Which engine for a new Beach?

[benmac]

Hi everyone,

I am Ben and looking to buy a new Beach and confused about which engine I should be choosing.

I am based in Portugal so will buy from a local dealer but so far they are not very knowledgeable about the Cali's.

I will use it as my daily driver and for weekends and holidays with the lady and the 2 little ones.

What's your experience and do I need the 204hp over the 150hp...is it worth the extra money or over kill.

Also I don't understand the different engine variants, in the 150hp there is the option of the M6 or A7, not sure what they each stand for.

Thanks for your help.

Ben

 

[Drpps]

You'll certainly get a good selection of views here.
140/150bhp is enough for an ocean on UK motorways to maintain 70mph fully loaded (except with bikes sticking above the roof) , up the 'slow lorry lane' hills without dropping out of 6th, so I have never felt the need for more.
The official 0-60 looks a bit pedestrian but the rolling acceleration is fast enough to overtake comfortably on A roads.
In the lighter beach it will certainly be quick enough unless you are always fully loaded.
204 will be nice and lively but depends on your driving style. Some report wheel spin issues with take off from standstill with the 204 + DSG which is compounded by the characteristics of the DSG mapping.

M6 is likely to signify 6 speed manual vs 7 speed DSG automatic (A7)

 

[benmac]

You'll certainly get a good selection of views here.
140/150bhp is enough for an ocean on UK motorways to maintain 70mph fully loaded (except with bikes sticking above the roof) , up the 'slow lorry lane' hills without dropping out of 6th, so I have never felt the need for more.
The official 0-60 looks a bit pedestrian but the rolling acceleration is fast enough to overtake comfortably on A roads.
In the lighter beach it will certainly be quick enough unless you are always fully loaded.
204 will be nice and lively but depends on your driving style. Some report wheel spin issues with take off from standstill with the 204 + DSG which is compounded by the characteristics of the DSG mapping.

M6 is likely to signify 6 speed manual vs 7 speed DSG automatic (A7)

Ok that's what I was hoping to hear! Thank you

 

[Sad]

We don’t need anything more than the 150 in our Coast, and I've always been a big fan of autos...

 

[ThomasHJ]

Totally agree. Ours is an ocean, so always fully packed, and used as a daily driver. 150 is just fine for us.

 

[Wildcamper]

We have 2 wheel drive on our 150DSG. We find this perfectly fine. See no need for 204. 4 motion will only serve you well if you are going over a lot of rough terrain or pulling a heavy load. The 204 4 motion will impact your payload over a 150 2 wheel drive.

 

[Perfectos]

Volkswagen Transporter van review (2023)

Read our in-depth, expert review of the VW Transporter including the Transporter 6.1 facelift - on Parkers Vans and Pickups

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[Velma's Dad]

I have a 180bhp T5 SE (=Ocean) which is maybe the same power-weight ratio as a 150 Beach when empty. It will comfortably pull a 2 tonne twin axle trailer with a car on it, and even then it's easy to let the speed creep up on the motorway if I'm not careful, even uphill.

A 204bhp Cali is only for people who really do want a van that performs something like a fast car.
Remember that the VW Transporter van is quite capable of driving around with an 84bhp engine.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

140ps Beach. Sits nicely at 70mph with 3 bikes on the back, 1xSUP, 3xsurfboards + 1 Kayak on top and will return 600miles on a 80l tank. Strangely mpg goes up when the roof is fully loaded, but probably lighter on the right foot due to the change in handling.

No issues in getting up to a 100mph if required but quite enjoy having a clean license.

Whatever engine you have you will only be as fast as the car(s) in front of you, and there seem to be alot of them on UK roads!

 

[subthree]

150 2WD is perfectly adequate and will give you a slightly better mpg than a 199/204. I have never owned a "van" before but have been really surprised how much I enjoy driving the Cali. You can't hustle a 2.5 tonne van around bends like you can with a car so I think the 150 is great, it makes me chill out on the roads - very relaxing.

I have a quickish Audi which I love driving, but the Cali is a completely different beast. The 150 has really impressed me.

 

[Eber123]

Hello,

Our camper was a demo model which came with 150 BHP, FWD and manual gears. I had my doubts whether a 150 BHP engine would be ok for a 2.5t vehicle or not.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised that this engine is more than capable to bring you anywhere in the world. Have I said that I am not a fast driver. There might be occasions a bigger engine has advantages eg. pulling out of a side road onto a main road, overtaking, or uphill. But at the end I have not missed it. If in doubt I just wait. As mentioned before the California is not a race horse.

Some time ago I drove from Newcastle, Co. Wicklow home to Co. Kildare. Driving along motorway, dual carriageway and small country roads I realized on each single meter of my journey there is a speed limit of 120 km/h, 100 km/h etc. At the end of the day why should I have a vehicle with a massive, powerful engine?

I am happy with the power of the 2L 150 BHP engine.

Happy powerful California,
Eberhard

 

[benmac]

Thanks for all the comments, I am convinced now the 150hp is the way to go : )

 

[Neilos]

Agree with the above re the 150. Ours is a beach 150ps dsg. It’s totally adequate. Pulls nicely. Feels strong even loaded. The handling limits what you can do. I’d spend the cash on a better suspension set up. That’s the one thing I dislike. It leans into corners. Bounces you around when empty. The standard springs are not great imo. I’d like to get ours upgraded at some point. We run 215 tyres which people say add to the harsh ride feel so will change to 235s when it’s time. More power always nice and my other car I went for that but as others have said with the van haven’t felt the need for it. If you’ve got the cash then do it, if you’re making budget decisions the 150 will probably surprise you (in a good way).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[altvic]

Thanks for all the comments, I am convinced now the 150hp is the way to go : )

Whatever engine size / power you decide to purchase, I am more than pleased to recommend the 'anti-role bars' that came with mine. The stiffer ride is a vast improvement on the standard vehicle I test drove; roundabouts were very scary, and even at slow speeds I wallowed round even slight bends like a hippo. These stiffening bars cost very little to factory fit and improve driver and passenger comfort no end. My view fwiw.

 

[CALI FATE]

I have a 2016 150 manual Beach - just coming up to 80k miles - happy with performance / economy / running costs etc. I was given a 204 DSG 4 motion van for 6 weeks (while mine was having a repair from fire damage) - in real life motoring not much difference and didnt like the jerkiness of the DSG.

Its a builders van with a kitchen - keep it simple i reckon

 

[CALI FATE]

Whatever engine size / power you decide to purchase, I am more than pleased to recommend the 'anti-role bars' that came with mine. The stiffer ride is a vast improvement on the standard vehicle I test drove; roundabouts were very scary, and even at slow speeds I wallowed round even slight bends like a hippo. These stiffening bars cost very little to factory fit and improve driver and passenger comfort no end. My view fwiw.

Youre right - my van handles like a railway carriage -

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Whatever engine size / power you decide to purchase, I am more than pleased to recommend the 'anti-role bars' that came with mine. The stiffer ride is a vast improvement on the standard vehicle I test drove; roundabouts were very scary, and even at slow speeds I wallowed round even slight bends like a hippo. These stiffening bars cost very little to factory fit and improve driver and passenger comfort no end. My view fwiw.

We plan to upgrade the ARB's at some point (no interest in lowering due to the amount of local potholes). Found you could take roundabouts & bendy sliproads in our old T4 Bilbo 68bhp(! with alot more confidence versus the T5.1 which wallows but have got used to it over time.

In the T4 the trick was to retain any speed that you had, as it took a while to get it back up again!

 

[bob_summers]

Hi Ben

Made the same decision recently on an Ocean. Only auto boxes available here in spain but I went for the 150 purely on economy. There wasn’t a huge difference in the claimed figures, think it was 6.8 vs 7.3l/100km combined, but without any need for the extra power It was a no-brainer. I’m rarely anywhere near the speed limit in spain or france.

When I bought my T5 I looked for a 1.9tdi as they were supposedly the more reliable compared to the 5cyl, but there doesn’t seem to be anything to suggest either of the new motors is better than the other.

good luck!

 

[WelshGas]

As everyone has said, 150 is Adequate.

I don't do Adequate.

 

[Borris]

Hi Ben,
As you can see the answer is dependant on what kind of driver you are.

 

[SusiBus]

As everyone has said, 150 is Adequate.

I don't do Adequate.

I agree, we also don't do adequate.

You're already spending a shed load of money buying a California, especially if it's an Ocean. By allowing yourself to go that extra mile, your get a vehicle that is fabulous to drive, not adequate. Go test drive a 204 dsg!

 

[66tim99]

Agree with the above re the 150. Ours is a beach 150ps dsg. It’s totally adequate. Pulls nicely. Feels strong even loaded. The handling limits what you can do. I’d spend the cash on a better suspension set up. That’s the one thing I dislike. It leans into corners. Bounces you around when empty. The standard springs are not great imo. I’d like to get ours upgraded at some point. We run 215 tyres which people say add to the harsh ride feel so will change to 235s when it’s time. More power always nice and my other car I went for that but as others have said with the van haven’t felt the need for it. If you’ve got the cash then do it, if you’re making budget decisions the 150 will probably surprise you (in a good way).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agree with Neilos. Consider the Dynamic Chassis Control to tighten the suspension up on the twisties, softening up on the motorway/crashing through urban potholes.

 

[Eber123]

Well, adequate is such a thing.

If I go to the German California Online Conifugurator web page I could add a lot of options which I feel I need to have. What the he... it is expensive anyway. That brings me normally up into a EUR 97.000 price level.

But do I really need all that?

When my wife arranged the test drive for our Ocean it was a suprise for me. But it was with manual gears (I wished to have DSG) and FWD (I wished to have 4Motion and diff lock). After the test drive we discussed this over a coffee still at the VW dealer. The next available California with the things I would have loved to have was about EUR 8.000 more expensive (also demo model). But my wife argued that this would be too much. If we go ahead with the Ocean we just did the test drive we could manage to afford and would buy it and use it.

And so began our journey with the California.

Yes it is adequate for us. And after 3.5 years I love it even more and enjoy each kilometer.

Happy California,
Eberhard

 

[CALI FATE]

Well, adequate is such a thing.

If I go to the German California Online Conifugurator web page I could add a lot of options which I feel I need to have. What the he... it is expensive anyway. That brings me normally up into a EUR 97.000 price level.

But do I really need all that?

When my wife arranged the test drive for our Ocean it was a suprise for me. But it was with manual gears (I wished to have DSG) and FWD (I wished to have 4Motion and diff lock). After the test drive we discussed this over a coffee still at the VW dealer. The next available California with the things I would have loved to have was about EUR 8.000 more expensive (also demo model). But my wife argued that this would be too much. If we go ahead with the Ocean we just did the test drive we could manage to afford and would buy it and use it.

And so began our journey with the California.

Yes it is adequate for us. And after 3.5 years I love it even more and enjoy each kilometer.

Happy California,
Eberhard

you can change your wife - you cant change your california

 

[2haw]

After having 2 T6 150hp Beaches and now a T6.1 Beach, I can tell you that the T6.1 is a lot more sluggish and hesitant at low speed. I would definitely take a 200hp option if it was available.