We're newbies - please rate our spec :)

[Ozi]

On the swivel seats, I found it a lot cheaper to order as a factory fit - was about £130 a seat from memory. To retro fit is more agro and cost, especially if you start with a bench passenger seat, as a new single passenger seat could cost as much as £1000! So bare minimum would be single passenger seat if you are thinking about swivels later. But its really not a lot of cost to add as a factory extra

 

[CAB]

I am so glad I posted this thread, it is invaluable advice and I'm really grateful for every response. Thank you all!

We have taken on board the suggestions and after a chat and further reading, we've decided:

- Ditch the park assist (I'm a really good parker and so is my husband!). We asked them to quote for it but agree it's something we can easily live without and sounds a faff.
- Ditch the power latch tailgate
- Go for LEDs (we have managed to get the quote down by about £900 which almost pays for them). Take all your points about how good they are and better to get them factory fitted.
- I think you've talked us back into going for the DSG (I really wanted it anyway but we were just concerned about mpg). We know we love automatics from past cars.
- Should we ditch the swivel seats in the front to save money and add towards DSG? One thought we had was, if the kids are quite close in the 2 + 1 seats in the back, will it be odd turning around and then being that close?! Especially as we're not going for a camper conversion where the seats are much further away? Is it worth paying for swivel seats?
- Concerned LWB is too long for us for daily use but will take on board the suggestions and get down to a dealership to have a closer look at one. We do have a massive Outwell Airbeam tent which is huge (plus awning).
- Retrofit the leisure battery
- Will go for the factory fitted tow bar prep as I think it will suit us better to get a tow bar bike rack rather than the custom VW one.
- Still think we will stick with the colour we wanted (pearl black) unless anyone thinks that's a major error! Or just personal choice?


You are all such lovely people taking the time to answer these questions, what a brilliant forum, I'm really pleased I asked.

Thanks a million.

Keep the swivel seats, it makes the van much easier as a leisure vehicle and is getting on for a grand to swap a double bench for a single. Plus the front bench is very uncomfortable to sit.

 

[CAB]

On the swivel seats, I found it a lot cheaper to order as a factory fit - was about £130 a seat from memory. To retro fit is more agro and cost, especially if you start with a bench passenger seat, as a new single passenger seat could cost as much as £1000! So bare minimum would be single passenger seat if you are thinking about swivels later. But its really not a lot of cost to add as a factory extra

Beat me to it

 

[dubber36]

Colour is subjective, but Pearl Black is very high maintenance. All the paints are really soft these days. Even the most careful washing practices can cause swirls that will drive you mad when the sun catches them.

I'd choose a more forgiving colour, or allow for paint protection film to vulnerable areas to be applied very soon after delivery.

 

[Juno]

Colour is subjective, but Pearl Black is very high maintenance. All the paints are really soft these days. Even the most careful washing practices can cause swirls that will drive you mad when the sun catches them.

I'd choose a more forgiving colour, or allow for paint protection film to vulnerable areas to be applied very soon after delivery.

Thank you, I hadn't thought of high maintenance with the colour, I just love black... Ok will have a look at the other colours.. I was so sold on black!!

 

[Gavinda]

Thank you, I hadn't thought of high maintenance with the colour, I just love black... Ok will have a look at the other colours.. I was so sold on black!!

Fortana red obviously! Why anybody has a 6.1 in any other colour is beyond me??

 

[Alster]

I know a couple of people have suggested lwb but personally I would go for swb (i did!). It does make parking easier especially in multi story car parks. Had a Vito before and it was only a little bit longer but it did mean the front stuck out in a lot of bays. As for colour - it has to be starlight blue. ( I may be a little bit biased on this)

 

[czmate1999]

Hi there,

After years and years of wanting a van and not being able to afford one, we are finally about to take the plunge. We are able to get 20% off new through a work scheme. We think the best option is to go for a T6.1 kombi rather than panel having read some of the threads on here (we get 20% off the accessories so I think it's better value to get that discount now) - but interested if anyone thinks any differently. This van will be for life, we won't be in a position to be upgrading or trading in, we intend to keep it for the long haul!

The van will be used for family (two kids age 10 and 16), long trips to Europe, short camping trips in the UK and every day driving etc. We have always camped, with our estate car, roof box and trailer looking like National Lampoons on vacation - I'm hoping with a van we can ditch the trailer for good, we want the cargo area to be able to take loads of gear. I would like to put a bed in, one that perhaps forms a luggage shelf to make the most of the cargo area at the back, or at least leaves room for luggage - was looking at something like the amdro one, or there are systems like the ovano xl....If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear.

Our spec for a new T6.1 is:
- T30, SWB, 2.0 TDI, 150 Highline
- Manual (would love an automatic but concerned about reduced mpg and extra costs)
- Power latching for side passenger door
- Swivel seats x 2 in the front
- 2 + 1 seats in the back
- Tailgate with tinted window
- Front/Rear parking sensors & park assist
- Rear view camera
- Power latching tailgate
- Roof rails
- Bike rack - VW one or do we pay for the towbar prep (£225) but we'd still need to pay for the actual tow bar and a bike rack on top. For short journeys we could bung bikes in the back presumably but for longer camping trips we'd need to use a rack.


Do we need:
- Leisure battery?
- Anything else, obvious that I haven't listed? We would love LED lights but I think they're too expensive, this model comes with H7s.
- A small fridge to just go in the back without a huge conversion?
- Anything else that you think is really important we get now with 20 % off? There seem to be so many things you can add, it can all get a bit overwhelming!

Any advice or suggestions would be brilliant.. Still having cold sweats about finally committing to this, but I hope it will give us loads of brilliant adventures as a family. Looking forward to finally being able to wave

Thank you

Hi and welcome,

haven’t had chance to read all the thread yet but would say, if you can, go for a LWB and do not go vw bike rack but have tow bar fitted. Personally I wouldn’t worry about leisure battery and have that when/if you do a conversion - lithium is a must IMO. DSG is great and definitely worth it. would also consider windows all round and extra keys… adaptive cruise control is good for long distances and LEDs (but expensive and could be added later).
here’s my journey, if it helps, https://www.t6forum.com/threads/my-t6-to-camper-thread.18162/#post-247990.
cz.

 

[Morris67]

Deep pearl black every time high maintenance maybe but once polished up looks the nuts

 

[Ali-G]

Thank you, I hadn't thought of high maintenance with the colour, I just love black... Ok will have a look at the other colours.. I was so sold on black!!

Black does look lovely when it’s just been washed and the paint is factory fresh, but ........
If you don’t spend a lot of time keeping on top of it it will quickly look awful, especially in sunlight at certain angles. It will look like it’s covered in spiders webs.
All personal choice obviously, but I had a black BMW once, it will be my first and last ever black vehicle.
If I was speccing a new van first I’d go for Oryx (pearl) White closely followed by Bayleaf Green.

 

[Jonah1972]

Black does look lovely when it’s just been washed and the paint is factory fresh, but ........
If you don’t spend a lot of time keeping on top of it it will quickly look awful, especially in sunlight at certain angles. It will look like it’s covered in spiders webs.
All personal choice obviously, but I had a black BMW once, it will be my first and last ever black vehicle.
If I was speccing a new van first I’d go for Oryx (pearl) White closely followed by Bayleaf Green.

Agreed unless you love to spend hours detailing avoid the black, looks great when cleaned but boy does it show EVERY minor flaw. Unfortunately my last six cars have all been black due to circumstances- ie they were either from stock or ex demo and the price was too good to refuse
Personally I love my DSG and combined with the adaptive cruise control makes driving in heavy traffic a pleasure. As soon as you get used to the van accelerating and braking automatically for you that is!
I don’t really look at the fuel efficiency- if I was that bothered I wouldn’t run vans as my SUVs.

 

[Ali-G]

Unfortunately my last six cars have all been black due to circumstances- ie they were either from stock or ex demo and the price was too good to refuse

I feel your pain.

 

[soxley]

Team Pure Grey all the way for me I'm also hoping to stretch to the 199PS (I'd love a 4Motion - but it's out of reach).

I can't quite believe how much I'm about to spend on a VAN! but as a true utility/lifestyle vehicle (not to mention the joy of the VW community) I'm sure I'll never look back. Just the thought of being able to 'chuck the bikes in the back and go' feels worth it - less friction and hassle to 'get out there and do stuff'

 

[Juno]

Again, so glad I posted about the colour. I'll have another look at the options as I'm not someone who likes to spend hours and hours cleaning the van, it's got to be more practical than that, as much as I obviously want it to look nice. The window van package is minus £738 on the website, so it's cheaper to have windows in the cargo area... I need to look into this, are there any pitfalls with this option? Not quite sure why it's cheaper for them to add windows? Thanks everyone, it's been so, so useful and has already helped us change the spec...

 

[t0mb0]

Again, so glad I posted about the colour. I'll have another look at the options as I'm not someone who likes to spend hours and hours cleaning the van, it's got to be more practical than that, as much as I obviously want it to look nice. The window van package is minus £738 on the website, so it's cheaper to have windows in the cargo area... I need to look into this, are there any pitfalls with this option? Not quite sure why it's cheaper for them to add windows? Thanks everyone, it's been so, so useful and has already helped us change the spec...

Check carefully, it's possible that the "window van" is no longer a kombi and may have lost the rear seat.

 

[soxley]

Again, so glad I posted about the colour. I'll have another look at the options as I'm not someone who likes to spend hours and hours cleaning the van, it's got to be more practical than that, as much as I obviously want it to look nice. The window van package is minus £738 on the website, so it's cheaper to have windows in the cargo area... I need to look into this, are there any pitfalls with this option? Not quite sure why it's cheaper for them to add windows? Thanks everyone, it's been so, so useful and has already helped us change the spec...

It doesn't 'add windows', it removes the seats to make it a 'van with windows'. So you won't have a Kombi then! It took me a while to work that one out.

"Window van Pack. Includes climatic air conditioning, illuminated glovebox, removal of 3-seat bench in 2nd row, windows in 3rd row (in lieu of solid panels), M1 registration."

 

[soxley]

It doesn't 'add windows', it removes the seats to make it a 'van with windows'. So you won't have a Kombi then! It took me a while to work that one out.

"Window van Pack. Includes climatic air conditioning, illuminated glovebox, removal of 3-seat bench in 2nd row, windows in 3rd row (in lieu of solid panels), M1 registration."

Sorry, misread. It add windows in 3rd row, but DOES remove 2nd row of seats.

 

[Skyliner33]

Sorry, misread. It add windows in 3rd row, but DOES remove 2nd row of seats.

Does it also swap the registration from N1 to M1.

 

[Big.mac]

It wasn’t clear to me from your spec if you are looking at one or two sliding doors. When I was looking for my van I had in my mind that I only wanted one. I ended up with two just because I found a cracking deal on a van and wouldn’t be without two now. If you have no plans to do a full camper conversion, I’d recommend two sliding doors. It just makes the van so much more versatile. I can also recommend the Ovano system. As well as providing a bed, it makes the cargo space far more usable.
As others have said, better to retrofit a leisure battery, you will need one if you’re going to use a fridge in there. Top loading portable fridge is a great option (there’s a whole thread on these to keep you busy).
https://www.t6forum.com/threads/fridges-cold-beer-how-i-done-it.20628/

Rear camera is a must (I retrofitted one), don’t bother with the automatic parking.
If you can afford it, LED headlights.
I don’t know if this is included in the Highline on the 6.1 or not (I have a T6) but Apple CarPlay or the Android equivalent on the head unit. I use this so I can use google maps as my SatNav with everything displayed on the head unit. I wouldn’t be without it.
Carpet mats and seat covers are also useful. I got these thrown in for free by the dealer.

 

[Juno]

Does it also swap the registration from N1 to M1.

Yes, spoke to dealer yesterday who said it will change it to passenger class which will up the tax anyway so we will avoid the window package option. My only last concern now is the diesel engine and the way things are going with electric, will this van lose value in the years to come as a diesel and will we be heavily penalised for having one with tax/insurance/fuel costs. Feels like the electric options aren't quite there yet and certainly not in our budget, that's the only thing that's niggling me now! So close to putting the order in.