Considering swapping T6 Ocean for T7 Ocean

[Phil57]

Hi people.
My wife & I are considering trading our T6 204ps 2018 Ocean, 39000 miles. We haven’t seen the T7 yet, but there appears to be a few key omissions from the spec - please can I check if we are correct in our assumptions?
1. The inside table doesn’t appear to be present. We dine on ours, find it very useful. Has it been removed from the spec?
2. Is the wardrobe present? Not clear from the internet.
3. Any spare wheel provision? Punctures are always inconvenient but i have less frustration when I can change a wheel.
4. The T6 has a wonderful fridge - do I understand the T7 is a simple cool box?
5. External table appears to be missing from the sliding door - again, we value this feature
Thanks for your responses- we cannot decide wether to go T6.1 Ocean or T7 Ocean. Engine power isn’t a concern, two sliding doors may be good, but unlikely to compensate for lack of internal table.

 

[Chriskend]

1 the table is used both inside and out, it’s in the boot
2 no wardrobe
3 no spare wheel
4 good fridge, on the max setting I get ice at the back
5 see number 1, there is also a small side table that can be used inside that is located on the side of the fridge ( I have two and they are spot on)

Hope that helps, go and see one

 

[Phil57]

Thanks, yes, we will view. Visited the Motorhome show last week, and decided to continue our 12 years with Californias, hence the process of refreshing our 2018 model. Does the T7 drive differently from T6, I wonder?

 

[Skinnee D]

Hi. Yes the T7 drives very differently. You definitely need to test drive one. We're getting a tdi 150 after 10 happy years with a tdi 204 dsg.

 

[Chriskend]

Thanks, yes, we will view. Visited the Motorhome show last week, and decided to continue our 12 years with Californias, hence the process of refreshing our 2018 model. Does the T7 drive differently from T6, I wonder?

Like night and day, your back will thank you when you get older

 

[Gozzie11]

Like night and day, your back will thank you when you get older

That’s very interesting! I’m 63, 6.0ft and suffer from back issues generally but honestly have never had back pain in our 2024 T6.1 in 20,000 miles and even driving for over 4 hours on occasion! It’s always very comfy!

 

[Phil57]

Like night and day, your back will thank you when you get older

Hmm! I’m looking forward to a more car like driving experience, we’ve done 500 mile days in T5 & T6, back has never suffered, currently it’s 69 years old. Definitely going for a test drive

 

[Gliderbee California 6.1]

Like night and day, your back will thank you when you get older

? I'm 67 and I find the T6.1 a nice comfortable car ... How old must I get before I notice this effect ?

Maybe because my other car is a Defender 90 from 2016?

 

[Chriskend]

? I'm 67 and I find the T6.1 a nice comfortable car ... How old must I get before I notice this effect ?

Maybe because my other car is a Defender 90 from 2016?

I’m not so lucky with my back but it’s a lot softer ride in the t7 and the only things that seize up are my legs after 2hrs of driving

 

[The big K]

My back is 61+ yo, and is regularly subjected to 8 hour drives in our T6.1 Cali here in Oz… the dub seats are by far the most comfortable of our vehicles… find the fold down arm rest really make a difference when on long distance cruises.

 

[Blanco]

Thanks, yes, we will view. Visited the Motorhome show last week, and decided to continue our 12 years with Californias, hence the process of refreshing our 2018 model. Does the T7 drive differently from T6, I wonder?

Made the same decision with ours from 2017. Looked at the T7 and was on the verge of changing to a late model T6.1 but what in the end swung it was the thought of being tied to VW dealerships for servicing and if anything under warranty went wrong.

 

[stoobthealien]

Thanks, yes, we will view. Visited the Motorhome show last week, and decided to continue our 12 years with Californias, hence the process of refreshing our 2018 model. Does the T7 drive differently from T6, I wonder?

Fundamentally the T7 is based on a car platform, the T6 is a van. This brings benefits (greater comfort, greater tech, more adjustable seats, etc) and drawbacks (less payload as it's not a van, a bit less space)

That's why I don't get he binary arguments on here - it's fine to be annoyed with VWs decision but for me personally I want a car like experience as a daily driver as well as a camper so I'm delighted with VW's decision.

 

[Phil57]

Fundamentally the T7 is based on a car platform, the T6 is a van. This brings benefits (greater comfort, greater tech, more adjustable seats, etc) and drawbacks (less payload as it's not a van, a bit less space)

That's why I don't get he binary arguments on here - it's fine to be annoyed with VWs decision but for me personally I want a car like experience as a daily driver as well as a camper so I'm delighted with VW's decision.

to be fair, we already have one car and a Caddy Maxi Life, so really want a van for camping without the size and poor fuel economy of a GC. We've had a T5 Cali, and currently have the T6 Cali. Currently leaning towards keeping it, because I don't really have a VW dealership locally that I can trust, also enjoy not paying the extra £440 expensive vehicle road tax. The T7 looks great for weekends, but I'm not sure it has enough storage capacity for a 3 week trip for us. Plus ours has the comfort mattress downstairs, a safe, 75l fuel tank, and an appropriate table for the cockpit, and a spare wheel which comes in very handy. (punctures experienced in Milan centre on a Saturday evening, Achill Island (not the end of the world, but you can see it from there) & north Norfolk)
We will start hunting for Brandrup T6 goodies and the sliding tray for the boot. Thanks for all the inputs

 

[chockswahay]

Hi @Phil57 I think you may have answered your own question, however you did say you would test drive one…… have you?

I would say do that if you haven’t, then you can make a fully informed decision. Me? I have no axe to grind but I do think the new California is best suited to shorter trips and probably couples only. We looked at one in detail and felt that it could not offer us the comfort and flexibility of our T6.1 Coast.

As it happens we are now selling ours but for different reasons so I am probably not best placed to comment!

Either way, good luck with your plans

 

[Phil57]

Hi @Phil57 I think you may have answered your own question, however you did say you would test drive one…… have you?

I would say do that if you haven’t, then you can make a fully informed decision. Me? I have no axe to grind but I do think the new California is best suited to shorter trips and probably couples only. We looked at one in detail and felt that it could not offer us the comfort and flexibility of our T6.1 Coast.

As it happens we are now selling ours but for different reasons so I am probably not best placed to comment!

Either way, good luck with your plans

Storms Austen & Boelo have made a test drive impossible to date, so this has been a desktop exercise so far. We love our T6 and wanted to see if we would love a T7 more, but it seems the design ingenuity has been focussed more to a weekend suitable camper, perhaps to encourage more GC sales. The compromises we would need to make are too many. FWIW I checked the Marco Polo too, and that won’t work either ( unobtainable anyway!)

 

[Neil_Lisa]

Hi people.
My wife & I are considering trading our T6 204ps 2018 Ocean, 39000 miles. We haven’t seen the T7 yet, but there appears to be a few key omissions from the spec - please can I check if we are correct in our assumptions?
1. The inside table doesn’t appear to be present. We dine on ours, find it very useful. Has it been removed from the spec?
2. Is the wardrobe present? Not clear from the internet.
3. Any spare wheel provision? Punctures are always inconvenient but i have less frustration when I can change a wheel.
4. The T6 has a wonderful fridge - do I understand the T7 is a simple cool box?
5. External table appears to be missing from the sliding door - again, we value this feature
Thanks for your responses- we cannot decide wether to go T6.1 Ocean or T7 Ocean. Engine power isn’t a concern, two sliding doors may be good, but unlikely to compensate for lack of internal table.

I spent £75k after discounts on a new T7 Ocean and wish I’d have bought a used T6.1 as it has everything you need and appears more reliable. please don’t get me wrong, I love my T7 but there are too many things to go wrong with it…

 

[Why Not]

As a newbie to the campervan world I'm intrigued to the differences between the T6.1 and T7 which split opinion. Platform and drive aside, what differences make folks prefer the T6.1?

 

[chockswahay]

As a newbie to the campervan world I'm intrigued to the differences between the T6.1 and T7 which split opinion. Platform and drive aside, what differences make folks prefer the T6.1?

Oh Crikey, now that would be opening a whole can of worms!

Search T7 on here and see for yourself. The split mostly involves those who have had a T6/T6.1 before and those who haven’t………

 

[Why Not]

The split mostly involves those who have had a T6/T6.1 before and those who haven’t………

Then I will be none the wiser never having had a T6 and will hopefully be happy in my naivety!

 

[DessyParkerWigWam]

Hi people.
My wife & I are considering trading our T6 204ps 2018 Ocean, 39000 miles. We haven’t seen the T7 yet, but there appears to be a few key omissions from the spec - please can I check if we are correct in our assumptions?
1. The inside table doesn’t appear to be present. We dine on ours, find it very useful. Has it been removed from the spec?
2. Is the wardrobe present? Not clear from the internet.
3. Any spare wheel provision? Punctures are always inconvenient but i have less frustration when I can change a wheel.
4. The T6 has a wonderful fridge - do I understand the T7 is a simple cool box?
5. External table appears to be missing from the sliding door - again, we value this feature
Thanks for your responses- we cannot decide wether to go T6.1 Ocean or T7 Ocean. Engine power isn’t a concern, two sliding doors may be good, but unlikely to compensate for lack of internal table.

T7 not much more than a day can IMO. Was with dealer the other day saying they are very unpopular and 6.1’s increasing in price as a result!

 

[Skinnee D]

Oh Crikey, now that would be opening a whole can of worms!

Search T7 on here and see for yourself. The split mostly involves those who have had a T6/T6.1 before and those who haven’t………

We had a T6 Ocean for 10 years and have decided that the T7 Ocean works for us. I'd say that personal situation, usage and preferences have a significant bearing. We do lengthy roadtrips of two months or more

 

[Phil57]

We had a T6 Ocean for 10 years and have decided that the T7 Ocean works for us. I'd say that personal situation, usage and preferences have a significant bearing. We do lengthy roadtrips of two months or more

Interesting! We reached the opposite conclusion after 12 years T5&T6. That said, the option to remove one rear seat & two sliding doors was very attractive to us, and I do like a modern vehicle. Perhaps we will change our mind in the future.

 

[chockswahay]

Then I will be none the wiser never having had a T6 and will hopefully be happy in my naivety!

If it works for and you are happy then really just ignore what everyone else says and enjoy it

 

[Why Not]

If it works for and you are happy then really just ignore what everyone else says and enjoy it

That's the plan...

On a different subject, your avatar intrigues. Is that the day job?

 

[Phil57]

T7 not much more than a day can IMO. Was with dealer the other day saying they are very unpopular and 6.1’s increasing in price as a result!

Yes. I noticed T6.1s are getting very close to T7 in price, even exceeding the petrol T7 price. FWIW, we use a Honda hybrid which is great - VWs hybrid T7 looks a terrible option. And the petrol option, well, has anyone actually bought one??