T7 Cali Ocean

[Melyn]

So after a bit of back and forwards I went for it - my inability to wait.

Will post details and answer any questions people have also.

The van in question ;


Van is ocean diesel, art velour seats, upgraded wheels, all driver assist packages, (but not a bloody towbar because I’m an idiot)


The California app is pretty handy - interactive manual on it (when it works) and a couple of videos as to how to open roof safely, empty grey Waste, fill water etc

You can check battery. Water levels etc (disabled while driving) - posting while wife’s driving. Will update later



You also have the vw connect app ;


It does feel slightly more cramped than a precious cali - due to the high inset kitchen allowing for the space of the doors.

I cannot stress the next point enough - Volkswagen uk (and Europe) do not have an authorised after market tow bar for the California at current.

Thule do not offer any bike racks at current for the California other than tow bar mounted, and there is no immediate plans for them.

If you do not get the factory fitted retractable towbar there is no official towbar at current that can be coded

The California does not come pre wired and there is no option for pre wired without a tow bar fitted


The van did come with a bunch of d rings that clip onto the rails - which il use for bike transporting in the meantime (or for short distances that don’t need camping just use my t6.1 camper)


Water tank…
Now this bits insanely strange - the release for the fresh water wasn’t closed, so originally had a panic when water was pouring out the bottom of my van on what looked like drill holes… this is the new release for the van, and there is no obvious hose. The garage was a bit confused as weren’t aware of this either - so was a nice following trip to describe this


Camping wise - about to camp near York so will update in the morning with setup photos etc

 

[Ian in Leicester]

Looks great. I am waiting for my Ocean also in white which should be with me in June. Only two of us so I don't think the size will be a problem. Without anyone in the back there is more than enough storage even for a long trip. My wife is insisting on getting a ladder to access the pop top but I'm not not sure on the length and width that would work. If your get a minute could you let me know the dimensions that would work.

Also, look forward to hearing how your first trip goes!

 

[vwcaliindobelgian]

Looks great. I am waiting for my Ocean also in white which should be with me in June. Only two of us so I don't think the size will be a problem. Without anyone in the back there is more than enough storage even for a long trip. My wife is insisting on getting a ladder to access the pop top but I'm not not sure on the length and width that would work. If your get a minute could you let me know the dimensions that would work.

Also, look forward to hearing how your first trip goes!

I would advise you to get a ladder with width of 25cm max.

 

[vwcaliindobelgian]

So after a bit of back and forwards I went for it - my inability to wait.

Will post details and answer any questions people have also.

The van in question ;
View attachment 133239

Van is ocean diesel, art velour seats, upgraded wheels, all driver assist packages, (but not a bloody towbar because I’m an idiot)


The California app is pretty handy - interactive manual on it (when it works) and a couple of videos as to how to open roof safely, empty grey Waste, fill water etc

You can check battery. Water levels etc (disabled while driving) - posting while wife’s driving. Will update later

View attachment 133240

You also have the vw connect app ;
View attachment 133241

It does feel slightly more cramped than a precious cali - due to the high inset kitchen allowing for the space of the doors.

I cannot stress the next point enough - Volkswagen uk (and Europe) do not have an authorised after market tow bar for the California at current.

Thule do not offer any bike racks at current for the California other than tow bar mounted, and there is no immediate plans for them.

If you do not get the factory fitted retractable towbar there is no official towbar at current that can be coded

The California does not come pre wired and there is no option for pre wired without a tow bar fitted


The van did come with a bunch of d rings that clip onto the rails - which il use for bike transporting in the meantime (or for short distances that don’t need camping just use my t6.1 camper)


Water tank…
Now this bits insanely strange - the release for the fresh water wasn’t closed, so originally had a panic when water was pouring out the bottom of my van on what looked like drill holes… this is the new release for the van, and there is no obvious hose. The garage was a bit confused as weren’t aware of this either - so was a nice following trip to describe this
View attachment 133242

Camping wise - about to camp near York so will update in the morning with setup photos etc

@Melyn may I know if you have figured out a matching drive away side tent for your new camper?

 

[vwcaliindobelgian]

@Melyn may I know if you have figured out a matching drive away side tent for your new camper?

Btw color and wheels look great!

 

[Melyn]

Not yet! There was a bunch of confusion when ordering. As if you clicked dual rail at vw it removed the awning… however when the van arrived it did come with awning on the left. Rail on the right

It’s my next thing to look for - having dogs and a kids seat means I really need to store things outside for maximum space usage (usually used a 1 person tent and just threw everything inside it)

@Melyn may I know if you have figured out a matching drive away side tent for your new camper?

 

[Melyn]

Camping night 1 ;

Bit of hassle as first time doing it in the dark, front blinds are amazing - magnetic and take about a second to put up.

Front shade has some fold out tent pole style pieces to keep it rigid, but again it’s pretty quick.

Rear shades just pull down and super simple


Roof bed is insanely comfy - no longer need a thermarest, so one less item to carry
View attachment IMG_0316.jpeg


Lighting upstairs is now bright - press and hold the touch lights to change between reading light and bright light

Inside - not sure if this is cali specific - I came from a converted t6.1 so comparisons will be different

With the bed down, there isn’t a lot of space anymore as the seats don’t have proper storage underneath like the previous versions. It’s more small drawers.

Without the bed down there is enough space however. The outside table is brilliant and easy to setup (again couple of seconds)

I’ve always just a alpkit brukit (jetboil) for a cuppa as it’s quicker anyway - so gives me a flat space for this without having to be miles away



Battery - there’s a lot of warnings that come up for the secondary battery and not a lot of info for it. There’s a button on the dash to charge it but does seem to rundown pretty quickly - probably due to everything being so electrical / touch related

 

[Melyn]

Had to head home impromptu due to a dog with a bladder infection so didn’t manage to get any proper shots with the sleeping areas set up. Will do tomorrow when I clean it (turns out white vans are mud magnets)

For economy - in drive mode (not sports or eco) this is what we got from the weekend

 

[Lorri]

Enjoy your new van 0)

 

[Aldoi]

@Melyn could I please ask which lighting option you ended up with on your Ocean? Was it VCE or VCI?

There’s been a lot of confusion amongst dealers I’ve spoken with and VW brand and product don’t seem to know the difference.

The brochure details the £348 option for VCI which is standard on the Ocean, but can be optionally ‘downgraded’ to VCE. However, from all the demo/display Oceans I’ve seen, I am yet to find one with VCI fitted and so still none the wiser on what exactly this option gives you.

 

[Paul Norris]

Good luck with your new van, waiting for mine to be delivered. Can’t wait to get out and about

 

[Melyn]

@Melyn could I please ask which lighting option you ended up with on your Ocean? Was it VCE or VCI?

There’s been a lot of confusion amongst dealers I’ve spoken with and VW brand and product don’t seem to know the difference.

The brochure details the £348 option for VCI which is standard on the Ocean, but can be optionally ‘downgraded’ to VCE. However, from all the demo/display Oceans I’ve seen, I am yet to find one with VCI fitted and so still none the wiser on what exactly this option gives you.

you’ll need to explain what vce and vci are for me to answer this one I’m afraid!

 

[WelshGas]

@Melyn could I please ask which lighting option you ended up with on your Ocean? Was it VCE or VCI?

There’s been a lot of confusion amongst dealers I’ve spoken with and VW brand and product don’t seem to know the difference.

The brochure details the £348 option for VCI which is standard on the Ocean, but can be optionally ‘downgraded’ to VCE. However, from all the demo/display Oceans I’ve seen, I am yet to find one with VCI fitted and so still none the wiser on what exactly this option gives you.

Might be the LED headlights.
The Ocean has Matrix LED headlights as standard.
The Beach and Coast have plain LED headlights.

 

[Aldoi]

you’ll need to explain what vce and vci are for me to answer this one I’m afraid!

Oh sorry, these are the internal lighting options.

• VCE - Interior lighting on pop-up roof, tailgate & summer kitchen and ambient lighting in roof frame.
• VCI - Interior light concept for Camper "Comfort" in passenger compartment.

 

[Melyn]

Oh sorry, these are the internal lighting options.

• VCE - Interior lighting on pop-up roof, tailgate & summer kitchen and ambient lighting in roof frame.
• VCI - Interior light concept for Camper "Comfort" in passenger compartment.

Definately VCE then - all lights are haptic sensitive. You can go from reading light. Middle brightness to bright white

There’s about 5 touch lights in kitchen area also

You can also change the dash colour which changes all interior light colours too on dashboard and strips in the back (red. Blue. Green. Yellow etc)

 

[Aldoi]

Definately VCE then - all lights are haptic sensitive. You can go from reading light. Middle brightness to bright white

There’s about 5 touch lights in kitchen area also

You can also change the dash colour which changes all interior light colours too on dashboard and strips in the back (red. Blue. Green. Yellow etc)

Interesting thanks, so do you have 3 grey buttons above the hob that control the lights? One for the lighting in the cupboards, one for a strip light that runs under the hob/sink ‘worktop’ area, and one that controls a strip light that runs around the roof frame (below the pop-top base)?