Advice and help before buying our first T7 Ocean

[ZiggTravel]

Hi, looking to buy a T7 Ocean that would also double as daily car, but struggling to make decision on the engine model. Don’t fancy going diesel for daily short trips, and like the idea of 4WD, so the Hybrid sounds ideal. However, worried about the reduced payload, especially when going on a longer trip with a drive away awning for extra room (bearing in mind we have heavy paddle boards as well as everything else) and the smaller engine if it runs out of battery. If anybody has any experience or advice to help us choose, we would really appreciate it.

 

[Skinnee D]

Hi. We originally planned on the ehybrid, but do a lot of remote touring eg Scottish highlands and islands etc, where from recent experience regular charging just wouldn't be a practical expectation.

So we did opt for an "old" (Euro 6) diesel T7 in the end, coming at the end of Aug. I plan to use a fuel additive such as Millers Ecomax which cleans the combustion syatem and reduces soot.

At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and petsonal usage. Our car is a plug-in hybrid and we love it

 

[WelshGas]

Hi, looking to buy a T7 Ocean that would also double as daily car, but struggling to make decision on the engine model. Don’t fancy going diesel for daily short trips, and like the idea of 4WD, so the Hybrid sounds ideal. However, worried about the reduced payload, especially when going on a longer trip with a drive away awning for extra room (bearing in mind we have heavy paddle boards as well as everything else) and the smaller engine if it runs out of battery. If anybody has any experience or advice to help us choose, we would really appreciate it.

You never run out of EV battery as the EV drive is always used for low speed manoeuvres in place of 1st and Reverse and 4 wheel drive when required. The EV battery will be charged by the IC engine if required.
Although the dashboard may show 0 EV miles the EV battery still maintains 20% or so capacity for the above requirements.
As far as payload that's a decision for you to make.

 

[Adam8374]

The ehybrid is great. I just did 950km in a day and it drives awesome. Consumption 8.5l/100km. It's great to be able to choose both fuels, whichever option is currently better. The paylod: yes, it's not much. But start buying ultralight equipment. Tink about every kg. I was worried initially, but have been able to fit comfortably. Then, there is an option to let the payload increased. The total weight can be lifted to 3.5kgs. You need to fit new springs and dampers. And new wheels. There are specialized companies that arrange everything

 

[Souter]

Hi. We originally planned on the ehybrid, but do a lot of remote touring eg Scottish highlands and islands etc, where from recent experience regular charging just wouldn't be a practical expectation.

So we did opt for an "old" (Euro 6) diesel T7 in the end, coming at the end of Aug. I plan to use a fuel additive such as Millers Ecomax which cleans the combustion syatem and reduces soot.

At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and petsonal usage. Our car is a plug-in hybrid and we love it

We have a T7 Coast DSG 150 Diesel and are getting an average of 45mpg covering all driving.
I havent put any additives in the tank but use the better quality diesel.

 

[Dixiewixie]

We had similar concerns but they have dissipated post purchase. We use as a daily driver without issue - haven’t worried re charging on long trips - charge at home but once it runs out of electric in hybrid mode it works perfectly well with enough grunt and economy in petrol mode. Been up and down the alps within 0% charge (although it added 20 miles range to battery on the way down ).

We did nearly 3 weeks away in Europe and had space for everything including a double kayak / paddles / awning etc.. we always keep the seating areas front and back free of ‘stuff’ as well.

Four wheel drive is great as well. Honestly have not noticed a reduction in practical range from our T6 diesel.

 

[ZiggTravel]

Thank you all so much for your replies. They are very much appreciated, with great advice which will help our decision making. We do feel a lot more confident now in choosing the Hybrid with 4 wheel drive, especially after reading of Dixiewixie's experiences in going up & down the Alps. Thanks for that Dixiewixie.
WelshGas confirmed how this would work too, thanks.

Although the first reply (Skinnee D) re the Scottish Highlands and Islands raises a good point, as this is also where we travel a lot. We weren't aware of the option for a fuel additive to help keep the diesel engine clean either.

Hopefully, you'll soon be reading that we've made a final decision

 

[Georgeo]

Fuel additive or snake oil.

 

[stoobthealien]

Re the diesel - I wanted a 5 seat beach so couldn't get the hybrid and ended up with diesel. We live in a suburb of Newcastle and it's our daily driver as well as obviously going on trips every couple of weeks. Have had no clogging issues etc even in winter with less long distance travel.

 

[Californication69]

If you want a free death trap in the back don’t tick the 3 zone climate option.
Without it, you can only cool the front two passengers down.
There is no air con unit in the rear, no vents with cold air. It’s like a free sauna.

So choose the 3 zone climatic control, I can’t believe VW released a 4 / 5 seater without the additional air condenser in the rear.

 

[Poobarr]

I had a similar question. As I’ve just come out of a four motion which had the EGRDPF issues. I looked at the hybrid, but as we travel abroad with at least three of us, plus bikes and surfboards the payload was going to be way over, and that was without thinking about water and other factors (the headroom is so small on the hybrid). I think you probably be fine in the UK but for going over tolls in Europe then you might want to think about this seriously and check your potential liability. As I do quite a bit of local driving and then some of the longer haul I end up going with the petrol engine as I was willing to pay a bit more in fuel for the benefit of not having all the diesel engine hassle the payload and potential complications of the hybrid. That being said the one I was trying to purchase VW couldn’t get the file to load to upgrade of the engine leisure battery software sorted, so I think whichever one you buy there’s going to be some complications.

Concerning the Climate Control if you’re going for an ocean, my understanding is there is no issue as it comes with the full front and rear independent climate as standard.


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[P600BOO]

Hi, looking to buy a T7 Ocean that would also double as daily car, but struggling to make decision on the engine model. Don’t fancy going diesel for daily short trips, and like the idea of 4WD, so the Hybrid sounds ideal. However, worried about the reduced payload, especially when going on a longer trip with a drive away awning for extra room (bearing in mind we have heavy paddle boards as well as everything else) and the smaller engine if it runs out of battery. If anybody has any experience or advice to help us choose, we would really appreciate it.

I considered the PHEV but it is very pricey.
I have gone for the T7 California Ocean with the petrol engine, electric doors and drop fown towbar. Hope to pick it up in the next 10 days, thats if my car sells on Monday. Selling it by Carwow.

 

[Neil_Lisa]

Hi, looking to buy a T7 Ocean that would also double as daily car, but struggling to make decision on the engine model. Don’t fancy going diesel for daily short trips, and like the idea of 4WD, so the Hybrid sounds ideal. However, worried about the reduced payload, especially when going on a longer trip with a drive away awning for extra room (bearing in mind we have heavy paddle boards as well as everything else) and the smaller engine if it runs out of battery. If anybody has any experience or advice to help us choose, we would really appreciate it.

We bought a t7 Ocean diesel 150ps as we felt it was the best value for money.. The van is great and averages 40-45mpg even at 70 mph cruising. Takes time to wind her up but a leisurely cruiser.

We opted for tow bar, and fully electric doors, Alcatara seats. Only problem we seem to have a parasitic power drain on the main battery and can’t access the vehicle from the app when not in the car which makes it pointless.

 

[MikeCW]

We have had the eHybrid T7 for about 8
Months now. The drivetrain and driving performance is superb, when on country roads from home with a full charge I can average 70-80mpg

My only watchword would be, if you are planning to use the van in winter, try out the heater. Ours exhibits a constant tapping sound all night which my wife and I find difficult to sleep with. VW describe this as a “characteristic” of the ehybrid!

 

[Skinnee D]

Fuel additive or snake oil.

It's important to choose a reputable product

 

[Caliali63]

We bought a t7 Ocean diesel 150ps as we felt it was the best value for money.. The van is great and averages 40-45mpg even at 70 mph cruising. Takes time to wind her up but a leisurely cruiser.

We opted for tow bar, and fully electric doors, Alcatara seats. Only problem we seem to have a parasitic power drain on the main battery and can’t access the vehicle from the app when not in the car which makes it pointless.

About to try the Cali app, it’s Bluetooth so it’s dependent on range - I’m hoping that it works with doors open doing a roof down operation from the outside..

 

[WelshGas]

We have had the eHybrid T7 for about 8
Months now. The drivetrain and driving performance is superb, when on country roads from home with a full charge I can average 70-80mpg

My only watchword would be, if you are planning to use the van in winter, try out the heater. Ours exhibits a constant tapping sound all night which my wife and I find difficult to sleep with. VW describe this as a “characteristic” of the ehybrid!

They all do it, since the T5. It is the fuel pump for the Diesel/Petrol Parking Heater.

 

[Paul Burgess]

We have had the eHybrid T7 for about 8
Months now. The drivetrain and driving performance is superb, when on country roads from home with a full charge I can average 70-80mpg

My only watchword would be, if you are planning to use the van in winter, try out the heater. Ours exhibits a constant tapping sound all night which my wife and I find difficult to sleep with. VW describe this as a “characteristic” of the ehybrid!

I borrowed a petrol version in January and that did the same tapping. Drive me mad as it’s right under where you sleep downstairs (pumping fuel from the tank apparently). Do you or anyone else know if the diesel models are the same or quieter?

 

[Paul Burgess]

They all do it, since the T5. It is the fuel pump for the Diesel/Petrol Parking Heater.

My T6.1 didn’t or at least it didn’t bother me. The sound on that was from the front not the rear and all I could hear was the sound of the air through the vent. Are all T7’s pumps at the back then? (I seem to remember housed in the spare wheel well?)

 

[BeachTourCH]

If you can stretch to it, I’d 100% recommend going for the e-Hybrid.

It actually wasn’t our first choice, and we nearly didn’t get it, but because we needed 4WD where we live, the e-Hybrid ended up being the only real option for us. Having now lived with it and camped through some pretty punishing heat in Italy this summer, I’m very glad we did.

The biggest surprise has been the ability to run the air conditioning while parked. Before bed we could cool the van right down to around 16°C before everyone climbed in — genuinely cold enough that we had condensation on the outside of the windows — and then run it again for another 30 minutes if needed. The 30-minute timer can simply be restarted, and I believe the newer e-Hybrid may allow it to run for longer.

The other big win is charging while camping. We brought the right charging setup and can reduce the charging current to 8 or 10 amps, so it just trickle-charges overnight. Most mornings we’d wake up with roughly 80 km of electric range available for the next day. It meant a lot of our local driving around campsites and towns could be done entirely on electric.

I’m sure campsite owners may have mixed feelings about people charging, although we were paying for the electricity and otherwise using very little!

So, coming from someone who originally wasn’t particularly interested in the hybrid at all: if the budget allows, I think it’s absolutely worth it. The combination of 4WD, electric driving and especially the stationary air-con has turned out to be far more useful for camping than I expected.

 

[BeachTourCH]

I should have added as well that ours is the Beach Tour rather than the Ocean, I think the Beach Tour is a Europe-only model.

Not sure how much difference that makes to the comparison, but we also use ours as our daily driver and it’s been fantastic for day-to-day use as well as camping.

 

[Chriskend]

Yup our diesel heater does the same but we don’t find it intrusive but rather expected it

 

[WelshGas]

My T6.1 didn’t or at least it didn’t bother me. The sound on that was from the front not the rear and all I could hear was the sound of the air through the vent. Are all T7’s pumps at the back then? (I seem to remember housed in the spare wheel well?)

I believe the fuel pump and heater are positioned to the rear on the T7 California rather than below the Drivers seat RHD on its predecessors. Some T6.1 owners have complained of noisy pumps. Personally it didn't bother me on my T5.1, found it reassuring.

 

[DRHS125]

If you want a free death trap in the back don’t tick the 3 zone climate option.
Without it, you can only cool the front two passengers down.
There is no air con unit in the rear, no vents with cold air. It’s like a free sauna.

So choose the 3 zone climatic control, I can’t believe VW released a 4 / 5 seater without the additional air condenser in the rear.

The Ocean (& Coast) model comes with the 3-zone as standard, so not an issue for the OP.

 

[stoobthealien]

I borrowed a petrol version in January and that did the same tapping. Drive me mad as it’s right under where you sleep downstairs (pumping fuel from the tank apparently). Do you or anyone else know if the diesel models are the same or quieter?

We get a ticking noise on the diesel towards the rear from the pump. I normally use loop earplugs in the van anyway! Can always sleep the other way if needed