VW GRAND CALIFORNIA - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly !

Рет қаралды 9,374

11 ай бұрын

In our time with the VW Grand California we discovered some real pros and cons in its design and fit out, enough to help us make a decision if it could be our next choice of campervan.
#campervan #vwcalifornia #motorhome #camping
We hired the Grand California. Check out www.breezecampers.co.uk for the full details of their rental fleet.
@BreezeCampers
@breeze_campers
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We are JT, Harry, Claire, Sam and Ben, oh and Hunny the Dog. We discovered campervanning in 2015 when we bought our first Volkswagen T5 Combo after seeing many at our favourite campsites. We were staying with our tent, and dreaming that one day we would have our own Campervan. After much research, we bought and converted our own T5 Kombi to suit our requirements, check out the video on the channel. We soon discovered that owning a Campervan is a way of life and it is not just about amazing trips round Europe, it’s as much about great days out and family time…
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Пікірлер: 53

@FrancesWoodcock Ай бұрын

I agree with your point about storage in the kitchen area & the need for a step up to the bed but despite those points we love our GC 600

@CampervanJourney Ай бұрын

Hi Frances, thanks for watching and taking the time to respond with your thoughts. Good to hear that you are pleased with your GC. Despite the negatives, the positives of our experience still mean that the GC600 keeps popping back onto our list of potential replacements for our T6, especially now that the update for the Crafter is due...cheers JT

@soulstyledevon 11 ай бұрын

I’m glad you rented JT. There’s a lot said similar to my experience with bigger vans. But I have to say, our Blue Evo Hymer looks a lot better than the GC. There’s no escaping the fact, once you add a bathroom to a van, it eats up loads of useable space. I’m now 8 months into ownership and still haven’t used the shower. I’m about to do a Euro trip and once we get back. The hymer is going and we will convert a Crafter without a bathroom. Keep searching, keep posting 👍🏾

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

Cheers ! Hope you have a great trip this summer. Will your new crafter be the same length as the Hymer ?

@soulstyledevon 11 ай бұрын

@@CampervanJourney it will be slightly longer. The Fiat is 5,40m the Crafter is just shy of 6m. We haven’t decided yet about fitting a Poptop or plan B a decent roof tent. This is where I would sleep. Mum and boy inside the van on the comfy bed.

@lenux112 Ай бұрын

For us shower has been most used feauture :D Nothing beats to going to a gas station for a water and daily shower at the same time to refill water again.

@sinewaymusic 11 ай бұрын

As a new owner of the GC600, I pretty much agree with every point you made. I wish the storage was a bit more thought out, especially in the kitchen area. Coming from a caravan, we have to really rethink our kitchen needs and probably buy smaller pans and pots. With two kids, it would have been way too much work to go with anything smaller than this so for us, the California Ocean wouldn't have been a viable option anyway, but Fiat Ducato-based vans would have. There are some interesting options in that world that we considered, such as the Globe Traveler Voyager ZS. However, that model is nearly impossible to come buy where we live so the choice was obvious in the end. We've only owned our GC600 for a week and have yet to make our virgin trip. Fingers crossed it will be a pleasant experience. 😊

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

I hope the GC works for you, I was really disappointed that it didn't hit the spot for us. Everyone's requirements are slightly different and there will always be a compromise. I think we are going to have to revisit the Ducato based vans. I have heard of the globe traveller but only seen one very briefly, so not had the chance for a close up look. Hope you have a great first trip away and enjoy the summer setting in with your new GC. Thanks for watching and taking the time to get in touch. Cheers JT

@sinewaymusic 11 ай бұрын

@@CampervanJourney Another similar layout is the Weinsberg Carabus 600 MQH. Coming from a Weinsberg caravan, I've come to appreciate their no-nonsense simplicity and practicality. It looks like it has much more space in the kitchen without really sacrificing anything else. Again, for us it was more about the factor of immediate availability - if we were able to compare the GC600 and the Weinsberg side by side, perhaps we would have made a different choice. That said, I have to say that the VW Crafter is much more enjoyable to drive than a Fiat Ducato, so although you seem to sacrifice some space and convenient storage, it's not like the Fiats aren't full of other compromises too. I love the adaptive cruise control, the automatic gear box and the powerful engine. I love that it comes with both a diesel and truma heater, and that the step comes out automatically. The fridge layout is also really convenient and makes accessing the stuff at the far back a breeze. And finally, the bed is the most comfortable one I've tried in any van so far. I guess there is no such thing as a perfect campervan! But we sure are lucky to own one. 😊 Cheers from Sweden

@travelcampervansandmore 11 ай бұрын

@@CampervanJourney Hi JT, did you have a look at the Family Van from Dreamer on Autotrader? Now sold as they never stay long as so rare. Maybe you should make a trip to Caravan Salon.

@cathrynroberts7753 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing 😊

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

No problem, thanks for watching!

@philipevans1027 9 ай бұрын

The ih crafter conversation is stunning

@CampervanJourney 9 ай бұрын

I'm not aware of that one, do you have more details ? JT

@juanamestoy1930 23 күн бұрын

Hermoso video Gustavo! Gracias por compartir!👏👏👏👏👏😎👍🤩

@CampervanJourney 22 күн бұрын

Thank you so much, that’s very kind !

@ABC-yd9nd 11 ай бұрын

Thanks JT, I appreciate your efforts to present your experience with the GC 600.

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

My pleasure! Thanks for watching. Not a very exciting video, but we learnt so much from having spent a proper amount of time with it...cheers JT

@stevemitchell8716 11 ай бұрын

Great review JT.

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

Cheers Steve!

@dcrilley9624 13 күн бұрын

Thanks for the review. I've kept an open mind and this afternoon been to test drive a 600 with your review in mind. It's a sweetie to drive. That is not where the van struggles at all. It is the interior fittings. I can only echo the several major problems in the design and layout of this van that you have itemised.. It is a colossal disappointment. The wall mounted cabinets are abysmal. In principle, splitting the cabinets to upper/lower should help with organisation but every one of the upper cabinets has a 2/3 inch beam running through it. The beam is two inches on its top side , three inches on its lower side and ruins every one of the lockers. The beam means that items are necessarily pushed forwards and renders all of them substandard. It is easy to see why a net is placed in the rear locker. The reality is that every locker needs some restraining device. The catches are pitiful and temperamental from the outset. The kitchen is a dud for the size of van. There are just two little cuboid drawers which will not fit big pans or much at all. The fridge system takes up a disproportionate amount of the kitchen block for the volume of cold storage on offer. The lower slide out section has low walls and I can easily envisage items getting thrown backward into the rear of the fridge void when in the mountains. The reality , sadly, is that the kitchenette in my T6 California is not only easier to use but has more storage space than this disappointing version. The whole kitchenette unit jibbered noisily throughout the test drive even on the smoothest bits of tarmac. The only reason to buy and compromise is that there is a demo fleet out there with nearly no miles on the odometer being sold at 66-72k via the VW dealers and, tragically, in the current market that is starting to look 'reasonable'.

@CampervanJourney 11 күн бұрын

Glad you got to test drive the GC600, but sorry to hear you came away wit the same misgivings as we did. I really struggled with how poorly the interior seemed to be designed in some areas. It was a real surprise and disappointment, especially as we wanted to like it. I was hoping that the update coming soon was going to address some of these issues, but it does not look like that will be the case. I'd love to be proved wrong ! Thanks again for taking the time to share your detailed thoughts. JT

@jeremysymonds2954 11 ай бұрын

Very interesting review and to hire before you buy makes perfect sense. IMHO you have revealed some genuine problems around the bed/toilet access, general storage and particularly kitchen storage which when combined with some of the feedback from owners about water ingress and the dealers ability to remedy problems I think I would be looking elsewhere. Malibu, Westfalia, Hymer, Dreamer and Knaus are all good options and it appears that availability is starting to ease a little. I purchased a new Weinsberg CaraBus 600 MQ with a pop up roof 11 months ago. We wanted a wide fixed rear bed (152cm) and the option of the pop up roof means we can take a couple of grandchildren away. The pop up Is heated by the blown air system but probably won’t be great in the winter… yet to be tested. We have a 150 litre fridge and have had to buy a folding step to ease entry to the rear bed but thankfully the step doesn’t interfere with the toilet door or fridge opening (The fridge has a slide out bottle drawer at the bottom). So far we are thrilled to bits and no issues. Out Ducat is the 140hp manual, would have preferred auto but none around at the time. Goos luck with decision making, will be interesting to see which way you go.

@CampervanJourney 10 ай бұрын

Hi ! Thanks for your feedback, I felt having been convinced that we were going to opt for a GC, and then finding out during and after the hire that it was not going to be the van that we thought it was seemed an important lesson to share. I have heard of Weinsberg but not come across their vans in person, so will have to check them out, perhaps at the next NEC show. I do like the idea of a poptop rather than the extended roofline design. Thanks for watching and getting in touch. Cheers JT

@TheLittleRedCali 11 ай бұрын

Apart from letting me go the toilet in peace I’m not really sure why I’d go with the Grand over the Ocean. Hiring one first is definitely the way to go though when investing so much money. Great review. 👍

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

Thanks! Hiring it was such a valuable thing to do. It enabled us to make an informed decision before committing to something that we could have ordered and end up being disappointed with. Thanks for watching, cheers JT

@benlamachine4042 11 ай бұрын

Hi JT , we rented this "Grand cali" summer 2021 , 2 weeks ( Family of Three , Mix of wild and camping pitches ) just before delivery of our T6.1 COAST . Fully agree about Storages lakes and crazy lockers ... Bath not so Pratical and upper bed access not easy , even for 12 old Son ! And during night , wake up for bath facilities with Mezza bed Scale on place , well .... But Driving experience is a very good surprise , and this VW is catch eyes ! Finally VW is only a "newbee" in this kind of proposal , not as smart as T5/T6 . There is a strong competition indeed ( Fiat Ducato , Ford transit ) with more Easy access features in general ( dual space bath , pop up roof like T6 )

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

Hi Ben ! If you tried for two weeks, you had an even better test than me. I think you are right, a Fiat Ducato or Transit base van with a pop top may be where we need to look next...watch this space....! cheers JT

@benlamachine4042 11 ай бұрын

@@CampervanJourney In this kind of "premium" budget , HYMER Free ( blue evo ) on Mercedes sprinter is very attractive also . For good deal , with very good ratio quality/price i confirm ADRIA for short list , with very smart mobile partition inside Bath ,

@CampervanJourney 9 ай бұрын

Good tip, I'd like to get a close up look at the Hymer Blue on the sprinter platform....

@colinsavidge9121 11 ай бұрын

Good review, confirms my view that the T6 cali is the sweet spot.

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

You could be right Colin…

@pt712 11 ай бұрын

Really difficult van to beat. No matter which site we've been on there has always been a lot of interest in the T6

@chrisken8902 10 ай бұрын

Big deep fridge is good. Imagine driving through wilderness with no shops on the way. You can always turn your fridge off and use it as a regular shelf. Definitely rent before buying !!!

@CampervanJourney 10 ай бұрын

That’s a good point, hadn’t thought of using the fridge as a cupboard. Good idea ….!

@markdami 11 ай бұрын

Solution to the storage: pack Harry off to boarding school and get a 680 😎

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

If I have to pay those fees, there definitely won’t be a new van 🤣🤣🤣

@jandeweerdt2865 11 ай бұрын

Wij hadden een T6 california en rijden nu sinds 2 jaar een GC 680. Tip, maak in iedere grijze kast een extra legplank. Hierdoor wordt het opbergen een stuk makkelijker. Kijk ook eens naar de KZfaq filmpjes van Fan4van

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Cheers JT

@johnsydenham3236 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the information. My wife and I are awaiting delivery of a two Berth 600, having changed from a T6.1. I agree with all points good and bad but came to the conclusion that the cons can be overcome. I am hoping there is room to secure one narrow, very narrow step to the board under the bed. We think the windscreen blind is an extremely poor design. How did you guys find it ? I am pondering whether to buy an aftermarket internal thermal blind before taking delivery, something I would normally not do. I also think the van is better suited to a 2 berth from a storage consideration. I was amazed at only one leisure battery hence we will consider changing the leisure battery to lithium and hopefully add an additional solar panel, we mainly wild camp. The game changer for us was: full headroom, fixed bed and as we are well into our seventies the ability to pea in the middle of town without pulling the blinds down. Also no inverter and levelling guide. We definitely require an inverter and have been advised the conversions mentioned are doable, hay Ho more expense.

@CampervanJourney 10 ай бұрын

You're welcome, hope you found it useful, thanks for watching and taking the time to get in touch. There was so much to like about the GC600 and for many I am sure the cons can be overcome as you say, or adaptations can be made. You are probably right that the 2 berth config deals with some of the storage issues we found as well. But as you may know, at the moment, we do need 3 if not 4 berths... Whilst the blinds weren't great, they did the job. The installation of the windscreen blind was a bit fiddly, you have to clip it over the sunvisors, but it did block out most light and being a fabric sheet, folded up pretty small. We have a really good exterior screen cover from Pucer screens for our T6, but it is bulky in comparison. We didn't investigate the power / battery much, but were away for 3 days with no EHU and the solar panel combined with driving kept us charged up just fine. If we did buy one, I would definitely investigate lithium. I hope you enjoy the new van when it arrives, please continue to watch the channel and maybe even consider subscribing, hope to hear how your getting on with your new van in the future. Cheers JT

@Goldenretrieverandacampervan 11 ай бұрын

We are delighted with our Adria Twin, if it’s still on your shortlist would recommend you hire one 👍🏻

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

Thats great to hear. I think we will definitely have to an adria...it was always on our shortlist. Are the travelling seats any better...?

@Goldenretrieverandacampervan 11 ай бұрын

@@CampervanJourney Only the two of us so the bench seat doesn’t get used whilst travelling but seems comfy when sitting. Abacus motorhomes hire them if you’re down south

@benlamachine4042 11 ай бұрын

one of my neighboor is also very happy with ADRIA , his model is 640 with twin beds . Strong quality and very nice Finish , and mobile partition inside bath is very smart

@CampervanJourney 9 ай бұрын

Abacus are local to us, so I will check them out....thanks for the tip. JT

@CampervanJourney 9 ай бұрын

Another vote for the Adria, good to hear....!

@thecaravandad8489 11 ай бұрын

Good review. I agree the drive is great and there certainly are some positives over similarly sized alternatives. We owned a GC 600 and unfortunately had a lot of issues with it which include, failed kitchen tap, failed step (x2 ongoing), failed external toilet flap, failed roof window blind, hand brake issues, and water ingress through the seal that joins the van body to the GRP roof which resulted in water pouring into and through the van and coming out of the handles on both 'A' Pillars. It took VW some 5 months to source and attempt to resolve the water ingress which involved a total reseal of the roof. A common issued we learned through the forums. In our experience the dealerships are still not up to speed on how to resolve issues with the vehicle. There are also so many design oddities, one of which you mentioned in your review (ie limited accessible storage, poor fastenings etc) and with the need for a step up to the rear bed impeding the toilet door. We also found that the ladder location to reach the upper bed also impedes the toilet door and access through the van. The lounge uncomfortable with the narrow bolt upright rear chairs and limited leg room, and the table way too large/heavy with no logical to store it. VW solution lug it to the rear bed every time to travel!. Clothes also fall out of the small shallow overhead lockers when opened. Water inlet flap in the location where the sliding door opens, matter of time before the flap is sheared off. All in all a great base vehicle, however not very well thought out with some significant design flaws (roof seal problems). We did have our seal replaced, however it was poorly done by the dealership and did not look like the factory seal. With the amount of other owners with the same ongoing issue we were concerned that this would be a reoccurring problem. We owned a beach previously and loved it. Just replaced the GC 600 with an Ocean and no regrets.

@CampervanJourney 11 ай бұрын

Thank you ! I was concerned it was coming over a bit negative. There are some very good aspects of the GC, it's just as a camper van for us, the negatives outweigh the positives. I am so sorry to hear of all the issues you have had. Many of them I have read about online, and I would be lying if they didn't have some impact on our decision. Fortunately, if we had bought one, I believe we would have been living close to one of the more knowledgeable dealers. Breeze in Poole have a very good California Expert in their workshop team... Thanks for sharing your experience, and taking the time to leave your thoughts. You're not the first who has gone back to an Ocean after a GC. cheers JT

@elliotcrilley 12 күн бұрын

That is really a tale of woe! I spent Wednesday in a GC. I’m dumbfounded by the design deficiencies in all storage areas bar those beneath the beds. Never has so much cabinetry delivered so little usable space. The baton in all upper cupboards ruins them all. I’m really disappointed . In the current crazy market nearly new GC’s can be had for 66-70k. Reading your experience indicates that purchase may truly become false economy

@seanfallon4580 9 ай бұрын

Westfalia vans are far better than the G,California , i think some of their new models are on the Mann platform which is basically the same as the VW crafter , i.e., the Westfalia Sven Heden model i guess everyone is different but i think the Grand California is not very well designed at all Ghank you for the very informative video

@CampervanJourney 9 ай бұрын

Hi Sean, thanks for watching and your feedback.Yep, for a vehicle designed by a company that has made campers for decades, IMO there are a surprising number of odd design decisions with the Grand California when it comes to storage and packaging. We have not had the pleasure of trying a Westfalia as yet, other than a static viewing, but the quality and design is definitely impressive, as is the price ! Unfortunately, the Sven Hedin does not work for us as it is only a two berth, if only there was a poptop option like they have on some of their Ducato vans. Cheers JT

@bensherman1977 19 күн бұрын

@@CampervanJourneyActually I believe Westfalia designed and built the original VW camper for VW!