First VW California hybrid on sale now
Planning a staycation with the family this summer? VW's first PHEV camper can be ordered from today
We all know VW Californias are big business; from April to September every year you’ll do well to avoid them within 50 miles of the sea. Old ones, new ones, middle aged ones - there are always plenty. The ID. Buzz may be the fun new electric thing, but with strong residuals and a great image, it’s easy to see why folk keep hold of the traditional buses. You might remember last year came a big change for the Cali, with hybrid power introduced. Now that PHEV model, the California eHybrid 4MOTION, is on sale in the UK. Nothing better, surely, for this year’s summer hols.
As a reminder, the van boasts a 245hp combination of 1.5-litre four-cylinder and electric motor, the latter supplied by a 19.7kWh battery. Officially there’s an EV range of 54 miles, which should be more than enough for pottering around the campsite or the local lanes of chocolate box cottages. VW suggests that the towing capacity of up to 1,600kg is ‘perfect for those with motorbikes or boats in tow.’ For when the kids are staying with grandparents, perhaps.
UK customers will be offered Beach Camper, Coast and range-topping Ocean models, with all getting sliding doors on both sides, a mini kitchen, an auxiliary heater and a host of in-car charging options. A Type 2 cable is included for replenishing the hybrid battery wherever some charge can be snuck in.
We say that only because, in best California tradition, the new hybrid doesn’t come cheap. Prices kick off at £71,295 for the Beach Camper, £78,495 for the Coast, or £85,395 for the Ocean. So, uh, best really like staying in a van. And think of the residuals. To soften the blow, there are zero per cent finance offers, albeit only on the Beach Camper and with a £35k deposit. Still, you can bet on the seaside being flooded by them in due course. And if more than £70k seems too much for a new holiday home on wheels, don’t forget those Californias that have been pre-loved…
Veblen goods need to have a market, and I think this one doesn't.
VW's hubris is vividly on display here. It is not as if the styling recaptures an earlier era. This is just a stupidly expensive van with an underspec'd factory camper adaptation.
No wonder they are in financial trouble.
I can see these ending up in rental fleets with VW offering massive incentives for AVIS and Hertz to take them off their hands.
It may be a shock to you but other types of holiday are still available to camper types so it's not like they're missing out.
Not a Cali but a few years ago we bought a Transporter camper, spent nearly 20k on it and when we sold got every single penny back.
These may not be your thing, but don't assume people are stupid because they love these things.
Each to their own?
This misses that market IMO.
It may be a shock to you but other types of holiday are still available to camper types so it's not like they're missing out.
Not a Cali but a few years ago we bought a Transporter camper, spent nearly 20k on it and when we sold got every single penny back.
These may not be your thing, but don't assume people are stupid because they love these things.
Each to their own?
I would happily buy one of these, use it 4-5 times a year. On the times I’m on a “normal holiday “ in a hotel room, the California would be rented out.
Not done the manmaths on it (suspect they would be Clarksonesque Maths) but i would expect it would be fairly cost neutral.
End of 3-4-8 years i get rid, itch scratched, and the crazy residuals are in my favour.
It’s very much a lifestyle choice i would say.
This misses that market IMO.
Then when they can't make the payments or afford to fix it when it's tired old engine gives up you buy it back off them for 50p in the pound and repeat.
A friend of mine is making an excellent living from that model, he thought he'd died and gone to heaven during COVID when you could get £30k for the same heaps.
VW Campervans appear to be the perfect mechanism to part people from money with a lifecycle starting when VAG charge this much for one with a Polo drivetrain to bottom feeders like my friend mlking people with Instagram dreams and Instant Mash budgets. He also sells other makes of van converted for literally half the price to capture the non bellend sector of the camper market who want the camper and holidays rather than the "imagine" of the VW.
Then when they can't make the payments or afford to fix it when it's tired old engine gives up you buy it back off them for 50p in the pound and repeat.
A friend of mine is making an excellent living from that model, he thought he'd died and gone to heaven during COVID when you could get £30k for the same heaps.
This misses that market IMO.
Then when they can't make the payments or afford to fix it when it's tired old engine gives up you buy it back off them for 50p in the pound and repeat.
A friend of mine is making an excellent living from that model, he thought he'd died and gone to heaven during COVID when you could get £30k for the same heaps.
VW Campervans appear to be the perfect mechanism to part people from money with a lifecycle starting when VAG charge this much for one with a Polo drivetrain to bottom feeders like my friend mlking people with Instagram dreams and Instant Mash budgets. He also sells other makes of van converted for literally half the price to capture the non bellend sector of the camper market who want the camper and holidays rather than the "imagine" of the VW.
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