VW California T7, Central Seat for night bed

[LUMINA86]

Dear Californians,
hi from Andy.
I just wanted to post this message for future california t7 beach camper users.
Before buying the california beach camper I was struggling online trying to understand if the lower bed could be used without the central seat.
Somebody know this?
That's because I don't want to change the position of the central seat everytime I stop somewhere for sleeping. And also because, even if its not so heavy, but in the long run, could be painful for my back (IMHO).
The VW dealer didn't know this information. So I wrote directly to VW Germany.
They answered me an email with a signed document, you can find attached in german. I translated with google here:
I'm getting the new California this week so I will try and figure out if they said the truth! so for now, this is just a not verified information, but from VW official.

Here is:

Volkswagen AG • Kundenbetreuung • Brieffach 9051 • 38436 Wolfsburg • Deutschland

Thank you for contacting Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Please excuse the long processing time.
We are pleased to inform you that the middle seat is not required for the use of the bed base in both the California Beach Tour/Camper and the Coast/Ocean.
We wish you happy holidays and a good start to 2025.
We are happy to answer any further questions or suggestions you may have.
Best regards,

Mario Meyer, Angelika Dalchowa

I hope that this can be useful for somebody like me.
Bye!

 

[thatsnotmynaim]

Yes I have the beach and confirm the same, it adds nothing and is not required, as you say it’s a bit of a pain, although you could leave it reversed and folded flat as a table for travel and general use and then just push forward and upright for when the bed is required, but it does take up quite some space and almost get in the way. Not sure when they didn’t make it so it can be left and folded flat like the other two. I do wonder if anyone will make an aftermarket table that can go where a removed central seat goes that is height adjustable and uses the rails.

 

[Kemper-van]

It’s very strange and impractical if you want to use the new Beach with 5 passengers (e.g. family with 3 kids).
If I read correctly, you have to lift up the middle chair every time you switch between driving and sleeping if you’re with 5.
Why didn’t VW simply use the same mechanism as on the left or right seat for folding down??

 

[LUMINA86]

Yes I have the beach and confirm the same, it adds nothing and is not required, as you say it’s a bit of a pain, although you could leave it reversed and folded flat as a table for travel and general use and then just push forward and upright for when the bed is required, but it does take up quite some space and almost get in the way. Not sure when they didn’t make it so it can be left and folded flat like the other two. I do wonder if anyone will make an aftermarket table that can go where a removed central seat goes that is height adjustable and uses the rails.

Thank you!
Yes a little table could be useful!

 

[ElsJan]

Hi, I'm also looking to buy a Beach Camper and this was one of the questions I had, so thank you for the answer.
But I have a related question: Could an owner of a T7 Beach please check for me what the available space is under the mattress when the middle seat is removed (height-width)? Thank you !

 

[thatsnotmynaim]

Hieght is about 44-45cm, the seat base lifts up slightly to make it flat / parrallel to floor when the backrest is laid flat, width is about the same, so ~44cm, depth is quite deep at 100-120cm..

 

[Aldoi]

FWIW I found a Dometic CFX5 35 fits really well in this space with the bed down. The CFX5 45 was just a little too high though (discovered the hard way).

 

[umphrey1012]

FWIW I found a Dometic CFX5 35 fits really well in this space with the bed down. The CFX5 45 was just a little too high though (discovered the hard way).

Thanks for this! This is what I have and really wanted to know how it'd fit, but had resigned myself to just "waiting until pickup and seeing" even though I was finding it hard to do.

 

[ElsJan]

Thank you for your answers! I will probably go for a T6.1, i did a test drive in a T7 and it drives great but compared to my T6 it feels quite a bit maller on the inside, not so much a minivan as a car.

 

[WelshGas]

I presume the middle seat has a built in seat belt.
What about the outer 2 seats, do they also have built in belts?

 

[Aldoi]

I presume the middle seat has a built in seat belt.
What about the outer 2 seats, do they also have built in belts?

They do yes