VW Beach first impressions and first camp.

[Grizwald]

First Impressions of the VW T7 California Beach: Our First Camp

We’ve just come back from our first proper camping trip in our VW T7 California Beach, so I thought I’d share some honest first impressions for anyone considering one.

Overall, we’re really pleased with it.

For context, we moved from an electric VW ID.7, which is a genuinely very good car. Comfortable, loads of tech, plenty of kit and ridiculously refined to drive.

The first thing I noticed is that although, on paper, the California isn’t massively bigger, it definitely feels it when you first drive it. You sit higher, it feels wider and you’re more aware of the size, especially parking and manoeuvring.

That said, after a few days it quickly started to feel normal.

What surprised me most is how little I actually miss the ID.7. The ID.7 is objectively a nicer drive in a lot of ways and has more tech than most people will ever use, but honestly, 99% of it I haven’t missed. The California still feels modern, comfortable and easy to live with.

The trade off feels worth it for what the van gives you in return.

We deliberately went for the California Beach rather than the Coast or Ocean.

For us, we wanted a practical family car that could also sleep four when we wanted an adventure. This will be our main family vehicle, not a second leisure vehicle that spends most of its life parked up.

The Beach just made more sense for how we’ll actually use it.

It still works as an everyday people carrier, school run car and family wagon, but with the bonus that you can head off for a weekend and sleep in it.

The Beach felt like the better compromise.

First camp

The first trip was brilliant, although there’s definitely a learning curve.

You quickly realise organisation matters. Space is good for what it is, but you can’t just throw gear everywhere like you might in a tent or caravan. After one trip we were already learning what we actually used and what was unnecessary clutter. I think I'll get an awning. Of nothing else just somewhere to chuck everything into to help with organisation as I felt like I was constantly moving things around, arrival, then to put the ned down then again when the bed got put away.

The pop top is great and there’s something genuinely satisfying about pulling onto site, popping the roof and being set up in minutes. Its a huge hit with our 7 and 10 year old too.

The fridge has been one of those surprisingly brilliant additions too. The beach doesnt come with one. We bought one and it’s already getting used far more than expected. We’ve found ourselves picking the kids up from school, parking up somewhere nice, having dinner and just enjoying being outdoors a bit more. It sounds simple, but it changes how you use the vehicle. It feels less like a car and more like something that encourages you to make the most of your time.

Sleeping was better than expected too. It takes a bit of getting organised and working out where everything goes, but once you get a system I can see it being really good.

Spec I’d recommend

If you’re ordering one, I’d definitely spec the Parking Pack. For something this size it just makes life easier and takes the stress out of tight spaces. Manual roof is up amd down in a matter of seconds.

One option I’m glad we’ve got is the parking heater. I can already tell that’ll massively extend the camping season and make shoulder season trips far more comfortable.

Looking ahead

We’ve got a six week driving holiday around Europe planned this summer and I actually think this is where the California will really come into its own.

For short UK weekends it’s already been great, but having the flexibility to stop where you want, eat when you want, chill out somewhere scenic and have sleeping space with you all the time feels like exactly what this sort of vehicle was designed for.

I think the extra space and versatility will really prove themselves on a longer trip.

Overall

Early days, but after the first camp we’re really happy with it.

For us, it feels like the sweet spot between family car and adventure vehicle. You can still do the practical day to day stuff, but at the same time decide on a Friday that you fancy heading somewhere for the weekend.

That flexibility is probably the thing we like most so far.

 

[Californication69]

Totally agree.
I’ve had 2x California Oceans 6.1.
The 7 drives more like a car.
The beach has loads of extra sleeping room downstairs, and will come into its own when we take away 3 grandsons.
Cooking and eating outside
A very useful day van.
With awning/ chairs and table easily accessible.
I think once you’ve had a Cali, it’s hard to let go of the outdoor feeling with some creature comforts the Cali provides.

 

[steamingkiln]

First Impressions of the VW T7 California Beach: Our First Camp

We’ve just come back from our first proper camping trip in our VW T7 California Beach, so I thought I’d share some honest first impressions for anyone considering one.

Overall, we’re really pleased with it.

For context, we moved from an electric VW ID.7, which is a genuinely very good car. Comfortable, loads of tech, plenty of kit and ridiculously refined to drive.

The first thing I noticed is that although, on paper, the California isn’t massively bigger, it definitely feels it when you first drive it. You sit higher, it feels wider and you’re more aware of the size, especially parking and manoeuvring.

That said, after a few days it quickly started to feel normal.

What surprised me most is how little I actually miss the ID.7. The ID.7 is objectively a nicer drive in a lot of ways and has more tech than most people will ever use, but honestly, 99% of it I haven’t missed. The California still feels modern, comfortable and easy to live with.

The trade off feels worth it for what the van gives you in return.

We deliberately went for the California Beach rather than the Coast or Ocean.

For us, we wanted a practical family car that could also sleep four when we wanted an adventure. This will be our main family vehicle, not a second leisure vehicle that spends most of its life parked up.

The Beach just made more sense for how we’ll actually use it.

It still works as an everyday people carrier, school run car and family wagon, but with the bonus that you can head off for a weekend and sleep in it.

The Beach felt like the better compromise.

First camp

The first trip was brilliant, although there’s definitely a learning curve.

You quickly realise organisation matters. Space is good for what it is, but you can’t just throw gear everywhere like you might in a tent or caravan. After one trip we were already learning what we actually used and what was unnecessary clutter. I think I'll get an awning. Of nothing else just somewhere to chuck everything into to help with organisation as I felt like I was constantly moving things around, arrival, then to put the ned down then again when the bed got put away.

The pop top is great and there’s something genuinely satisfying about pulling onto site, popping the roof and being set up in minutes. Its a huge hit with our 7 and 10 year old too.

The fridge has been one of those surprisingly brilliant additions too. The beach doesnt come with one. We bought one and it’s already getting used far more than expected. We’ve found ourselves picking the kids up from school, parking up somewhere nice, having dinner and just enjoying being outdoors a bit more. It sounds simple, but it changes how you use the vehicle. It feels less like a car and more like something that encourages you to make the most of your time.

Sleeping was better than expected too. It takes a bit of getting organised and working out where everything goes, but once you get a system I can see it being really good.

Spec I’d recommend

If you’re ordering one, I’d definitely spec the Parking Pack. For something this size it just makes life easier and takes the stress out of tight spaces. Manual roof is up amd down in a matter of seconds.

One option I’m glad we’ve got is the parking heater. I can already tell that’ll massively extend the camping season and make shoulder season trips far more comfortable.

Looking ahead

We’ve got a six week driving holiday around Europe planned this summer and I actually think this is where the California will really come into its own.

For short UK weekends it’s already been great, but having the flexibility to stop where you want, eat when you want, chill out somewhere scenic and have sleeping space with you all the time feels like exactly what this sort of vehicle was designed for.

I think the extra space and versatility will really prove themselves on a longer trip.

Overall

Early days, but after the first camp we’re really happy with it.

For us, it feels like the sweet spot between family car and adventure vehicle. You can still do the practical day to day stuff, but at the same time decide on a Friday that you fancy heading somewhere for the weekend.

That flexibility is probably the thing we like most so far.

Making me excited to get mine delivered! I ordered it (July production) hopefully arriving Sept!

 

[stoobthealien]

Totally agree - good write-up - I couldn't manage a car that long without the parking pack (it's standard on anything above the coast). Only point I'd make is that you didn't need to specify the heater as an option - the T7 beach does continuous heating without any option needed

 

[Grizwald]

A bit of an update to my original first impressions now that we’ve had our T7 Beach for a few months and, more importantly, given it a decent test.

Ours is the 150PS diesel DSG Beach and was a stock lease rather than something I specced myself. For us it was always going to be a family car first and camper second, and after living with it for a few months I think that’s exactly where the Beach excels.

We’re currently in Provence as part of our first European road trip in it. We came across on the Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry and have travelled through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Alsace and the French Alps before heading down here, with Troyes and Belgium still to come on the way home.

Ironically, we haven’t actually slept in it once on this trip We booked accommodation throughout and have used the California as our family car and day van. If anything, that has reinforced why this particular version works so well for us.

Driving

Probably its biggest strength.

It really doesn’t feel like driving a van of this size. We’ve done some long days in it fully loaded with four of us, luggage, fridge and all the other assorted rubbish a family manages to bring on a four week trip, and it’s been a very relaxing thing to cover distance in.

Fuel economy is also pretty impressive once it gets onto a proper run. We’ve regularly seen 45 to 50mpg with a mixture of autoroute and other roads, and at one point it was showing around 950km of range, so just under 600 miles.

The flip side is short journeys. At home it does school runs, shopping and general family duties and I can see around 25mpg doing that sort of driving. It’s a heavy diesel vehicle and clearly much happier stretching its legs than pottering around town.

The size has been far less noticeable than I expected. We’ve had it in towns, supermarkets and multistorey car parks and generally haven’t thought much about it. There was one tight ramp that produced a slightly squeaky bum moment, but that’s about it.

The reversing camera is one option I definitely wouldn’t want to be without.

As a family car

This is where the Beach really works for us.

There are four of us so we don’t actually need five seats, but I really like having the option. It means we haven’t bought something permanently restricted to four seats just because it happens to be a camper.

The individual rear seats, twin sliding doors and ability to move or remove seats make it hugely flexible. It still works as a normal family car for most of its life, which was much more important to us than having a full camper kitchen permanently built into it.

It’s also been brilliant as a day base on this trip. We spent a full day at Lake Annecy coming and going from the van. Sandwiches, snacks and cold drinks in the fridge, towels and swimming stuff in the back and a kettle running from our portable power station for a brew.

It’s almost a self contained little base minus the toilet, and I think we’ve got as much use from it that way as we have from actually camping in it.

Camping and sleeping

We did a few nights away in the UK before this trip and four people sleeping in something this size obviously takes a bit of organisation.

An awning makes a big difference because it gives you somewhere to put all the stuff that otherwise needs moving around when the beds come out.

I really like not having the full Coast or Ocean kitchen furniture down one side. The wider downstairs bed and open interior are a big advantage for us.

In fact, after using it for a while I’d happily ditch the rear pull out hob altogether.

It’s probably the least useful part of the van for me. It isn’t particularly powerful and any wind makes it even less effective. We’ve found portable cooking equipment far more useful and personally I don’t really see the appeal of cooking inside something this size anyway, regardless of whether it has one burner or two.

Give me the fridge, storage and power and I’ll sort the cooking separately.

Air conditioning

This trip also taught me something I hadn’t realised about the standard Beach ventilation.

We’ve had temperatures as high as 41°C and initially I hadn’t appreciated that without 3 zone climate the rear vents aren’t providing properly chilled air in the same way as the front.

We discovered this when one of the kids eventually complained

Once we realised what was going on we managed absolutely fine, even in the really high temperatures, but if I was speccing another one I think 3 zone climate would be one of the boxes I’d tick. Proper cooled air in the rear would certainly make things more comfortable for the kids.

Back home in north west England I suspect it would barely cross my mind.

A few niggles

The tailgate is flipping heavy.

It seldom seems to close first time unless I give it a harder slam than I’d really like. I say that as a 6'4" bloke with a bit of weight behind him too

We also had one flat starter battery while in Alsace. I’m still not entirely sure what caused it. We’d been parked for a few days doing only short trips in very hot weather, with various things plugged in and the fridge running. A jump pack got us going again and it hasn’t happened since, so hopefully it was a one off, but it’s something I’m keeping an eye on.

Other than that it has been remarkably uneventful.

Would I have another?

Absolutely.

The slightly unexpected outcome of taking this one on a good lease deal is that I’m already thinking I might actually buy the next one when this lease finishes in two years.

I took a stock vehicle because the deal was good and I wasn’t completely sure how well something like this would work as our main family car.

Now I know.

I think I’d buy another Beach rather than move to a Coast or Ocean, but spec it myself with a couple of things this one is missing, particularly 3 zone climate.

For us the key is that it’s a car first and camper second. If I wanted something primarily to live and travel in for months at a time I’d probably be looking at a proper panel van conversion instead. At this stage I want something that can do all the normal family car stuff for most of the year and then turn into a camper or day van whenever we want it to.

The European trip has probably been the best possible test. Thousands of miles, four people, loads of luggage, autoroutes, mountain roads, towns, multistoreys and temperatures from the Alps to 41°C in the south of France, and it has just quietly got on with everything.

I’m genuinely not sure I’ll want to go back to a normal family car after this.

 

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Glad to hear that is pretty much all working out for you and that you're really seeing the benefits. There is often a lot of nonsense on here on which generation and version of the California is the best, the reality is that the best one is the one that works best for your own setup, use and requirements. A Beach is an amazingly versatile family vehicle.

I fully get your comment about the rear kitchen on the latest Beach, I know that there are people who want to be able to do it but we never cook in the van and all cooking is done outside. I don't think it is available in the UK but here in Germany the current Beach comes in three variants, one of which that does not have the rear pull kitchen. That's the one that would appeal most to me if we ever change to a different California (although a 5.4m or 6.0m van is getting increasingly more attractive to me).