VW T7 California
Discussion
So, nearly 5 metre EV estate to camper van. Daft or inspired?
We have recently got into a T7 California Beach Camper, which is now doing duty as the main family car. It is on a lease, so at least if I have made a complete lifestyle over logic decision, there is an end date.
One of the main questions I asked myself, and I imagine plenty of others do as well, is can a camper van actually work as a daily driver? So far, I would say very much yes.
For context, I had an ID.7 EV before this, which is already nearly 5 metres long. So this is not quite as big a jump in footprint as it first sounds, although the California is obviously taller, wider feeling and more van like from behind the wheel.
The thing that surprised me most is that it does not really feel like a downgrade in overall quality. I expected it to feel much more commercial and utilitarian, but it is actually a really nice thing to drive. The DSG suits it, it cruises well, it feels refined enough, and for normal family use it has been very easy to get on with.
Size wise, it is probably just a case of getting used to it. I find myself thinking ahead a bit more, especially on the school run where I might park a bit further away rather than trying to squeeze into the busiest spot. It fits in a supermarket parking space fine though, so it has not been the drama I half expected.
One thing that is genuinely handy with young kids is having a sliding door on each side. If you are parked up, you can just open whichever side is pavement side and let them bail out that way. Sounds a small thing, but it is one of those details that makes family life easier.
We went for the Beach rather than the Coast or Ocean. For those who do not know, the Beach is the more people carrier focused version. The Coast and Ocean get the more traditional camper setup with the kitchen and other bits as standard.
That setup will suit plenty of people, but for us the Beach made more sense. We did not really want the full kitchen taking up space. What we wanted was a big family car that could also sleep us when needed. The extra rear seat and wider downstairs bed were a bigger draw than cupboards and a sink.
We have camped overnight in it a couple of times now, and I can definitely see it becoming something we do more of. We are totally new to camper vans, although we have camped in tents before, so there is still a fair bit of figuring out what works and what does not.
First impressions are that it is not really a full camper, and I do not think I would want to pretend it is. It is more of a very practical people carrier that happens to have beds and a pop top. That is probably exactly why it works for us.
The kids love it, especially the roof bed. It is already useful as a day van too. Throw food, coats, chairs, dog stuff and the usual family chaos in the back and head off somewhere for a few hours. That side of it is probably what will get the most use.
We are doing a European road trip this summer, but we have opted for Airbnbs rather than camping in the van. Even so, I think it will be brilliant for that kind of trip. Big enough to carry everything, comfortable enough for long drives, and useful once you are there.
So far, I am leaning towards inspired rather than daft. It is obviously a compromise, but most family cars are. This just feels like quite an interesting one.
And worst case, if the camping side does not really stick, we are still left with a big, practical people carrier and load lugger that the kids already think is brilliant.
We have recently got into a T7 California Beach Camper, which is now doing duty as the main family car. It is on a lease, so at least if I have made a complete lifestyle over logic decision, there is an end date.
One of the main questions I asked myself, and I imagine plenty of others do as well, is can a camper van actually work as a daily driver? So far, I would say very much yes.
For context, I had an ID.7 EV before this, which is already nearly 5 metres long. So this is not quite as big a jump in footprint as it first sounds, although the California is obviously taller, wider feeling and more van like from behind the wheel.
The thing that surprised me most is that it does not really feel like a downgrade in overall quality. I expected it to feel much more commercial and utilitarian, but it is actually a really nice thing to drive. The DSG suits it, it cruises well, it feels refined enough, and for normal family use it has been very easy to get on with.
Size wise, it is probably just a case of getting used to it. I find myself thinking ahead a bit more, especially on the school run where I might park a bit further away rather than trying to squeeze into the busiest spot. It fits in a supermarket parking space fine though, so it has not been the drama I half expected.
One thing that is genuinely handy with young kids is having a sliding door on each side. If you are parked up, you can just open whichever side is pavement side and let them bail out that way. Sounds a small thing, but it is one of those details that makes family life easier.
We went for the Beach rather than the Coast or Ocean. For those who do not know, the Beach is the more people carrier focused version. The Coast and Ocean get the more traditional camper setup with the kitchen and other bits as standard.
That setup will suit plenty of people, but for us the Beach made more sense. We did not really want the full kitchen taking up space. What we wanted was a big family car that could also sleep us when needed. The extra rear seat and wider downstairs bed were a bigger draw than cupboards and a sink.
We have camped overnight in it a couple of times now, and I can definitely see it becoming something we do more of. We are totally new to camper vans, although we have camped in tents before, so there is still a fair bit of figuring out what works and what does not.
First impressions are that it is not really a full camper, and I do not think I would want to pretend it is. It is more of a very practical people carrier that happens to have beds and a pop top. That is probably exactly why it works for us.
The kids love it, especially the roof bed. It is already useful as a day van too. Throw food, coats, chairs, dog stuff and the usual family chaos in the back and head off somewhere for a few hours. That side of it is probably what will get the most use.
We are doing a European road trip this summer, but we have opted for Airbnbs rather than camping in the van. Even so, I think it will be brilliant for that kind of trip. Big enough to carry everything, comfortable enough for long drives, and useful once you are there.
So far, I am leaning towards inspired rather than daft. It is obviously a compromise, but most family cars are. This just feels like quite an interesting one.
And worst case, if the camping side does not really stick, we are still left with a big, practical people carrier and load lugger that the kids already think is brilliant.
Do keep us posted on your findings. We have young ’uns here too and I’m starting to think a van might be a useful long term purchase that would see us right through to taking them to uni (touch wood). Leaves room for a more exciting daily (budget permitting) but a reliable van is needed for this approach.
I'm in the inspired camp.
Similar, but different here in the sense I have a LWB T5.1 Shuttle that started life as a pretty well spec'd 9 seater, but I run it with the rear 3 seater bench removed thus it's in essence just a very big estate car. It's practicality is ridiculous, more so with two kids and all their crap that they take everywhere.
The "Just buy a big estate / SUV and get a roof box" types are never far away but that set up simply cannot compete with a van for space and space is a very useful thing.
Great thing, hope it serves you well / many adventures are had.
Similar, but different here in the sense I have a LWB T5.1 Shuttle that started life as a pretty well spec'd 9 seater, but I run it with the rear 3 seater bench removed thus it's in essence just a very big estate car. It's practicality is ridiculous, more so with two kids and all their crap that they take everywhere.
The "Just buy a big estate / SUV and get a roof box" types are never far away but that set up simply cannot compete with a van for space and space is a very useful thing.
Great thing, hope it serves you well / many adventures are had.
Is this all VW or Transit based? Genuine question, not trying to be ‘smart’, as I haven’t seen how much the new campers rely on the Ford base vehicle, or if VW have somehow managed to keep it ‘in house’. Also, with the 3 models you listed, do they still do a bespoke Caravelle, or has that been absorbed into the lineup you mentioned.
I recently purchased a Vito Dualiner SWB, mainly to use for mountain biking and family camping trips. A client of mine offered it to me for a really good price so I figured I’d see if I could live with it every day and punt it on without loss if not.
A month later and I’m definitely keeping it for its intended use but as a daily it’s just a PITA really. I’ve owned a few pickups in the past (Dodge Ram & L200) so it wasn’t a complete surprise and I know tons of folk use vans as a daily but it’s not for me.
I love the driving position and general driving is good - long journeys are a breeze. Parking for school, supermarkets etc though is not fun. To start with I didn’t mind but I was fooling myself really. Even with the good turning circle of the Vito (being RWD) you’re always looking a larger space away from other cars. I appreciate this is all personal preference and it depends on where you regularly park.
The other factor for me was it’s not ideal using a diesel every day for short journeys. So I’m keeping it (it’s a game changer for MTB and camping) but I’ve purchased a small petrol car in a low tax band to run along side it for daily duties. I’d say give it a go but lease like the OP or buy something you’ll get your money back on, and live with it for a while before fully taking the plunge.
A month later and I’m definitely keeping it for its intended use but as a daily it’s just a PITA really. I’ve owned a few pickups in the past (Dodge Ram & L200) so it wasn’t a complete surprise and I know tons of folk use vans as a daily but it’s not for me.
I love the driving position and general driving is good - long journeys are a breeze. Parking for school, supermarkets etc though is not fun. To start with I didn’t mind but I was fooling myself really. Even with the good turning circle of the Vito (being RWD) you’re always looking a larger space away from other cars. I appreciate this is all personal preference and it depends on where you regularly park.
The other factor for me was it’s not ideal using a diesel every day for short journeys. So I’m keeping it (it’s a game changer for MTB and camping) but I’ve purchased a small petrol car in a low tax band to run along side it for daily duties. I’d say give it a go but lease like the OP or buy something you’ll get your money back on, and live with it for a while before fully taking the plunge.
normalbloke said:
Is this all VW or Transit based? Genuine question, not trying to be smart , as I haven t seen how much the new campers rely on the Ford base vehicle, or if VW have somehow managed to keep it in house . Also, with the 3 models you listed, do they still do a bespoke Caravelle, or has that been absorbed into the lineup you mentioned.
The current Californias are all VW.They chose the latest version of the California to be based the Multivan (soon changing name to the Caravelle) and not the Transporter. So its based on the MQB platform and therefore effectively based on a car and not a van. This means it does drive better, but it doesn't have the carrying capacity of previous van based Californias. The latest VW Transporter is basically a Ford Transit.
Can you remove the kitchen unit from the back of the Beach? I'm really keen on one of these but I don't think they make my ideal specification. Like you we'd not really sleep in it save for the odd weekend here and there but would just use it as a big family car with the seats on rails making it very configurable for however many of us are going away on a given weekend! We do go Karting from time to time so being able to remove the rear kitchen and throw a kart in the back would be ideal as would the use of a pop top for night or two. It would seem the best option so far would be to buy a Multivan and have a pop top fitted aftermarket, wouldn't be as good as OEM though id imagine
Crudeoink said:
Can you remove the kitchen unit from the back of the Beach? I'm really keen on one of these but I don't think they make my ideal specification. Like you we'd not really sleep in it save for the odd weekend here and there but would just use it as a big family car with the seats on rails making it very configurable for however many of us are going away on a given weekend! We do go Karting from time to time so being able to remove the rear kitchen and throw a kart in the back would be ideal as would the use of a pop top for night or two. It would seem the best option so far would be to buy a Multivan and have a pop top fitted aftermarket, wouldn't be as good as OEM though id imagine
I think the UK only gets the Beach with a fixed kitchen in the back. Other places (like here in Germany) get three different versions of the Beach, one with no kitchen and no pop up roof, one with no kitchen and a pop up roof and one with a kitchen and pop up roof. There is also a petrol engine choice as well in Germany.Davie said:
IThe "Just buy a big estate / SUV and get a roof box" types are never far away but that set up simply cannot compete with a van for space and space is a very useful thing.
Great thing, hope it serves you well / many adventures are had.
Thanks! The get a bigger, car roof box certainly is a common response I've found. We don't really have space for a roof box when not in use unless it permanently lived on the car. Great thing, hope it serves you well / many adventures are had.
Aberlour said:
Do keep us posted on your findings. We have young uns here too and I m starting to think a van might be a useful long term purchase that would see us right through to taking them to uni (touch wood). Leaves room for a more exciting daily (budget permitting) but a reliable van is needed for this approach.
If it works out I can see us buying one. We have a second car that my wife uses for work, school runs etc. normalbloke said:
Is this all VW or Transit based? Genuine question, not trying to be smart , as I haven t seen how much the new campers rely on the Ford base vehicle, or if VW have somehow managed to keep it in house . Also, with the 3 models you listed, do they still do a bespoke Caravelle, or has that been absorbed into the lineup you mentioned.
It's based on VW's MQB platform-shared with a long list of other cars in the VW lineup. Tiguan, Tayron etc as a result prior to getting one myself there were a lot of positive comments on the driving experience i.e. it drives mroe like a car than a van. The new Transporter on the otherhand is basedo nthe Ford Transit Custom. This has a lot of the VW fan boys up in arms with the main gripes being-it's a Ford not a VW and it's a wet belt...... The convertors are already rolling conversions out so I guess time will tell if they remain as popular.RedWhiteMonkey said:
Crudeoink said:
Can you remove the kitchen unit from the back of the Beach? I'm really keen on one of these but I don't think they make my ideal specification. Like you we'd not really sleep in it save for the odd weekend here and there but would just use it as a big family car with the seats on rails making it very configurable for however many of us are going away on a given weekend! We do go Karting from time to time so being able to remove the rear kitchen and throw a kart in the back would be ideal as would the use of a pop top for night or two. It would seem the best option so far would be to buy a Multivan and have a pop top fitted aftermarket, wouldn't be as good as OEM though id imagine
I think the UK only gets the Beach with a fixed kitchen in the back. Other places (like here in Germany) get three different versions of the Beach, one with no kitchen and no pop up roof, one with no kitchen and a pop up roof and one with a kitchen and pop up roof. There is also a petrol engine choice as well in Germany.Engine wise in the UK there is the 2.0 TDI a 2.0 TSI petrol and a PHEV. PHEV would actually suit our usage profile well as we do lots of journeys withing the EV only range and you also get AWD. I can't remember exactly but off the top of my head it's 6-9K over the diesel.
benny.c said:
A month later and I m definitely keeping it for its intended use but as a daily it s just a PITA really. I ve owned a few pickups in the past (Dodge Ram & L200) so it wasnt a complete surprise and I know tons of folk use vans as a daily but it s not for me.
Fair assessment, it won't be for everyone even with driving aids (auto park and 360 degree parking camera) Like I say for us it's very much a practical family car that you can sleep in rather than being a camper first and car second.
Anyone who's considering getting on with more of a slant on camping I'd recommend trying to rent on or getting an extended test drive. I just could never see me cooking in one and once you get one in the kitchen the sleeping area is a bit small and compromised if you want to sleep 4 like we do.
Very nice OP and sounds like the perfect use case for you. We bought a T6.1 California (Ocean) a couple of years back and like you I was slightly worried about the size of it for every day use as it would be our main family car (one child and one dog) - in fact it was about the same length as the XF estate it replaced, and only very slightly wider so the footprint was a non-issue. At 2m tall we have to be a bit careful of height restrictions but aside from a very tight French multi storey, we've not had any issues; I think the T7 is a little longer but narrower and lower?
Also we love the fact that it can be parked in normal spaces, so like your plan for your Euro trip is similar to what we do (albeit with more camping for us). Some people we know ask why we've paid so much for a camper to then stay in hotels, but we love the fact that it's as at home on a campsite as a hotel car park and the versatility that brings - last year we did a week camping in Netherlands (Beekse Bergen), followed by a long weekend hotel in Amsterdam, and another few days camping by the beach at Zandvoort and it was perfect; I would not want to spend 14 consecutive nights in a camper van of this size.
Enjoy the adventures!
Also we love the fact that it can be parked in normal spaces, so like your plan for your Euro trip is similar to what we do (albeit with more camping for us). Some people we know ask why we've paid so much for a camper to then stay in hotels, but we love the fact that it's as at home on a campsite as a hotel car park and the versatility that brings - last year we did a week camping in Netherlands (Beekse Bergen), followed by a long weekend hotel in Amsterdam, and another few days camping by the beach at Zandvoort and it was perfect; I would not want to spend 14 consecutive nights in a camper van of this size.
Enjoy the adventures!
Nice.
I'm one of the many people who "daily" a Transporter, albeit an older one (2014), which means I have to get my "weekend" car out for the commute in to central Birmingham's ULEZ. We don't camp in ours, just use it as a big estate that we can throw bike etc into the back and not worry about them.
I'm one of the many people who "daily" a Transporter, albeit an older one (2014), which means I have to get my "weekend" car out for the commute in to central Birmingham's ULEZ. We don't camp in ours, just use it as a big estate that we can throw bike etc into the back and not worry about them.
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