The new Volkswagen California in person: More space and first-class upholstery

Tuesday’s unveiling of the new generation of the Volkswagen California in all five trim levels was of course not complete without the car’s physical premiere in Berlin. The car company brought two pieces to the stage – the middle Beach Camper and the top Ocean.

We’ll have to wait for the ride for now. For now, I had the opportunity to examine both in detail, at least statically, and also to ask the representatives of the car company about what the press release did not mention. I discovered, for example, that the rear wheels of the plug-in hybrid version with the 4Motion system are driven by a second electric motor and that the range for a full charge of the traction battery is approximately 90 km.

But I’m already climbing into the blue-white ocean, which, together with the Coast version, has a full kitchen in the back. Volkswagen boasted a larger refrigerator, which is now retractable like the Grand Californie. In addition, when you use the California as an everyday car, the part of the purchase that needs to be cooled can be stored in the fridge in this way, just by opening the left door. There is no need to get in and stoop to shove milk and butter into the fridge from the top like before.

However, Volkswagen did not boast of the second change in the kitchen. While the T6 and T6.1 had a stove with two burners, here there is only one. It will be necessary to make tea or coffee first, if you don’t take an extra camping stove or kettle with you, and then eggs for breakfast while the drinks are cooling.

Volkswagen California

A deeper examination of the galley also reveals the main gas valve easily accessible under the stove, as well as a gray water tank with a drain valve. No need to kneel under the car, just lift the plywood cover and turn the faucet. Changing the gas cartridge is more difficult, to do this you have to crawl from the back through the luggage compartment.

The built-in hides storage spaces behind the galley, others are accessible from the back and of course there is space for luggage under the pull-out bed. It folds down with the rear bench folded down, and although I haven’t tried it, I believe there will be more luggage space in front of it. That is, the space under the bed in the back is only accessible from the back, which means that the fifth door must be opened.

These are not electric, as the servomotors would not be able to handle their weight together with the two folding chairs, which, as before, have a place in the pocket right on the door. They only have power steering, just like before. Servo closing is also standard equipment for the side sliding doors, but it is possible to order an electric drive for them.

If I go back to the seats, the front ones are, as is standard for the new multivan, very comfortable. In addition, they have an incredibly pleasant denim-like cover. How it will be cleaned is a question, but it is really great to touch and feel. The folding rear seats are also better, more comfortable than before; it is no longer a bench, but two separate seats. There isn’t that much space in the width, but two skinny people can fit here without any problems and the legroom is, of course, royal.

Volkswagen California

The second piece that Volkswagen brought to the stage was the five-seater version of the Beach Camper. I start from the back, from the pull-out, let’s say, micro kitchen. It offers one gas burner with a wind shield and shallow storage in the back of a slim drawer.

She immediately presented me with a puzzle when I tried to slide this drawer in; so that someone doesn’t accidentally do it, for example with a pot on the burner, the drawer has fuses on both sides by the rails, so you need both hands to close it.

The lower, deeper drawer can be closed with one hand, just press the safety handle. There is a folding table on the right, the chairs are again in the folding stern and the folding bed is at the very top. To unfold it, you need to fold down the trio of individual rear seats. They can also be rotated if needed, just like the front seats.

Compared to the Ocean, there is an advantage in the wider lower bed – 1,330 versus 1,060 mm. However, the space for luggage under the folded mattress is noticeably less, roughly half, because a significant part of it is taken up by the built-in.

Volkswagen California

Finally, it is worth noting the fact that the two sleepers on the top bunk have two charging points for themselves – one USB-C port on the right side of the car and one 12V socket on the left side. Both have their own lamp, at least in the better equipped versions on display.

The new California has a height of up to 2 meters in all versions, even with the opening roof, so it is more usable as an everyday car. Even thanks to the longer body compared to the T6.1, the left sliding door is not nonsense, you can get in quite comfortably and you can create three camping spaces from the car – on one side under the awning, on the other under the front tent. And I can’t wait until I’m lucky enough to take one of California on a proper road trip.