T
Tukan
- Messages
- 4
- Vehicle
- T6 Ocean 150 4Motion
Hello to everyone
This is my first post.
After thinking for a few years, finally this April we bought a California just 18 months old and with about 5,800 miles on the clock.
Before that I spent ages looking for one and reading a lot of comments here about 140bhp or 180bhp, what options to have and what not.
Some people wrote here that the 140bhp was too slow and that the way forward was a 180bhp. A chap said that "he was coming up the Alps with his foot through the floor" because his 140bhp was not powerful enough. A lady said that she bought the more powerful for safety reasons when overtaking.
Then there was the 3 zone air con system which was better than the standard one, and the electric sliding door that was a must for someone else and so on. The list can go on and on.
All this stuff really distracted me and confused me in deciding which one to go for. I know we are all different and everybody has his/her own idea and he/her thinks is right. So I decided that before posting my opinion I would wait after the holiday with the van.
We travelled with our California for 3 weeks up to Norway fjords covering 3,408 miles in total and crossing 5 countries and stay in some beautiful places.
We had not problems whatsoever going up and down the motorways travelling at 70 mph, overtaking when needed go and up down the Norwigian roads. Our California showed no lack of power taking 4 people and all the stuff around.
So my conclusions are as follows:
- 140 bhp is more than suffucient to travel in style and in safety speed;
- 180 bhp is a waste of money; uses more diesel, the engine is more complicated, the two turbos is a liability, you will hardly notice any more power than the 140 bhp, you will never use the 10 mph increased top speed because I do not see anybody travelling at 115 mph instead than 105 mph of the 140 bhp. And the safety reason does not stand up, because if you want safety you go and buy the 4motion;
- the 3 zone is a waste of money because the normal one is perfectly fine for a vehicle of this size;
- the leather inside is another waste as it looks like everybody use seat covers, so what is the point to have the leather seats if you cover them?;
- porta potty is pretty disgusting considering you probably stay in a campsite and you have to clean it. In our stay at different campsites I noticed how many (large and medium size) motorhomes used them, probably because the owners do not want to clean their toilets ...;
- electric sliding door is another waste of dosh because you have to close and open manually the front doors anyway, so why don't you want manually to open and close the sliding door as well?;
- spend more than £50k for a new one or more than £40k for a used one is like throughing cash down the porta potty. It is not logically and financially do not make sense because a California is a waste asset that loose money in a daily basis.
So my conclusion on what is important are:
- 140 bhp;
- 4motion for safety reasons;
- sat nav;
- front and rear sensors, no the reverse camera which is another waste of money;
- 16 inch tyres;
- basic alloy wheels just to differentiate it from the Transporter working van;
- ISO Top cover for the roof. You do not want the outside cover when you arrive at your stop place and it is raining or you leave in the morning with rain. And in general you do not want to set up and taking down the outside cover every time you raise or lower the roof;
- no spend more than £40k for a second hand or no more that £50k for a new one.
- The only objective comments/reviews I found on the California were on Parker.co.uk website.
My California is as follows:
- 140 bhp, 4motion, rns 510, bike rake, front and rear sensors, 3 zone air con, 4 seats, phone system, awning, 17 inches tyres and I spent £41k, £1k over budget.
I trust the above is in order.
Best regards.
Tukano
This is my first post.
After thinking for a few years, finally this April we bought a California just 18 months old and with about 5,800 miles on the clock.
Before that I spent ages looking for one and reading a lot of comments here about 140bhp or 180bhp, what options to have and what not.
Some people wrote here that the 140bhp was too slow and that the way forward was a 180bhp. A chap said that "he was coming up the Alps with his foot through the floor" because his 140bhp was not powerful enough. A lady said that she bought the more powerful for safety reasons when overtaking.
Then there was the 3 zone air con system which was better than the standard one, and the electric sliding door that was a must for someone else and so on. The list can go on and on.
All this stuff really distracted me and confused me in deciding which one to go for. I know we are all different and everybody has his/her own idea and he/her thinks is right. So I decided that before posting my opinion I would wait after the holiday with the van.
We travelled with our California for 3 weeks up to Norway fjords covering 3,408 miles in total and crossing 5 countries and stay in some beautiful places.
We had not problems whatsoever going up and down the motorways travelling at 70 mph, overtaking when needed go and up down the Norwigian roads. Our California showed no lack of power taking 4 people and all the stuff around.
So my conclusions are as follows:
- 140 bhp is more than suffucient to travel in style and in safety speed;
- 180 bhp is a waste of money; uses more diesel, the engine is more complicated, the two turbos is a liability, you will hardly notice any more power than the 140 bhp, you will never use the 10 mph increased top speed because I do not see anybody travelling at 115 mph instead than 105 mph of the 140 bhp. And the safety reason does not stand up, because if you want safety you go and buy the 4motion;
- the 3 zone is a waste of money because the normal one is perfectly fine for a vehicle of this size;
- the leather inside is another waste as it looks like everybody use seat covers, so what is the point to have the leather seats if you cover them?;
- porta potty is pretty disgusting considering you probably stay in a campsite and you have to clean it. In our stay at different campsites I noticed how many (large and medium size) motorhomes used them, probably because the owners do not want to clean their toilets ...;
- electric sliding door is another waste of dosh because you have to close and open manually the front doors anyway, so why don't you want manually to open and close the sliding door as well?;
- spend more than £50k for a new one or more than £40k for a used one is like throughing cash down the porta potty. It is not logically and financially do not make sense because a California is a waste asset that loose money in a daily basis.
So my conclusion on what is important are:
- 140 bhp;
- 4motion for safety reasons;
- sat nav;
- front and rear sensors, no the reverse camera which is another waste of money;
- 16 inch tyres;
- basic alloy wheels just to differentiate it from the Transporter working van;
- ISO Top cover for the roof. You do not want the outside cover when you arrive at your stop place and it is raining or you leave in the morning with rain. And in general you do not want to set up and taking down the outside cover every time you raise or lower the roof;
- no spend more than £40k for a second hand or no more that £50k for a new one.
- The only objective comments/reviews I found on the California were on Parker.co.uk website.
My California is as follows:
- 140 bhp, 4motion, rns 510, bike rake, front and rear sensors, 3 zone air con, 4 seats, phone system, awning, 17 inches tyres and I spent £41k, £1k over budget.
I trust the above is in order.
Best regards.
Tukano
The whole point to me of having a cali is not having to rely on civilisation being just around the corner and when nature calls I can't just stop by the roadside, walk up to the tree line, turn my back to the traffic and have a tinkle 
