One step up from a Volkswagen Caravelle 6.1, but a few down from the top-model Coast and Ocean California camper vans, is the base-spec California, called the Beach. Well, at the Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) has revealed that it has managed to cram a tiny kitchen into the California Beach 6.1, the first time this model has had cooking facilities onboard.
Beach Camper, Beach Tour
Whereas both the California Coast and Ocean models have a large row of fixed kitchen units, the Beach has an ingenious fold-out mini-kitchen. This hides away behind a side trim, with a three-seat bench possible at the back. This model, fitted with the five seats and the kitchen, will be known as the Beach Camper; but it will also be sold without the kitchen and with a seven-seat configuration, known as the Beach Tour.
Single hob and worktop space
The Beach Tour will also benefit from sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle, a first as it previously only had one sliding door on the right-hand side. Both Beach Camper and Beach Tour employ a new digital camper control unit in the roof console, and it is also possible for both models to have hydraulic operation of the pop-up roof as an option; manual operation is the standard arrangement.
The Beach Camper's mini-kitchen has a stainless-steel unit with a single-hob gas cooker (kind of like a posh Primus stove) on the left and a worktop on the right. A plate over the gas cooker can be lifted up to be used as a splashback. A 1.8kg gas bottle fits in a large, open storage compartment against the side wall, but VWCV claims the Beach Camper is as wide inside as the Beach Tour, thanks to clever packaging of the fold-away kitchen.
Prices for the entry-level 6.1 Volkswagen California Beach Camper in Germany will start at around €49,000.