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New Order + Spec Reasoning

dspuk

dspuk

Dave
Top Poster
Lifetime VIP Member
Messages
1,889
Location
United Kingdom
Vehicle
T6.1 Ocean 204
Hi All - soon to be new member (waiting till closer to the Cali delivery to join fully and use discounts) with an order placed a week ago for delivery in "Q2" - So anytime between April and June 2022!

Friend of mine actually got one recently and seeing her and her partner in the wild in it gave me the bug and after weeks of research and lurking pulled the trigger. My experience is over here.

So - what did I eventually order? With the LONG LONG LONG wait I decided to go all out and get the exact spec I wanted, no compromises and save the difference during the wait. Things I hummed and hawed a lot over:

Colour - The images on VW are terrible and I used this forum and videos to get a better idea.
Engine - 150 vs 205 - which to get long term, would 150 be enough? I never once thought about 4WD.

I knew it was an Ocean I wanted, in the end, with all the extras as std, was the same as a fully loaded Beach.

Final order was:

6.1 Ocean - reasons above
204 Engine - mainly because I like the grunt and it's the same as my Tiguan. 150 by all accounts is mostly fine but I read some steep hill issues and I like to visit the lakes.
Colour - White and Green. I thought about white, blue and red, but in the end this is THE colour. I may yet change for the white/bronze. But, maybe not. I can change up to Xmas apparently.
Wood floor - Just looks great in the videos and sets off the grey interior better. As I'm not tap dancing in there sure the durability will be fine.
Bed Mattress. Should be std TBH.
Upgraded to 18 Palmerston. They just look amazing with the white/green paint
Shower attachment - some great tricks out there to use as a full shower and great to wash dirty boots
80L tank - almost a no brainer for the price
Sat Nav Upgrade - I have this on the Tiguan and would not be with out it
Driver assistance upgrade - same, I have on mine and things like lane steering are vital for a chilled long ride
Storage net thing - probably not required, but hey ho, in for a penny.

And now, as mentioned on my previous post - just wait. With so many options I'm also shooting myself in the foot slightly because one kink in the covid ridden supply chain and its delays for me. But still. The Camper I want is the camper I want.

First try out mid Sept as we have one hired for a tour of Northern Wales for a week. Porta potties here we come.

Happy to answer any questions on my reasoning or comments on the spec - looking forward to lurking more with some interaction here and there.

cali.jpg.png
 
Hi All - soon to be new member (waiting till closer to the Cali delivery to join fully and use discounts) with an order placed a week ago for delivery in "Q2" - So anytime between April and June 2022!

Friend of mine actually got one recently and seeing her and her partner in the wild in it gave me the bug and after weeks of research and lurking pulled the trigger. My experience is over here.

So - what did I eventually order? With the LONG LONG LONG wait I decided to go all out and get the exact spec I wanted, no compromises and save the difference during the wait. Things I hummed and hawed a lot over:

Colour - The images on VW are terrible and I used this forum and videos to get a better idea.
Engine - 150 vs 205 - which to get long term, would 150 be enough? I never once thought about 4WD.

I knew it was an Ocean I wanted, in the end, with all the extras as std, was the same as a fully loaded Beach.

Final order was:

6.1 Ocean - reasons above
204 Engine - mainly because I like the grunt and it's the same as my Tiguan. 150 by all accounts is mostly fine but I read some steep hill issues and I like to visit the lakes.
Colour - White and Green. I thought about white, blue and red, but in the end this is THE colour. I may yet change for the white/bronze. But, maybe not. I can change up to Xmas apparently.
Wood floor - Just looks great in the videos and sets off the grey interior better. As I'm not tap dancing in there sure the durability will be fine.
Bed Mattress. Should be std TBH.
Upgraded to 18 Palmerston. They just look amazing with the white/green paint
Shower attachment - some great tricks out there to use as a full shower and great to wash dirty boots
80L tank - almost a no brainer for the price
Sat Nav Upgrade - I have this on the Tiguan and would not be with out it
Driver assistance upgrade - same, I have on mine and things like lane steering are vital for a chilled long ride
Storage net thing - probably not required, but hey ho, in for a penny.

And now, as mentioned on my previous post - just wait. With so many options I'm also shooting myself in the foot slightly because one kink in the covid ridden supply chain and its delays for me. But still. The Camper I want is the camper I want.

First try out mid Sept as we have one hired for a tour of Northern Wales for a week. Porta potties here we come.

Happy to answer any questions on my reasoning or comments on the spec - looking forward to lurking more with some interaction here and there.

View attachment 82132
@dspuk , broadly two areas you need to consider and you seem to have considered all. Minor notes:
- drivability
>> you seem to have covered everything but not mentioned it. Assuming that LED headlights, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) are standard with the driver assistance package . If yes, then all good on that. Yes, it does make long drives easier.
>> all season tyres on the 18 Palmerstons. Will open up more vistas in Winter for you and make winter travel possible and safer.

- usability (camping)
>> when you hire for trying it out, check out if the mattress works for you or not. It did not work for us (very hard and used up a lot of excess space on the parcel shelf). There are excellent alternate options on mattresses.

... other than that, you seem to be all set and sorted. Now starts the agonising wait ... but you seem to be already filling that gap with van hires. :thumb
 
Hi All - soon to be new member (waiting till closer to the Cali delivery to join fully and use discounts) with an order placed a week ago for delivery in "Q2" - So anytime between April and June 2022!

Friend of mine actually got one recently and seeing her and her partner in the wild in it gave me the bug and after weeks of research and lurking pulled the trigger. My experience is over here.

So - what did I eventually order? With the LONG LONG LONG wait I decided to go all out and get the exact spec I wanted, no compromises and save the difference during the wait. Things I hummed and hawed a lot over:

Colour - The images on VW are terrible and I used this forum and videos to get a better idea.
Engine - 150 vs 205 - which to get long term, would 150 be enough? I never once thought about 4WD.

I knew it was an Ocean I wanted, in the end, with all the extras as std, was the same as a fully loaded Beach.

Final order was:

6.1 Ocean - reasons above
204 Engine - mainly because I like the grunt and it's the same as my Tiguan. 150 by all accounts is mostly fine but I read some steep hill issues and I like to visit the lakes.
Colour - White and Green. I thought about white, blue and red, but in the end this is THE colour. I may yet change for the white/bronze. But, maybe not. I can change up to Xmas apparently.
Wood floor - Just looks great in the videos and sets off the grey interior better. As I'm not tap dancing in there sure the durability will be fine.
Bed Mattress. Should be std TBH.
Upgraded to 18 Palmerston. They just look amazing with the white/green paint
Shower attachment - some great tricks out there to use as a full shower and great to wash dirty boots
80L tank - almost a no brainer for the price
Sat Nav Upgrade - I have this on the Tiguan and would not be with out it
Driver assistance upgrade - same, I have on mine and things like lane steering are vital for a chilled long ride
Storage net thing - probably not required, but hey ho, in for a penny.

And now, as mentioned on my previous post - just wait. With so many options I'm also shooting myself in the foot slightly because one kink in the covid ridden supply chain and its delays for me. But still. The Camper I want is the camper I want.

First try out mid Sept as we have one hired for a tour of Northern Wales for a week. Porta potties here we come.

Happy to answer any questions on my reasoning or comments on the spec - looking forward to lurking more with some interaction here and there.

View attachment 82132
Sounds great. Agree that colour with the Palmerstons is hard to beat. Did you consider the Dynamic Chassis Control to sort out the wallowy boat-like ride?
 
@dspuk , broadly two areas you need to consider and you seem to have considered all. Minor notes:
- drivability
>> you seem to have covered everything but not mentioned it. Assuming that LED headlights, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) are standard with the driver assistance package . If yes, then all good on that. Yes, it does make long drives easier.
>> all season tyres on the 18 Palmerstons. Will open up more vistas in Winter for you and make winter travel possible and safer.

- usability (camping)
>> when you hire for trying it out, check out if the mattress works for you or not. It did not work for us (very hard and used up a lot of excess space on the parcel shelf). There are excellent alternate options on mattresses.

... other than that, you seem to be all set and sorted. Now starts the agonising wait ... but you seem to be already filling that gap with van hires. :thumb
Great points - thx. Yup, the DAP covers all those bits, same as my Tiguan actually, zero difference. A great upgrade. There is a further option to also have more capable stop start running automatically which I thought I wanted in the Tiguan but in reality would never use so left out. Great point on camping - we'll try upper and lower - the one we have rented is a 6.1 so hopefully has the new spring layout. Tyres I though about but left off the spec and will just grab a set for if and when needed - I think winter will be more a weekend van than a serious camper, take me to the hills and back for the odd night here and there.
 
Sounds great. Agree that colour with the Palmerstons is hard to beat. Did you consider the Dynamic Chassis Control to sort out the wallowy boat-like ride?
Did muse for a minute but decided it was an extra need that I don't think I'll have - It's a van end of day and I'll live with a little wallow - the 18's vs the 17's might take a bit of that out, but I'll try not to hoof it around corners :eek:
 
Did muse for a minute but decided it was an extra need that I don't think I'll have - It's a van end of day and I'll live with a little wallow - the 18's vs the 17's might take a bit of that out, but I'll try not to hoof it around corners :eek:
Our local dealer advised it wasn't really needed, I'm their words, it's not a Golf GTi and never will be
 
Sounds good. The picture you've shown has the privacy glass option, but your list doesn't mention it.

Is that a standard option now?

If not, I'd definitely recommend ticking that box.
 
Sounds good. The picture you've shown has the privacy glass option, but your list doesn't mention it.

Is that a standard option now?

If not, I'd definitely recommend ticking that box.
Std on Ocean, optional extra on the Coast... One of the reasons to go Ocean - they pretty fully loaded now - as reflected in the price!
 
Did muse for a minute but decided it was an extra need that I don't think I'll have - It's a van end of day and I'll live with a little wallow - the 18's vs the 17's might take a bit of that out, but I'll try not to hoof it around corners :eek:
True, it’s a van, but as you ‘like the grunt’ you might like to corner better too. Half the price of two-tone paint
 
Our local dealer advised it wasn't really needed, I'm their words, it's not a Golf GTi and never will be
Let’s face it, many dealers don’t know what they’re selling. Thing is, Californias go a bit, weigh twice as much as a Golf GTI and have notoriously soft suspension and under rated ARBs. Many spend more sorting the suspension out after market. Lots of good reports of the DCC - not available after market to my knowledge. One button on the dash and then you can press on with your 204ps
 
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True, it’s a van, but as you ‘like the grunt’ you might like to corner better too. Half the price of two-tone paint
Ah, but that two tone paint is so :cool: - you're right though, flipping pricey!
 
Let’s face it, many dealers don’t know what they’re selling. Thing is, Californias go a bit, weigh twice as much as a Golf GTI and have notoriously soft suspension and under rated ARBs. Many spend more sorting the suspension out after market. Lots of good reports of the DCC - not available after market to my knowledge. One button on the dash and then you can press on with your 204ps
My approach is to stick with the 17" wheels, the poor man's DCC.

I have air suspension on my current car, with a few modes to choose from, its nice, but most of the time we keep it in the default mode
 
Great spec and colour, we placed a very similar order in June. I would have had the 4wd drive over the more powerful engine (always had 4wd it’s so useful on slippy, wet grass) but you have to have both the 204ps engine and 4wd together which adds £6k to the already eye watering price.

Ill try the 2wd version and see how many times I get stuck..!

Hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy our vans sooner rather than later…;-)
 
Welcome dspuk,
It's interesting to read about someone else's reasons for choosing a particular model and options. It looks like you have specced yourself a really nice van. I hope it doesn't seem too long before the great day finally arrives.

My only comment is:
You have said that, "I knew it was an Ocean I wanted, in the end, with all the extras as std, was the same as a fully loaded Beach".

That is undoubtedly true. However, that says that you did consider both models but in the end decided on the basis of what you will be getting for your money. Imo that's the wrong approach because the most important question anyone buying a California should ask themselves is, how am I and my family, likely to use this very expensive purchase?

For all I know you have already carefully considered all models and variants of those models and have chosen wisely. However, it has become clear that some people bypass that reasoning process and go straight for the all bells and whistles approach. The Ocean and the Beach are very different vehicles that suit different user needs, so it is essential that anyone considering buying a California is honest with themselves and chooses on the basis of their actual likely useage and not the number features that are included.

Good luck and I hope you and yours have many happy adventures in he/she/it. :thumb
 
Sounds great. Agree that colour with the Palmerstons is hard to beat. Did you consider the Dynamic Chassis Control to sort out the wallowy boat-like ride?
Have you ever been on a small boat? compared to mine the standard Cali rides like a rock, the ability of our van to go straight into the wind at over 100 knots is evidence of it's astonishing performance, probably.
 
Welcome dspuk,
It's interesting to read about someone else's reasons for choosing a particular model and options. It looks like you have specced yourself a really nice van. I hope it doesn't seem too long before the great day finally arrives.

My only comment is:
You have said that, "I knew it was an Ocean I wanted, in the end, with all the extras as std, was the same as a fully loaded Beach".

That is undoubtedly true. However, that says that you did consider both models but in the end decided on the basis of what you will be getting for your money. Imo that's the wrong approach because the most important question anyone buying a California should ask themselves is, how am I and my family, likely to use this very expensive purchase?

For all I know you have already carefully considered all models and variants of those models and have chosen wisely. However, it has become clear that some people bypass that reasoning process and go straight for the all bells and whistles approach. The Ocean and the Beach are very different vehicles that suit different user needs, so it is essential that anyone considering buying a California is honest with themselves and chooses on the basis of their actual likely useage and not the number features that are included.

Good luck and I hope you and yours have many happy adventures in he/she/it. :thumb
Lot of great points in there - thanks! Agree across the board - I did look at the beach and looked at quite a few reviews and while a great spec it is definately in the lower end of the "comfort and privacy" I wanted. Once you add on the bits that cover this - even decent satnav is extra here, but also privacy glass etc it is effectively base Ocean price. Now, of course, I could have gone for a base Ocean, but as mentioned, with a years wait, i can spec to exactly what I fancy and save the difference in the meantime - a luxury I know not everyone has!

Some great points though on "what do you really need" that people can take a lot from.
 
I don't care what you all say - I'm not paying for 4Motion instead of 2 tone paint!! :D
It's absolutely down to you, I paid 5k extra for all wheel drive in my current car, and think in 4 years we needed it once for about 5 minutes in the alps, and even then we could have just parked lower down the mountain.

I blasted past my budget for the Beach with what we feel we would enjoy and need most of the time, so 4wd and DCC did not make the cut!
 
It's absolutely down to you, I paid 5k extra for all wheel drive in my current car, and think in 4 years we needed it once for about 5 minutes in the alps, and even then we could have just parked lower down the mountain.

I blasted past my budget for the Beach with what we feel we would enjoy and need most of the time, so 4wd and DCC did not make the cut!
Same - I have it in the Tiguan and I think it came into it's for only in the winter when our drives were snowed and iced up. Of course, it would be great, but the very clever pricing structure makes it and either or purchase - I either get 2 tone, or get 4WD - I don't really want to stretch that far for both, so, 2 tone it is :thumb
 
Same - I have it in the Tiguan and I think it came into it's for only in the winter when our drives were snowed and iced up. Of course, it would be great, but the very clever pricing structure makes it and either or purchase - I either get 2 tone, or get 4WD - I don't really want to stretch that far for both, so, 2 tone it is :thumb
2-tone you'll enjoy every time you walk up to your van, and 4wd you'll enjoy not-so-often - i'm driven by statistics!
 
I specced the silver awning... money for nothing in a way but I think it matches the white upper half of the two tone paint better - maybe worth considering seeing as you've gone tonto with the options anyway (also chrome pack for the black A pillar?)

2021-volkswagen-california-beach-van-green-1200x800-%283%29.jpg
 

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