Where oh where did VW go wrong?

[JuanVecino2023]

Our last fleet of transits had no issues.
I’ve owned two Volkswagen transporters which have given me major engine trouble.
Take from that, what you will…

Well, a wet belt is an inherently poor design. Oil & rubber aren’t a good mix!

Which PS engine did you have? The higher powered engines have a timing chain.

 

[Corradobrit]

As has been mentioned before by @calibusje , unless the tailgate is changed - tow bar bike rack only.

Well I guess thats one way to gain a kg or 2 of payload. And the MV Cali needs all it can get.

 

[Corradobrit]

I would never buy a Ford wet belt based vehicle.

I thought VW said that Ford had made some 'mods' to fix the issue although the guy was being coy when probed for further details.

 

[KevH]

As has been mentioned before by USER=4679]@calibusje[/USER] , unless the tailgate is changed - tow bar bike rack only.

This truly beggars belief.
I have been quite open minded to the multivan T7 so far but even as a day camper a tailgate bike rack would be on my essentials list.

 

[KevH]

Hi all, it is puzzling me already for some time...at least since the debacle of an ID Buzz camper (reason; to heavy but every designer could have known that) and also with the introduction of the latest "T7" "California" as a campervan.
Since I heard from the plans (some two years ago) of VW and Ford to produce a whole new Transporter/Transit in Diesel/Petrol/Hybrid/Electric configuration my thoughts were that they could make a T6.1 Cali successor on that platform. Both automakers have enough experience (and expertise?) with campervans (Ford with Westaflia) and it could/would still be a proper campervan with te foreseen design and measurements. Let's see what they came up with (a marketing picture of current available Transporter)
View attachment 131368

Not a bad design is it? Very recognizable in my opinion. And as for I can take from the measurement a van that can be easily transformed into a Cali in their factory in
Hannover...and the basemodel is already there in their product portfolio!
So what was the management and designers thinking when they got working on the Yuppie ID Buzz and on the weekend leisure vehicle now known as The New California (T7).
Why not have taken a look at competitor MB with their Vito (electric) campervan solution. Why not opening new talks with Westfalia (or others). Are they that desperate in Wolfsburg?
I have talked about this with numerous sellers of T5/6/6.1 and really nobody gets it and almost nobody believes in the New Cali, except for maybe a small new line of customers.

Hopefully other manufacturers will jump in of building a real Cali successor...

Very curious about your thoughts....

Out of interest, I am currently holidaying in Norway (not in the Cali, sadly) and the Buzz is everywhere, easily appearing to hold its own against rivals.
Maybe it is targeted more towards the non-UK market?

 

[WelshGas]

Out of interest, I am currently holidaying in Norway (not in the Cali, sadly) and the Buzz is everywhere, easily appearing to hold its own against rivals.
Maybe it is targeted more towards the non-UK market?

More to do with the incentives for EV ownership probably.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Of course VW, and anyone else manufacturing small Campervans are not going to be able to repeat these sales over the next 20 yrs. The IC powered Campervan will no longer be made in 5 yrs time. Its replacement will be bigger and heavier . Things are a changing in the Western World and unless there are big developments in powering vehicles/ campervans the equivilent Transporter Campervan will cease to exist.

We have solid state batteries, just around the corner.
Lighter, quick to charge and the potential to cover more ground between charges.
These could be the answer for an EV future.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Well, a wet belt is an inherently poor design. Oil & rubber aren’t a good mix!

Which PS engine did you have? The higher powered engines have a timing chain.

Fair point, I actually can’t remember…

 

[KevH]

More to do with the incentives for EV ownership probably.

Entirely agree.
Apparently EVs (not hybrids) account for 90% of all new sales in Norway.
The incentives must be significant.
That said, there seem to be a fair few Chinese made models on the roads, so yet again VW and other European makers need to pull their fingers out.

 

[Maidment_Ocean]

Entirely agree.
Apparently EVs (not hybrids) account for 90% of all new sales in Norway.
The incentives must be significant.
That said, there seem to be a fair few Chinese made models on the roads, so yet again VW and other European makers need to pull their fingers out.

Many Chinese electric cars sold in UK as they are best priced, simple as that. Without incentives prospective buyers with limited funds will go for the cheap option, but to be fair sometimes the better option.

 

[Luke Sharp]

We toured Norway in 2022, and they just seem so more geared up on the infrastructure side for EV’s. The number of charging stations seemed to far exceed the vehicles needing charging?

 

[wildslammer22]

Out of interest, I am currently holidaying in Norway (not in the Cali, sadly) and the Buzz is everywhere, easily appearing to hold its own against rivals.
Maybe it is targeted more towards the non-UK market?

Norway is a big EV market, it’s a big market for Tesla. Oslo and Bergen have LEZ’s and if air pollution exceeds a certain level they temporarily ban diesel cars from Oslo.

 

[Multi1100]

The new VW/Ford Transporter/Transit can be delivered as Hybrid and full electric, just to maken the topic clear ;-))

 

[Wannabecamperman]

Many Chinese electric cars sold in UK as they are best priced, simple as that. Without incentives prospective buyers with limited funds will go for the cheap option, but to be fair sometimes the better option.

Spot on! Having invested in a new Tesla Model Y and a home charger for 7.5p per kWh overnight charging (under £4 for around 300 miles!), I am tomorrow test driving the Chinese EV below for the wife.

This was £36,000 new just 12 months ago, and they'll take £13k cash!!! It even has 4 years manufacturer warranty remaining! And it's a VERY cute car!

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[vmaxkiddy]

Many Chinese electric cars sold in UK as they are best priced, simple as that. Without incentives prospective buyers with limited funds will go for the cheap option, but to be fair sometimes the better option.

Took my Cupra for a service last week. The dealership used to be 50/50 Cupra and Skoda, half the Skoda showroom has now been given over to BYD. The Skoda EVs were so much bigger and more expensive than the BYD models.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Spot on! Having invested in a new Tesla Model Y and a home charger for 7.5p per kWh overnight charging (under £4 for around 300 miles!), I am tomorrow test driving the Chinese EV below for the wife.

This was £36,000 new just 12 months ago, and they'll take £13k cash!!! It even has 4 years manufacturer warranty remaining! And it's a VERY cute car!

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Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!

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Yep, a friend of mine just picked up the MG. 10 months old, 9000 miles £15k.
Said it was a perfect/cheap second car for dropping the kids and stuff.

Worth noting, their prices are only possible because of state subsidies.
Slowly killing off western competition. These cheap Chinese imports should incur a 75% tariff…

 

[WelshGas]

The new VW/Ford Transporter/Transit can be delivered as Hybrid and full electric, just to maken the topic clear ;-))

And if VW don't sell cut down base vehicles to converters then it is going to be a very expensive conversion, especially EV and Hybrid versions.

 

[andyinluton]

Spot on! Having invested in a new Tesla Model Y and a home charger for 7.5p per kWh overnight charging (under £4 for around 300 miles!), I am tomorrow test driving the Chinese EV below for the wife.

This was £36,000 new just 12 months ago, and they'll take £13k cash!!! It even has 4 years manufacturer warranty remaining! And it's a VERY cute car!

Let us know how you get on, reviews I’ve read seem to suggest it’s an ideal car for someone with no interest in driving that’s deaf but has brilliant eyesight and doesn’t need to go far!

In other words the range is poor, it constantly talks to you & you need a magnifying glass to read the touch screens.

But genuinely interested as we are moving to a house with lots of solar & are considering a cheap car to abandon at the station on a regular basis about 6 or 7 miles away.

 

[normnortonocean]

I am not at all up-to-date on what VW are making now and I respect you guys who seem to know all the detail. But, as a T6.1 cali owner I am interested in what is happening and so I will ask these very dumb questions:

1). Was the Buzz a fully electric only vehicle, on a completely new design chassis, and has it now gone?
2). Is the new T7 Cali based on the original Transporter chassis still, or did I read that it is a modified car chassis? If so, has the load capacity and towing ability been downgraded?
3). The picture of the plug-in Transporter suggests to me that you can get a fully electric and/or hybrid version of the current T6.1 Transporter?

Beginners questions but might interest others.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

Let us know how you get on, reviews I’ve read seem to suggest it’s an ideal car for someone with no interest in driving that’s deaf but has brilliant eyesight and doesn’t need to go far!

In other words the range is poor, it constantly talks to you & you need a magnifying glass to read the touch screens.

But genuinely interested as we are moving to a house with lots of solar & are considering a cheap car to abandon at the station on a regular basis about 6 or 7 miles away.

Hi Andy,
Yes - it isn't the best EV by any means, not even close, but the interior is surprisingly comfortable (we tried one previously that was priced higher) and the drive is fine if you can ignore the many beeps and dings, especially from the interior-facing camera that monitors tiredness. For a 4.2m car it has tons of space in the rear, yet a tiny boot, so is deffo quirky. The fact that my better half wanted one last year when they launched at north of £35k and now can have one for £13k is the main draw, plus the 5 year warranty too. We already have the home charger, so it's a done deal to swap her petrol DX Crossback to an EV, but we'll see which one later, and update.