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T6.1 Beach in UK

Looks a good deal; good spec, more options means more margin and more discount available, imagine the profit they have in getting the robot to do two tone paint for that price.

Now I’m definitely going to find out why my 6.1 Beach has been detuned to 150HP and try and get it restored closer to a more sensible 199PS to enable “safer overtaking”

An e mail to Superchips will be sent...
 
Looks a good deal; good spec, more options means more margin and more discount available, imagine the profit they have in getting the robot to do two tone paint for that price.

Now I’m definitely going to find out why my 6.1 Beach has been detuned to 150HP and try and get it restored closer to a more sensible 199PS to enable “safer overtaking”

An e mail to Superchips will be sent...
The 199ps is a different engine with bi-turbo. More than a tuning tweak
 
The 199ps is a different engine with bi-turbo. More than a tuning tweak
Same basic engine block, like the whole family of VW 2.0 TD's, but with Biturbo. I think the different HP outputs of the single turbo 2.0 engines are really a cash cow for VW, but the Biturbo is significantly more complex.
 
Yes that's it. And they look a bit cheap and nasty.

I have no idea why Volkswagen keeps churning out awful diamond cut alloys with a touring vehicle.
I would like to see an option with the 18” amarok steels fitted. The 17 Devonports are probably the best standard alloys Volkswagen have ever designed for the T-range.
 
What you say is backed up by the Van conversion Forums in that the Caravelle isn't judged to be a suitable base for pop top conversion. Kombi being the favourite.
We had T5 Caravelle. I put in swivel plates and a leisure battery. But when we looked at installing pop tops, the rear air conditioning vents are across the centre of the roof and you either bin it or pay a lot extra to reroute. With a few turbo issues, we took the decision to go for a new Beach.
 
We had T5 Caravelle. I put in swivel plates and a leisure battery. But when we looked at installing pop tops, the rear air conditioning vents are across the centre of the roof and you either bin it or pay a lot extra to reroute. With a few turbo issues, we took the decision to go for a new Beach.
That's the same route that took me from thinking of modifying a Multivan (the top spec people carrier in Europe) to buying a Beach. The problem that conversions have to try to deal with is that the low spec Transporter is built on a different assembly line from the high spec Multivan, which is the base vehicle for the Beach, Coast and Ocean. Aside from the obvious differences, there are unseen ones, like the amount of sound deadening material that makes the Multivan feel more like a car, VW deals with the rear climate control vents for the California once the nearly finished Multivans are moved to the dedicated California assembly plant, which gives a factory finish that converters can't equal.
 
That's the same route that took me from thinking of modifying a Multivan (the top spec people carrier in Europe) to buying a Beach. The problem that conversions have to try to deal with is that the low spec Transporter is built on a different assembly line from the high spec Multivan, which is the base vehicle for the Beach, Coast and Ocean. Aside from the obvious differences, there are unseen ones, like the amount of sound deadening material that makes the Multivan feel more like a car, VW deals with the rear climate control vents for the California once the nearly finished Multivans are moved to the dedicated California assembly plant, which gives a factory finish that converters can't equal.
They come of the same production line and quite arbitrarily too...one min you see a panel van and the next you see a kombi then a Cali: only the latter goes off to another factory for the habitation parts. Each one is fitted with a dongle right at the start (following pressing) that tells the line what gets what.
 
They come of the same production line and quite arbitrarily too...one min you see a panel van and the next you see a kombi then a Cali: only the latter goes off to another factory for the habitation parts. Each one is fitted with a dongle right at the start (following pressing) that tells the line what gets what.
Video of an in plant tour of the assembly line. At min. 6:00 the Volkswagen representative explains the differences between the Transporter and people mover lines. You can see the two different lines starting at 1:54. Discussion about how vehicles leave the two different lines at 18:30.
 
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Yes, the Beach had become too expensive. It was almost as if VW were punishing Beach customers for wanting to buy one. If you wanted a good spec then they really rubbed their hands with glee. Further more VW seemed to put much more effort and emphasis on marketing the Ocean whilst treating the Beach as more of an afterthought. That approach even seemed to permeate down to our dealer sales team when I purchased our first Beach. I recall that when we collected our new SE 180 4motion we received red carpet treatment whilst collecting our new Beach a few months later was much more a case of - Here are the keys. Its out there in the yard.

You say "A Beach at £55k or £65k makes no sense.
I may as well buy a well specced Caravelle and bung a aftermarket roof on and still have change in my pocket..."

You may be right but again it's not so clear cut. In this case, the price tag quoted was the list price for a factory order. Few people actually end up paying the list price. Never the less a well specced Beach is still über expensive even with a healthy discount.

The dilema facing many prospective Beach buyers is caused by lack of choice. There were plenty of basic Beaches but very few with a decent spec. So for them and I include myself, it was a case of pay up or loose out. In our case, we unsuccessfully looked for a Beach with something near our preferred spec, so it came down to replacing our previously well specced Beach with either a pretty basic one or ordering from the factory. The dealers had a number Beaches when we were looking but as usual they were nearly all virtually bog standard spec.

Undoubtedly the Ocean makes much more financial sense but that misses the point. For many people, the Ocean just isn't a viable alternative.

Converting a Caravelle can be done and maybe within that budget but you would end up with a conversion. A non forum friend of mine has just such a Caravelle conversion and quite frankly it isn't very nice. The roof conversion is difficult, complicated and the result is messy and untidy. The ceiling in a Caravelle has ventilation ducts, grills and numerous lighting fittings.
View attachment 60222
All that would have to be moved and re-routed using non standard parts. Other aspects of the Caravelle would also need dealing with e.g lack of front swivel seats, parking heater, window blinds, Multiflex , VW Comfort mattress, picnic table, picnic chairs and their stowage, electric hook up, leisure battery etc etc. Then there's the depreciation angle too consider. So I doubt if it would be a realistic alternative.

Since there aren't really any real alternatives on the market our decision was that if we had too factory order for the first time in our lives, we might as well get exactly what we wanted. As it turns out it was a good move despite the price tag. Less than a month later VW stopped T6 Beach production and a little later they annouced that they weren't going to sell the Beach in the UK anymore. Since high spec beaches sell in a flash I have no doubt that we did the right thing. We will lose money of course as everyone does, but over the time we own it I believe it will prove to be a much sounder financial purchase than that of a conversion.
Exactly this. Bought a ‘New’ 2018 T6 Beach In Jan 2020 as circumstances forced our hand and because VW wasn’t doing a T6.1 Beach In the UK. Wasn’t prepared to downgrade in terms of spec from previous van so took a while to find the one via the VW website that ticked almost every box. // Personally, I don’t want a full camper. I want the awesome flexibility of the Beach and the lovely factory-finish interior panelling that I envied so much when I had a panel van with Caravelle seating and DIM (did it myself) interior. I’d also like to go camping in it soon please.
 
Now the 6.1 Ocean has been out 6 months and the RH drive Beaches being confirmed for Australia, surely the Beach will be released here later in the year. Would VW make RH drive Beaches just for the Australian market only?
 
I reckon it's just a weird UK marketing decision. The factory will make them if VWUK wants them.
 
Now the 6.1 Ocean has been out 6 months and the RH drive Beaches being confirmed for Australia, surely the Beach will be released here later in the year. Would VW make RH drive Beaches just for the Australian market only?
They made them just for the UK market, did they not?
 
Yes but I thought the UK was one of VW’s biggest markets.
The Aussies like their camping a lot and a 4 Motion Beach would fly of the forecourt. They don't have a well developed conversion industry as we do.
 
Yes but I thought the UK was one of VW’s biggest markets.
We all have a tendency to forget that VW’s most important market is China, where VW, and also BMW and Mercedes and GM, produce models which are not sold anywhere else. The German market is secondary in corporate planning because the number of sales in China dwarfs the European market.
 
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