitwich - its v similar to Daveys van but with standard 16" wheels - i thought they might look a bit weedy, but the large tyres fill the wheel arches. generally i went for the minimum additional options, but hope i have specced it well for my needs.

The 150 engine is smooth, has enough oomph to be lazy with the gears and will suits the laid back nature of the vehicle. Driving back to Glos on the M5 was fun and plenty fast enough. The manual box is light an slick - no regrets there.

The standard dash comes straight from the T6 van. Loads of cubby holes and door pockets for all your clipboards, job sheets, coffee cups, takeaway detritus, tablets etc - there is only one smallish glove box to put bits out of sight. I did not consider the Ocean upgraded dash as far too expensive, but the standard dash is a bit too utilitarian for a £40k vehicle.

No cruise control although i was lead to believe it was standard - part of the blue motion technology.

The manual roof is a thing of beauty. everything is so new and stiff, but you can see and feel the engineering effort that has gone into producing such a well thought out feature. i cant compare it with the auto roof, but it takes a fair bit of effort to engage the catches that i would be concerned if i was relying on motors to do a similar job.

Dark interior - as have two small dogs who get everywhere i chose the dark interior - a no extra option.. However, my van arrived with the light grey interior by mistake - Listers acknowledged the error and have agreed to pay for seat covers on all 6 seats. I just need to decide which ones to have.

3 seat bench - i chose the three seat bench with 1 x additional middle row seat. I will take out the middle seat and only put it in as required. I will then have more flexibility to slide the bench along and create the space needed. As standard there is not much storage space - the under seat trays x 3 are OK for odds and ends, but the main storage is in the boot. Will be ordering a selection of storage boxes to house the camping kit.

Grape Yellow - it is so yellow and so distinctive. I love it, but maybe not best for stealth wild camping. Did the usual impulsive wild camp in the Cotswold last night 'hiding' in a small wood. The standard upper mattress is very comfortable and does leave a bit of room to put a fleecy throw between the mattress and a brushed cotton fitted sheet when the roof is closed.

Auxiliary heater - as well documented on here a 'must have'. we had a very comfortable evening on the coldest evening of the year. when it was time for bed i couldnt work out how to keep the heater on low without the timer running down. the Beach heater controls are not included in the handbook.

Interior light pack - cant imagine what it would be like without it, but it makes reading comfortable in any seat or on the top bunk. The LED lights dim - very cool and trendy. I would say a must have.

Heated front window - very quick and efficient clearing frost and discrete. The elements within the glass are almost invisible and this came with rain sensing wipers. My little luxury.

Fog lights pack - not only do they look the part they work well. Individually, they switch on automatically when cornering for added visibility. I have auto switching headlamps which i think come with the light pack but cant be sure

Privacy glass - not private enough in my view. But as the van has pull down blinds the tint is good enough combined.

I have included the additional rear sliding window which will be useful when the weather warms up. We are a more windows open type family and only use the air con when driving more quickly. I would say for the money this is a must have.

The standard stereo is good enough for me - in fact i think its very clever, allowing me to play spotify music wireless from my iphone . The app connect would have been fun, but the extra money for the upgraded stereo couldnt be justified.

Very pleased with the van - living up to high expectations - my fiancee loves it too. With the help of this forum i think i have specced it spot on .
Click to expand...

Hi Tim,

I wasn't aware that the Ocean dashboard was an option on the Beach. How much did they say it would be? Many thanks, Mark
 
In fact it is called Comfort dashboard, but I cant find it in the uk pricelist.
 
Comfort Dash is £1020 + VAT

It includes the fancy dash and an upgrade to Climatronic AC.

Fitch01 said:
Hi Tim,

I wasn't aware that the Ocean dashboard was an option on the Beach. How much did they say it would be? Many thanks, Mark
Click to expand...
 
Did you chose outer power connection as an option? Or was in included?
 
You must also have the 6.3" screen with the comfort dash in the Beach.
 
Yes - i went for the black bits - not a game changer but i like the contrast
 
I have ordered the exterior pack on mine, but are the black door handles a separate option, or included in the exterior pack? I'm not quite clear about this and neither was my dealer. I am happy however it turns up - painted or black handles, but curious!

Tim Cooper said:
Yes - i went for the black bits - not a game changer but i like the contrast
Click to expand...
 
Batmobile said:
I have ordered the exterior pack on mine, but are the black door handles a separate option, or included in the exterior pack? I'm not quite clear about this and neither was my dealer. I am happy however it turns up - painted or black handles, but curious!
Click to expand...
Exterior pack means coloured handles and black plastic wing mirrors. You can (for no charge) ask for black plastic handles too.
 
Thanks for the responses on the dash question. Having seen both I would definitely go for the 'comfort dash' if ordering new. However a new option has just arisen - ex demo T6 Beach's are beginning to become available but obviously they have the basic dash. How could this dash be improved (to my eye it less attractive than the T5.1 dash)? Any thoughts?
 
Fitch01 said:
How could this dash be improved (to my eye it less attractive than the T5.1 dash)? Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I quite like new cabin. (Even if the pic is LHD)

full


The new steering wheel is more significant in my view. That's what made the previous generation cabins look dated.

The new dash looks very smart, but I wouldn't shell out the best part of a thousand pounds for it. That's crazy bonkers.
 
Fitch01 said:
Thanks for the responses on the dash question. Having seen both I would definitely go for the 'comfort dash' if ordering new. However a new option has just arisen - ex demo T6 Beach's are beginning to become available but obviously they have the basic dash. How could this dash be improved (to my eye it less attractive than the T5.1 dash)? Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it.
It's a dash , it's there to stop the switches and speedo dangling on their wires.
I'd be more worried about the roof rot.
 
I have the basic dash - its more than fine, i like the bombproof feel. Charging £1000+ for a few shiny surfaces and a lid on top of what is the basic dash, VW must think Beach owners are dumm kopfs
 
In fairness, it is not £1000+ for just a few shiny bits of plastic. The comfort dash upgrade cost (£1,224) also includes the higher specified Climatronic 3 zone AC (Climatic being standard), which on its own costs £726 as an upgrade for Beach buyers. For those who would have gone for the higher spec AC, the posh dash is effectively £500.

It is of course personal, but for me, using the vehicle as my only daily vehicle, I considered it money well spent. It is where I will spend my whole time while driving and I quite fancied a more car like 'comfort'. Of course I would rather it had been free :D

Each to his own of course! I can fully understand why others would rather keep it simple and lower cost.

Tim Cooper said:
I have the basic dash - its more than fine, i like the bombproof feel. Charging £1000+ for a few shiny surfaces and a lid on top of what is the basic dash, VW must think Beach owners are dumm kopfs
Click to expand...
 
And if anybody choosing between those, don't do that just by photos. Make sure to check that standard dash live touching it ) Just looking at photos I was "ok it is fine".
Checking both interiors inside I was sold right away for comfort one.
 
Whether you prefer the bog standard dash or the blinged up version is obviously down to personal choice.

However, for me at least, the standard one is neat, functional and appears to offer more storage space. I have always preferred function over form and IMO all the shinny plastic bits add very little and aren't worth paying much extra for. I also feel that reflective surfaces aren't really that practical on a vehicle dash and therefore should be avoided.
 
I would rather not have had to pay extra for it but it was an easy addition for me. Like Batmobile says, it includes the climatronic upgrade, which I was going to get anyway, I had to upgrade the stereo, which I was going to do anyway, and the glossy finish makes the interior quite similar to my A6 black edition, which I like a lot and will miss when it goes. I keep lots of 'stuff' in my glove boxes and I don't want them on show all the time.

The Beach is a utilitarian vehicle, and that's why I've ordered one, but all the reviews claim this is the most car like driving experience VW have offered in a van to date and the comfort dash extends that to the interior for me. I have to admit, I have this odd feeing that the comfort dash will become standard at some point, like in the Ocean.
 
Rhyddin said:
I would rather not have had to pay extra for it but it was an easy addition for me. Like Batmobile says, it includes the climatronic upgrade, which I was going to get anyway, I had to upgrade the stereo, which I was going to do anyway, and the glossy finish makes the interior quite similar to my A6 black edition, which I like a lot and will miss when it goes. I keep lots of 'stuff' in my glove boxes and I don't want them on show all the time.

The Beach is a utilitarian vehicle, and that's why I've ordered one, but all the reviews claim this is the most car like driving experience VW have offered in a van to date and the comfort dash extends that to the interior for me. I have to admit, I have this odd feeing that the comfort dash will become standard at some point, like in the Ocean.
Click to expand...
I think you are right about the comfort dash eventually becoming standard on the beach. A good few of the current options will gradually become standard features in future seasons.
Good luck with your Cali. What's important is that you get what suits you.
 
Roof rot?!

snowy55 said:
Don't worry about it.
It's a dash , it's there to stop the switches and speedo dangling on their wires.
I'd be more worried about the roof rot.
Click to expand...
 
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