I think it's just about long enough into the production and ownership of the T6 to have a fairly good idea of our opinions on the T6; many are ex T5 owners, some are new to van ownership. We had a T5.1 California 180 4motion for three years that was great but had a lot of issues - so bad we sold it and planned never to buy a VW van again! A year later we got sick of pretending we still liked tent camping and started looking again arriving back at the door of VW in the middle of the emissions scandal....
Anyway a number of things brought us back - the engines were completely different, the option of a 5 year warranty was a massive plus and while many T5.1 owners claimed the T6 was pretty much the same, it was tweaked in the right places for us.
So...
We're pretty pleased with ours - it looks better, climate (which was a £2500+ option) is now standard as is a decent Bluetooth hands free phone system and it streams music well even with the basic stereo. Oh and unlike our hateful Kenwood dealer fit "VW" satnav, it switches on in the same week as we turn it on.
So we trimmed the spec down to what we actually need; our last Cali was a pre-reg and pretty much had every option except DSG; we ordered a 150PS 4motion having lost faith in VW bi-turbos but we actually got a 150KW (204PS) model - for once an error worked in our favour and I'm now glad we have the full fat engine.
The new dash is a big plus too BUT it's not as durable as the old one - the piano black trim scratches easily and needs constant wiping. It's very useful though and almost has too many cubby holes - we don't use some of them at all. I've heard a few complaints about the standard dash though - it looks more robust but a cupholder ON the dash? Eh?!
The engine is a LOT better - yes it uses AdBlue but I haven't heard of any issues yes bar the smaller tank which for us is offset by much improved mpg. It's MUCH quieter than before and pulls a lot harder - so much so that it's fairly easy to spin the wheels when pulling away hard - almost impossible in our 180 (also 4motion) and makes me wonder if the FWD ones might be a bit of a handful!?
However one thing keeps coming up - the lights. Ours are the H7s and are "okay" (about the same as with our T5.1) but it's clear that the H4s are a step down really letting the Transporter down as a van. VW NEEDS to sort this out because it's actually dangerous.
So what do you all think? Pleased or not? Better than your T5? Or worse?
Anyway a number of things brought us back - the engines were completely different, the option of a 5 year warranty was a massive plus and while many T5.1 owners claimed the T6 was pretty much the same, it was tweaked in the right places for us.
So...
We're pretty pleased with ours - it looks better, climate (which was a £2500+ option) is now standard as is a decent Bluetooth hands free phone system and it streams music well even with the basic stereo. Oh and unlike our hateful Kenwood dealer fit "VW" satnav, it switches on in the same week as we turn it on.
So we trimmed the spec down to what we actually need; our last Cali was a pre-reg and pretty much had every option except DSG; we ordered a 150PS 4motion having lost faith in VW bi-turbos but we actually got a 150KW (204PS) model - for once an error worked in our favour and I'm now glad we have the full fat engine.
The new dash is a big plus too BUT it's not as durable as the old one - the piano black trim scratches easily and needs constant wiping. It's very useful though and almost has too many cubby holes - we don't use some of them at all. I've heard a few complaints about the standard dash though - it looks more robust but a cupholder ON the dash? Eh?!
The engine is a LOT better - yes it uses AdBlue but I haven't heard of any issues yes bar the smaller tank which for us is offset by much improved mpg. It's MUCH quieter than before and pulls a lot harder - so much so that it's fairly easy to spin the wheels when pulling away hard - almost impossible in our 180 (also 4motion) and makes me wonder if the FWD ones might be a bit of a handful!?
However one thing keeps coming up - the lights. Ours are the H7s and are "okay" (about the same as with our T5.1) but it's clear that the H4s are a step down really letting the Transporter down as a van. VW NEEDS to sort this out because it's actually dangerous.
So what do you all think? Pleased or not? Better than your T5? Or worse?
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