You may not be able to have a VW 'California' in the US but check out what it actually takes to legally import a car over: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5HvgkdVPfaQ.html
My old man bought one of the original versions of these round about 1980. Most parents don't think too much about their kids when making vehicle purchase decisions, beyond the usual safety issues. But this made the best god damn playhouse a kid could ever hope for, even when it's just sitting in your driveway. Some of my best, earliest childhood memories involved one of these. Apparently they're coming out with an EV version in 2025. Sure hope they make it available stateside.
Love to hear this. My boys have grown up in our 1990, traveling around the country. Playing in it when it was parked. They are now 15/13 and we just never get out in it anymore.
I inquired about one of these. When the guy told me the price, I told him I wanted to to buy the California camper van, and not the State of California. He gave me a chuckle, but I could tell he was just being polite.
How is this car small? What car is big for your standards? A Mercedes Sprinter or a Ford F-350 or is this still small for you? In europe, this car is relatively huge
I’ve got a 18 year old version of the California . And it still seems like a modern van .Its exactly the same interior as this newer model apart from a couple of twists .
i believe that VW could learn a lot from watching this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VLVcZpmuzMs.html because as ikutoisahobo commented, this looks like it was designed and built by IKEA.
I can't believe I watched this whole video, excitedly waiting to find out what it's going for, without reading the description leading me to be immeasurably let down when Torchy mentioned at the very end that it's not available in the USA.
We camped 5 weeks with 2 kids(7and10) in a 1961 VW van very bare bones.actually no nothing.To Mexico 9oo miles south to a beach.The new van is a dream come true,so interesting to watch your video.Thanks from Canada
This isn’t for fat people. This is for people who like the outdoors/ want to live a more nomadic life style. Both of which don’t allow for the participants to be fat
@@giovanniherrera6037 Im not even from the U.S. but that is kinda unessasary. There are a lot of people in America and there are quite a few who love the outdoors. If you really feel the need to slander an entire country just because someone asks a question you shouldn't comment
I grew up in a 1973 VW camper van. Orange. Four-speed manual. It was so primitive compared to this new version, but I loved it. Our sink was behind the front passenger seat, beside the sliding side door. We pumped a little handle, and the sink went, "Squirt, squirt, squirt." A giant tent snapped onto the back.
I wish I'd read that "not in America" first! I was nostalgically remembering (and comparing) all the features my 1980 Vanagon/westie had to this and I'm not surprised they improved and added extra niceties! Why no remarks about engine power, clearance and ease/comfort of the ride? It has to get one where they're going! Love the improvements you showed with the window curtains and pop-top; old bed design looks more comfortable though!
The canvas hammock over the front seats is a must have on the 1st gen thru 79' Westfalia's. makes a great catch all for laundry, or sleep on it for kids up to 5 feet. My wife and I lived in our 64' VW Westfalia for a summer. I put a 25 gallon fresh water tank painted black on the front roof rack, and salvaged a 12v Automatic-ON pump and faucet system from an RV at the junk yard. We used an, easy to attach to the rain gutter, Hula-hoop for a shower curtain rack, and even made it so the shower faucet on/off knobs and hand held sprayer could attach to a piece of hard wood that stayed anchored to the metal roof with strong magnets. That way we could direct the water straight down from the center of the hula-hoop, or use it as a hand held sprayer. I experimented with a heat exchanger from the muffler to heat the water while we drove, by coiling copper tubing around the muffler and cycling the fresh water from the holding tank through the coils and back into the tank using the 12 volt pump. Even though it was well insulated and there was ample pressure I could regulate at any level, I never could get it to work very well.
Imagine the possibilities with a gym membership to planet fitness. You could workout, wash your crack and go home to your van. No rent! Europe gets all the good stuff.
It's a great idea, although research the legalities and logistics of living in a van in your area. In some ways I like the romantic notion of vanlife or jeeplife, but I wonder how sustainable it is.
2018 Baby-Boomers are going to love this!!! All jokes aside, this is a hella cool rig! I don't like the absurdity that people call Rvs, so this would be right up my alley! Just imagine... living in the suburbs of Seattle, and at a moment's notice, you could go to the mountains and camp with your loved one. Super cool!
As a Seattle native i was heavily excited by this vehicle and the opportunities this would present. And then he drops the not available bomb. So close! 😭
Yeah, Baby-Boomers would be the only ones able to afford something like this. Although, in California, this might be better than wasting more than half your income on a studio apartment in a modified closet.
Mert Pala I know that was funny. I was makin a joke àbout it in my head before he even finished gettin in there. He seemed like he was gay though anyways.
The Westfalia version of the Eurovan was also called the "California". I briefly owned one (1993 model year) that had been imported from Canada. All of the camping gear shown in this version is very similar to the Eurovan California and Vanagon campers.
I had the earliest camper.Not a Westfalia. It had sink, running water, icebox, closets. And it had my all time favorite bed. Seated seven people. This new version is incredibly awesome.
when i saw the furniture being pulled out i thot the same thing ... lol! 'vw meets ikea' very cool! now ... why the heck would they have one in the usa, to test? and yet not sell em here. but they will have the vw buzz here!!
Provocateur - not exactly. Our import rules and regulations mean it would be very difficult if not impossible to import it without waiting 25 years at which point you can probably import it and register it. You may be able to import it now but good luck registering it here. Reselling probably wouldn't be as easy as with other cars either.
It also may not pass diesel emission standards. It was rated at 44 mpg before the VW emissions scandal. I heard making the engine meet the emissions standards took away about 10% of the power and mileage. Still amazing power and mpgs. But when will we see the first electric mini-camper?
Hmm, the Bucket woman might even be impressed with that! It reminds me of the English “High Speed Luxury Cruiser” that my family had (Regency Monarch). It also had a great deal packed into a small space.
My dream is to own something like this. It's a shame they won't sell them in the states despite it being called, you know, THE CALIFORNIA! After one of the most popular hippie states in the country that would totally eat this thing up for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It’s actually called the transporter, the California is just an edition hence “T6”. Much like the eurovan (T4) was/is the transporter/multivan/caravelle/California etc.
I do too, it would widen the market and make brands more competitive and strive to keep business but also, the market would be flooded with cars that nobodys buying
If VW started selling this camper in the USA they would eat up the van camper market by storm. We don't need their cars ,we need Campervans. Liked your video. Thanks
NOT SO FAST: "looks like a rinky dink, pain in the behind. Dinner is cold by the time you've put down the table, you have to cook with one knee on the seat, nothing moves without struggling and wrenching and you can only do one thing at a time. No thank you." AS NOTED BY Pluscelamemechose
Oh, how I miss my 1971 VW Campmobile. Ordered it at a VW dealer in the States, picked it up at the factory in Wiedenbrück-well, the Westphalia factory where the Kombi conversions were done-and drove it around Europe for three months. Shipped it back to the States and enjoyed it here for a number of years. Part of me would buy one today-if it were available here. Probably not as easy or possible to do that today. Certainly not buyable at the 1971 price of US$ 3,200. Oh well, at least I still have those three months of memories of camping and exploring in my VW Campmobile.
If their market research indicated a demand for these they would either import them or tool up a US VW plant to make them here. Not many people would buy them. For traveling on paved roads there are much better options for the price. They are useless for off road so adventurers wouldn't buy them. Maybe college kids for spring break but at 80K they couldn't afford it.
some of it is way to flimsy. You get your 400 lbs half-drunk/half asleep friend/gorilla in there and he wants to put down that weak aluminum table leg so he can put up the bed and go to sleep and it won't last long. In fact I bet a lot of VW dealership work will be clogged with fixing the wear and tear on the interior of these vans and part shortages to do that work so that's probably why it isn't coming to the US, yet. Give it time.
I watched this video 3x so excited for renting this van, and when I got mine, it was the California Beach instead of the Ocean. So no sink, stove, storage, shower, automated pop top, etc. It was a total bummer!
1:26 Westfalia is still in business. They still make VW campers (next to Fiat, Ford, Mercedes,...). The difference is that VW formerly outsourced making the transporters into campers to Westfalia, but now VW does it in-house, as they saw how well the VW conversions by Westfalia were received.
tripjet999 This redesign should have come out in the 90’s or 2001.... It is so strange to see anyone become excited over what was 1970’s comfort...not high tech... So strange the times we are living in... It’s like the German Rothschilds dumbed down the US population... and this video and all the comments are the proof..@12:10 “ VW did a pretty good job at this... They have been making Vans like this for decades so it kind of makes sense that they get this right”....lol
Not available in America? I was about to buy. I have a 1 ton pickup and tow a 30 foot travel trailer and was looking to downsize. This would be perfect. Damn you Volkswagen!
I really enjoyed watching this, Jason. I had a 1966 Westfalia Camper and I took it camping many times. While the icebox, sink, and stove were not appealing for me to use, it was all there. It had a small pop top, but it was just for standing up and ventilation. The closet and fold out bed were in good working order, as were the two interior lights in the rear living section. What was really useful were the Jalousie windows. There were two on the passenger side double doors, and three on the driver's side. They could open and provide good cross ventilation, even when it was raining. Mine also had a gasoline heater, which I had painstakingly rebuilt from several lots of brand new parts that I found hiding at a dealer in New York City. But overall, this T6 looks pretty capable. Thanks for the review!
This guy reminds me of Joey in the Friends episode where this guy comes over to look at and buy a tv entertainment center and bets Joey that he can’t fit into the entertainment center so Joey climbs in and closes the door, the dude takes a hockey stick and ‘locks’ Joey in the entertainment center and then proceeds to steal all their furnishings from their apartment leaving Joey and Chandler with an empty apartment, smh.
Great enthusiasm! Talking about things that fold out, collapse in, etc. .... crazy idea: Retractable or "pop up" wind turbines. Most cars are camped (parked) about 22 hours a day, and can generate electro all that time. :)
VW is Hitlers Revenge!! VW keeps coming out with More Crap! WOW, that is Worst than one of those Tiny Homes. So Germany & Europe Can't pay Half-a-Penny to NATO but gives BILLIONS to COMMUNIST Russia for energy and they want to sell this CRAP in the USA??!! ~~ NO WAY! ~~ The USA could make something Way Better!
Stacy Ash says an american war driver? you in america since all nacistic assholes and the most hated nation in the world.I can wait the day where the Eu will rip your ass for all the evil. greetings from Germany
The 1973 thru 75 VW Campers were Great- Porsche engine & 'everything' was functional & well made. Comfortable & a pleasure to drive. I miss it. This new one looks busy & cheap. A sad loss, a time gone by.
You nailed the biggest problem... I'm European and it's one of the only campervans in its class you could use as a daily car. And by this it ends. Not usable in winter season, you will have cold at night, battery power is limited.... very fine campervan for 2 persons in summer (but the lady wants a toilet...)! And f**king expensive for what you get, I know it's VW!
This isn't an issue for me because I'm familiar with the toilets in camps in the EU at least in my part of EU and if you have a small camper like this the toilet is irelevant in most cases.
My back aches watching all the crawling and scrunching. As host said “ he’s very short” it can make the usability quite a different experience. Ingenuity of design is impressive. Great tour, tks.
I grew up in a 1960 Westphalia VW Camper. All wood finish and when I started watching this, I was wondering why they would try to fix a design that really wasn't broken. I kept watching anyway. This thing is pretty cool. I would definitely like one.
I camp in a 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Pop-up Camper, and love it, except for the lack of a toilet and shower. I solve the first problem with a very nice Thetford porta-potty with electric flush, which fits behind the passenger seat, and can be accessed in the middle of the night, if needed. This van doesn't have room for a potty when the bed is down.(but the bed is much nicer than mine! With all the wonderful innovations, including a shower, why not add a toilet of some kind--and flush it into the waste holding tank, which is now built-in?
Too hard to make complient for every jurisdiction. And if it goes wrong, you will have many angry customers. They would prefer people went aftermarket and save vw a lot of headaches
in 2018 I rented a Toyota Hiace van in Japan for three weeks. It had all the same stuff as this VW, down to the electric roof mechanism, the table, chairs, fridge, sink, heater, shower, etc. It also had a microwave and a WiFi hotspot! It was a reliable, reasonably priced, awesome machine. Service it anywhere.
You had me until the last line: "Too bad you won't be able to buy one in America." That sucks. They would sell like crazy - especially here in California.
As long as one doesn't exceed the payload allowance the German engineers could not care less. However I don't know how obese Germans are, but I 'm thinking the van isn't sold here because of our obese citizenry. The payload allowance might not be great enough to carry an average American family. A disclaimer: I am overweight.
