Just so you know Marek, I'm pinning this comment and possibly framing it!

Ah Bob it's your Brother from another Mother

wtf is that about- you two guys are about the only car reviewers apart autoeuropanaples i watch... went on marek`s channel and he has a hour and half long vid about your review lol cheers and check out autoeuropa...you`re in for a treat!

We all secretly envy you. I think Bob Flavin was a little stuck on reviewing the Grand California with a family of four in mind. And I don't get why he is so negative on storage, to me the GC looks to have alot of it (as long as you don't put pots and pans in the over head storage over the bed...)

Now Andy, we are all entitled to an opinion but yours is no more valid than mine so saying that I don’t get camper vans when I’ve been using and testing camper vans for a couple of decades now shows your lack of knowledge about me. Wild camping is the point of this van, there’s a toilet and shower so there has to be a way to heat water. There’s no diesel heater and so there’s only one way to heat the van, the choices are limited for many options. In a T6 I bend down and walk though the whole van, I can’t in the grand version. With the ladder in place there is no access to the living area and very limited access with the upper bed is in place. Maybe you should watch the video again without assuming my knowledge base and understand that this car is very expensive and a complete compromise on everything.

@@BobFlavinVideo I think you can get a diesel heater as an upgrade option if I read the brochure correctly. Plus I think there is one which can heat the water while driving so its hot when you arrive.. again an option.

I can't help thinking the designers went to a trade show with a notebook and wrote down everything they liked but couldn't decide on what to actually make

I've only seen two, the one in this video and the other one VW Ireland has for events. I've never seen one on the road but there's plenty of California's

Bob Flavin I would think if someone here in Ireland is buying a camper, they’re going into continental Europe? We’re only a small island really, so they don’t really have much use domestically,unless you’re a true diehard!

Thanks Darnjem!

Exactly - you can't buy campers anything like as nice as you can build. Pity it takes such a long time...

Exactly my thinking, it's like VW learned nothing from making the standard California. There's so much they could have done with this car but it's ended up trying too hard and achieving nothing

@@BobFlavinVideo I'm not sure you could do a lot more here. As far as I'm concerned it's a mobile toilet :) It's still a 2 adults + 2 kids affair. AFAIR you have kids. I don't. For me the California was an ideal camper van for 2 people, who may want to invite guests over for a dinner and drinks (been there, done that :) ). Raising the roof turns the California into a small living room, and then you don't have to fold the seats etc., because you go sleep upstairs. In this one you can't really have adults over, because as you said, the two fixed seats are uncomfortable. I watched a number of "living in a van' videos, and this size van is a good idea for singles/couples, who really want to live on the road, but shower/toilet is something they do outside. If you want shower/toilet you have to go size larger. That's probably no longer a camper van, but a motorhome, like those Hymer custom things over 3.5 tonnes.

Overpriced for what it is, and badly designed. I’ll stick with my Ocean. Love the realistic review as well btw, that’s what potentially purchasers want to see.

images.app.goo.gl/szZzgAaNJDmnF2XP9

Not as many as you'd like - renting a camper is bloody expensive too. €1200 euro a week in Portugal at a random site I just tried. So €170/day. So about 450 days. That's fine for some people but if you use it a lot you'll be ahead after a few year from buying the thing. But vans with toilets/showers in are generally a bad plan if you ask me. Too much space.

heres an example for comparison ! vanworx.co.uk/vw-kombi-and-camper-conversions/t5-and-t6-camper-conversion-packages/chilli-plus-conversions/

Add very to those prices plus exchange rate from euro to Stirling and they are probably the same as irish prices

Vrt

Sean Fallonfn no they still dont match irish prices actually- you are correct the factory built California doesn't vary too much - but the quality conversions

Sean Fallonfn in uk can save thousands for comparable campers actually