T6 - My six-month review
Ok, I have been loitering on this forum for a quite a few months hoovering up all the knowledge, views and ideas which have all helped me to make various decisions about my T6 purchase.
So I figure it's time to give back, explain my decisions and hopefully help others to make informed choices.
We all have different priorities for our vans and mine fell into the sports van, weekend van category with the ability to cover large distances in comfort. I prioritised skiing, mountain biking and hill/mountain walking and occasional canoeing, so l needed room for lots of kit. I also wanted a mobile office environment so when away could still deal with emails, conference calls etc. I also wanted to occasionally use it as a van so lots of load space. One other aims were to ‘stealth camp’ to save money, therefore didn't want it looking too non-standard from the outside.
I eventually went for a T6 T32 204 EU6 DSG LWB 4motion Kombi with many of the factory extras. It was delivered in March after a wait of 7 months and a lot of frustration and false starts!
I then had a converter put in a front bench swivel, bed frame system, sound proof and lining throughout, curtains, led lights, limo tint, leisure battery under driver’s seat and webasto diesel heater. I have to say I am in awe of the people on this forum that can do this themselves and love following their progress pictures. My van was on the road for 1st April, l was hoping this would not be an unfortunate omen.
Engine. 9/10
The T32 204 was a no brainier for the high mileage, higher end speed, though the extra cost……………...! To date I have covered 9400 miles in 5 months without a hiccup. Trips from London to the Lake District are averaging 40mpg in 4/5 hours. Trips to the Alps average a little less but the autobahn’s and French motorway speeds are much higher. Yes, I have done silly speeds on an autobahn before I chickened out and the van had more in it. Still had lots of Porsche and Audis flying past me. (Not recommended!!!!!!)
I personally like the stop/start option and have had no issues with it at all. I live in London in what will be the new congestion charge zone in 2019 so the EU6 blue motion was really another no brainier and looking at the way other EU cities are going it's coming! As for ad blue in the 9400 miles I've so far only had to do one refill but one is due soon. The regen is a bit of a pain however and always seems to happen as I am about at the journeys end, it doesn't half affect the mpg, no dreaded light though.
I intend doing an oil change and dealer check at 6mths (August) due to the high mileage.
DSG. 10/10
I used a DSG T5 loan vehicle (this was because of the constant delays in delivery date!) for a trip to the Alps in Jan and after that had to have the auto box. Again, no issues whatsoever ever and I really wouldn't go back to manual vans. The combination of DSG with 204 engine makes for some startled looks if I am a bit heavy footed at lights with the rep cars, I must stop doing that! And I have just realised haven't put it in sports mode yet ............ hmm must try that.
LWB. Kombi 10/10
This was dictated by the length of my mountain bike, I didn't want to have to take wheels of etc, and still wanted to use all seating space. I recently supported a London to Brighton team had 5 team members and their bikes and loads of kit in the van absolutely no problem.
The LWB also allowed me to get a full-size bed in the back whilst keeping the seats up. It is a really good system, although not cheap, three-piece board with memory foam and with a sturdy frame from a converter. The frame doubles up as a good tie in for bikes and the bed boards fit behind the second-row seats, so very easy to organise. It also comes out easily so can still use the van to move large items, haven't needed to yet though perhaps I over thought that one?
I also use the van as my daily run around and even in London I have had no real problem in finding parking although some multi stories are a bit tight, I think this comes down to your confidence as a driver in a big city. I am used to throwing large vehicles around the smallest of mews roads.
Whilst on the subject of driving in town the height barriers are interesting problem however I have only found one I couldn't get under (1.70m what a ridiculous height) the lowest generally seem to be 1.98m and whilst this is he van height and it's lightly loaded it's always just fitted so far! This has stopped me getting roof bars at the moment and has consequently limited me in carrying canoes on the roof. Still thinking about this one and looking for an easily removable option.
Oh and yes rear reversing camera and sensors are invaluable, didn't go for the front ones as that's just lazy .................. and i forgot!
I spec’d twin sliders for flexibility with the added bonus of having the choice of opening the sheltered door when it's raining. I don't seem to have had any problems with sliding window leakage but will power hose them down to see before taking in for the free 6mth dealer check/service.
Seat/Interior configuration. 8/10
Fixed front driver seat with arm rests and two-person bench with Kiravan swivel. This allows for an office type area with the two + one rear seats. When travelling on my own I remove the single rear seat as it makes entry to the rear bed and whatever I am carrying easier.
There are quite a few comments about seat comfort and I tend to agree the passenger double could be a lot better and I was surprised at how much height was added by the aftermarket swivel, my son is 6'4". The driver’s seat is crying out for a lumber support.
The rear Kombi seats are fine in my view and removing the single is easy but double is a two person job. I have now regularly had all six seats full and as long as the smallest person is in the front middle seat its an excellent people carrier.
Still haven't worked out a suitable table system that I like though and I do need one large enough and capable of taking heavy weight Inc. laptop, printer, etc.
4motion. 9/10
I wasn't so sure about this option originally but now it's yet another no brainier. I got it for skiing in the Alps, if I'm honest I haven't actually needed it yet the snow this season being so poor but it's there in case and gives me piece of mind. It has come into its own both in the Lake District and North Wales when wild camping and exploring off the beaten track on some very challenging routes.
Recently however I have also been very impressed with its ability in wet muddy fields whilst supporting a team on the Trail Walker 100 Challenge across the South Downs. It was amazing how many other vehicles got stuck and the VW just plugged away and got through some horrendously steep wet fields, checkpoints and deep mud in the recent downpours. Had to feel for the walkers, the worse conditions ever! And this was all on standard wheels and tyres.
Didn't go for the optional diff lock and hasn't been a regret, yet. It's a 9/10. Because of the cost!
Ok, I have been loitering on this forum for a quite a few months hoovering up all the knowledge, views and ideas which have all helped me to make various decisions about my T6 purchase.
So I figure it's time to give back, explain my decisions and hopefully help others to make informed choices.
We all have different priorities for our vans and mine fell into the sports van, weekend van category with the ability to cover large distances in comfort. I prioritised skiing, mountain biking and hill/mountain walking and occasional canoeing, so l needed room for lots of kit. I also wanted a mobile office environment so when away could still deal with emails, conference calls etc. I also wanted to occasionally use it as a van so lots of load space. One other aims were to ‘stealth camp’ to save money, therefore didn't want it looking too non-standard from the outside.
I eventually went for a T6 T32 204 EU6 DSG LWB 4motion Kombi with many of the factory extras. It was delivered in March after a wait of 7 months and a lot of frustration and false starts!
I then had a converter put in a front bench swivel, bed frame system, sound proof and lining throughout, curtains, led lights, limo tint, leisure battery under driver’s seat and webasto diesel heater. I have to say I am in awe of the people on this forum that can do this themselves and love following their progress pictures. My van was on the road for 1st April, l was hoping this would not be an unfortunate omen.
Engine. 9/10
The T32 204 was a no brainier for the high mileage, higher end speed, though the extra cost……………...! To date I have covered 9400 miles in 5 months without a hiccup. Trips from London to the Lake District are averaging 40mpg in 4/5 hours. Trips to the Alps average a little less but the autobahn’s and French motorway speeds are much higher. Yes, I have done silly speeds on an autobahn before I chickened out and the van had more in it. Still had lots of Porsche and Audis flying past me. (Not recommended!!!!!!)
I personally like the stop/start option and have had no issues with it at all. I live in London in what will be the new congestion charge zone in 2019 so the EU6 blue motion was really another no brainier and looking at the way other EU cities are going it's coming! As for ad blue in the 9400 miles I've so far only had to do one refill but one is due soon. The regen is a bit of a pain however and always seems to happen as I am about at the journeys end, it doesn't half affect the mpg, no dreaded light though.
I intend doing an oil change and dealer check at 6mths (August) due to the high mileage.
DSG. 10/10
I used a DSG T5 loan vehicle (this was because of the constant delays in delivery date!) for a trip to the Alps in Jan and after that had to have the auto box. Again, no issues whatsoever ever and I really wouldn't go back to manual vans. The combination of DSG with 204 engine makes for some startled looks if I am a bit heavy footed at lights with the rep cars, I must stop doing that! And I have just realised haven't put it in sports mode yet ............ hmm must try that.
LWB. Kombi 10/10
This was dictated by the length of my mountain bike, I didn't want to have to take wheels of etc, and still wanted to use all seating space. I recently supported a London to Brighton team had 5 team members and their bikes and loads of kit in the van absolutely no problem.
The LWB also allowed me to get a full-size bed in the back whilst keeping the seats up. It is a really good system, although not cheap, three-piece board with memory foam and with a sturdy frame from a converter. The frame doubles up as a good tie in for bikes and the bed boards fit behind the second-row seats, so very easy to organise. It also comes out easily so can still use the van to move large items, haven't needed to yet though perhaps I over thought that one?
I also use the van as my daily run around and even in London I have had no real problem in finding parking although some multi stories are a bit tight, I think this comes down to your confidence as a driver in a big city. I am used to throwing large vehicles around the smallest of mews roads.
Whilst on the subject of driving in town the height barriers are interesting problem however I have only found one I couldn't get under (1.70m what a ridiculous height) the lowest generally seem to be 1.98m and whilst this is he van height and it's lightly loaded it's always just fitted so far! This has stopped me getting roof bars at the moment and has consequently limited me in carrying canoes on the roof. Still thinking about this one and looking for an easily removable option.
Oh and yes rear reversing camera and sensors are invaluable, didn't go for the front ones as that's just lazy .................. and i forgot!
I spec’d twin sliders for flexibility with the added bonus of having the choice of opening the sheltered door when it's raining. I don't seem to have had any problems with sliding window leakage but will power hose them down to see before taking in for the free 6mth dealer check/service.
Seat/Interior configuration. 8/10
Fixed front driver seat with arm rests and two-person bench with Kiravan swivel. This allows for an office type area with the two + one rear seats. When travelling on my own I remove the single rear seat as it makes entry to the rear bed and whatever I am carrying easier.
There are quite a few comments about seat comfort and I tend to agree the passenger double could be a lot better and I was surprised at how much height was added by the aftermarket swivel, my son is 6'4". The driver’s seat is crying out for a lumber support.
The rear Kombi seats are fine in my view and removing the single is easy but double is a two person job. I have now regularly had all six seats full and as long as the smallest person is in the front middle seat its an excellent people carrier.
Still haven't worked out a suitable table system that I like though and I do need one large enough and capable of taking heavy weight Inc. laptop, printer, etc.
4motion. 9/10
I wasn't so sure about this option originally but now it's yet another no brainier. I got it for skiing in the Alps, if I'm honest I haven't actually needed it yet the snow this season being so poor but it's there in case and gives me piece of mind. It has come into its own both in the Lake District and North Wales when wild camping and exploring off the beaten track on some very challenging routes.
Recently however I have also been very impressed with its ability in wet muddy fields whilst supporting a team on the Trail Walker 100 Challenge across the South Downs. It was amazing how many other vehicles got stuck and the VW just plugged away and got through some horrendously steep wet fields, checkpoints and deep mud in the recent downpours. Had to feel for the walkers, the worse conditions ever! And this was all on standard wheels and tyres.
Didn't go for the optional diff lock and hasn't been a regret, yet. It's a 9/10. Because of the cost!
