As part of the world premiere of the facelifted
California 6.1 camper van at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf (August 31 –
September 8), Volkswagen has announced that the base Beach model will, for the
first time, come as standard with a mini kitchen.
Previously, this was reserved for the more exclusive
Coast and Ocean trim levels, but now the base Beach grade will get one as well.
However, unlike the large row of kitchen units in the Coast and Ocean, the
Beach offers a completely reworked fold-out mini kitchen.
By saving space compared to the broader kitchen in
the Coast and Ocean, the facelifted California Beach can be ordered with a
three-seater bench. This opens up the possibility for families of five to go
camping with it and have an onboard kitchen as well.
When not needed, the hideaway mini kitchen is stowed
in the side panel between the B- and C-pillars. To use it, you just pulled it
up and slide it out. The stainless steel unit has a single-hob gas cooker on
the left and a worktop on the right.
There is also a cover plate over the gas cooker
that, when lifted up for cooking, serves as a splashback. Under the
hotplate/worktop against the side wall there’s a large, open storage
compartment and an enclosed compartment for the 1.8 kg gas bottle.
VW will continue offering a California Beach without
a mini kitchen and with passenger car type approval. It will carry the “Tour”
designation to help customers differentiate it from the one with mini kitchen
and motorhome type approval which will be named the Camper.
Another difference between the two models will be
the fact that the California Beach Tour will offer two sliding doors as
standard (on the left and right). Finally, both California Beach models gain a
new digital camper control unit in the roof console as standard and hydraulic
operation of the pop-up roof as an option. Prices in Germany for the
California Beach Camper start at € 48,795.95 (US$ 53,940).
