Just ordered a 4motion but would like to hear some opinions...

[Mooreml1]

Thanks everyone for some great insight, it’s a big commitment and I don’t want to spend the years wishing!
I guess a major factor in the choice of 4 motion is that the car will have to be a daily drive and therefore have to be used in all weathers

 

[Velma's Dad]

180 manual, 2wd.

Never had any wheelspin pulling away in first. It's called throttle control.

Great game by the way!

 

[Camperfamily]

180 manual, 2wd.

Never had any wheelspin pulling away in first. It's called throttle control.

Great game by the way!

180 DSG, 2wd. Same here, unless it’s icy, in which case throttle control

 

[Wesel]

Hi everyone.
I’m really pleased to have just ordered an ocean biturbo 4 motion...

Didn't know the T6 204 could have a bi-turbo ?! Is it real ?

 

[Velma's Dad]

Didn't know the T6 204 could have a bi-turbo ?! Is it real ?

Yes I believe the 180 (T5), 204 (T6) and 199 (T6.1) diesels all have a bi-turbo. It's actually two turbo chambers - a little one and a big one - in a single unit.

 

[TripleBee]

Biturbo:


mono turbo:

 

[soulstyledevon]

I wish I had 4 motion. Not that I’ve ever been stuck. But, I’m often spinning wheels on the wet days.

However, I also wish I had a manual roof, no Ad-Blu and less un-reliable electronics in my Cali
So take from that what you will...

 

[soulstyledevon]

Just to be clear.
Volkswagen dont currently produce the perfect California.

 

[TripleBee]

Just to be clear.
Volkswagen dont currently produce the perfect California.

Have they ever? And will they once?

 

[soulstyledevon]

Have they ever? And will they once?

Its a 4 motion Cali, without electric roof, without the Volkswagen control module. So therefore stand alone fridge and diesel heater controls and throw in a LWB version too...

 

[TripleBee]

Its a 4 motion Cali, without electric roof, without the Volkswagen control module. So therefore stand alone fridge and diesel heater controls and throw in a LWB version too...

Doesn't sound to me like a California, so what is your point then?

 

[soulstyledevon]

Doesn't sound to me like a California, so what is your point then?

Less complexity would make a perfect California IMO.

 

[TripleBee]

But VW hasn't made it yet.

 

[Calimili]

Plenty of t6 conversion that fit those requirements....

 

[Lambeth Cali]

When we got our fwd van in 2009 I got stuck a few times. It wasn’t much fun at the time but I remember the times fondly. The first time I was at the bottom of a field and a tractor pulled me out. I couldn’t connect the front tow ring so he had to connect to the rear and drag me backwards. The tractor struggled and I was dragged all over the place, narrowly missing tents.

 

[Bellcrew]

Biturbo:
View attachment 67140

mono turbo:
View attachment 67141

Many on here just need a chip or remap to get from 150 HP to 220+ HP, why bother with all this complication and expense, we must be told.

 

[Calimili]

Many on here just need a chip or remap to get from 150 HP to 220+ HP, why bother with all this complication and expense, we must be told.

Are all other components the same , like crank shaft, connecting rod and bearings, clutch, i.e. would a tuned 150hp engine be able to bear the extra torque and power from a tuning? What about the radiater, iscir different from 150 to 204/199 ?

 

[WelshGas]

Are all other components the same , like crank shaft, connecting rod and bearings, clutch, i.e. would a tuned 150hp engine be able to bear the extra torque and power from a tuning? What about the radiater, iscir different from 150 to 204/199 ?

Many different Part Numbers between the 2 engines, so they are different.

 

[Calimili]

Many different Part Numbers between the 2 engines, so they are different.

Thx, I thought so. So no point tuning a 150 hp

 

[TripleBee]

Thx, I thought so. So no point tuning a 150 hp

You can sefly tune a 140 up to over 170 hp, with the 400Nm of torque. Maybe you can safely tune the 150 up to 180 without problems. But then you may not drive it like the 204 hp van. You have to use it for the torque, not for quarter mile sprints.

 

[Toothlessjon]

I almost always wheel spin when coming out of junctions from a standing start. I have always had sports cars, so it’s probably my racing style, lol.

 

[Paul Roe]

4 motion with DSG on 17 plate
4 motion is fine, my problem is the DSG, which is ok unless you have ever driven any other manufactures Automated Gear Box, these dual clutch gear boxes are nothing like the old automatic gear boxes, and when working correctly are far superior, unless you suddenly change your mind when you are about to overtake or pull out as it confuses them and you get a a couple of second delay while it works out what to do.
But having driven other cars with automated gear boxes, i would put VW at the bottom of the list, ford and jaguar at the top.
the creep (what happens when you take you foot of the break) is not great, the delay on pulling out is not brill on busy traffic islands, the fact that the gear stick is the same as the one used on left hand drive but just moved over to the right means you cant see the letter down the side of the stick very easy, the sports mode does not inhibit stop/start as most other automated gearbox systems do so you have lean over to the passenger side to disable stop/start. But the really annoying thing is when you are doing a quick 3 point turn on a slope, when you drop from forward to reverse and then release the break you can start rolling in the forward direction still, and vice versa, what i do is put into reverse and count to 2 and it then locks the box until you touch the accelerator.
the plus point is that they are far more economical than the old torque converter gear boxes as there is no slip.
one other point i would make about the 4 motion is that it is heavier so you cant have the extra passenger seat in the real so only 2 rails on the floor.

 

[Legin]

4 motion with DSG on 17 plate
4 motion is fine, my problem is the DSG, which is ok unless you have ever driven any other manufactures Automated Gear Box, these dual clutch gear boxes are nothing like the old automatic gear boxes, and when working correctly are far superior, unless you suddenly change your mind when you are about to overtake or pull out as it confuses them and you get a a couple of second delay while it works out what to do.
But having driven other cars with automated gear boxes, i would put VW at the bottom of the list, ford and jaguar at the top.
the creep (what happens when you take you foot of the break) is not great, the delay on pulling out is not brill on busy traffic islands, the fact that the gear stick is the same as the one used on left hand drive but just moved over to the right means you cant see the letter down the side of the stick very easy, the sports mode does not inhibit stop/start as most other automated gearbox systems do so you have lean over to the passenger side to disable stop/start. But the really annoying thing is when you are doing a quick 3 point turn on a slope, when you drop from forward to reverse and then release the break you can start rolling in the forward direction still, and vice versa, what i do is put into reverse and count to 2 and it then locks the box until you touch the accelerator.
the plus point is that they are far more economical than the old torque converter gear boxes as there is no slip.
one other point i would make about the 4 motion is that it is heavier so you cant have the extra passenger seat in the real so only 2 rails on the floor.

The ZF8 speed knocks any automated manual into second place imo unless its a Ferrari or some such. Very nearly as fast as a DSG but none of the antics you describe. The new M3/M4 is now proper auto. If you think the Cali DSG isnt great try a Yeti ours is totally agricultural and the passat 4 motion I had wasnt much better. The top end Porsche and Audi installs are pretty good actually (PDK/DSG).

 

[speedialer]

I definitely appreciate the 4 motion. I have a 19 plate Ocean which replaced my previous 2015 SE 4M. 4 wheel drive saved me in on snowy roads on a few occaisions in the SE but havent had the opportunity to test the Ocean in adverse conditions.

My issue with Ocean is that throttle response on pavement feels pretty much on/off and not progressive like it was on the SE. So indeed it may be worse off road . Does remapping void the warranty ?

If I were to go back on my choice it would be a 4motion with a smaller engine (if that option exists?). I dont use 199bhp to its potential and it seems like I am always at the filling station.

 

[HappyGus]

Hi everyone.
I’m really pleased to have just ordered an ocean biturbo 4 motion. I was going to go for the 2wd as it seemed more of a sensible cash option but we hired one back in august from Leighton vans (definitely would recommend) and was quite shocked by how ‘grabby’ the DSG power delivery was and its propensity to spin the wheels at a roundabout...
I currently drive a golf R 7.5 with 4motion and 7speed dsg and understand it’s a completely different beast but surely the dsg haldex unit on the California can’t be that dissimilar? I called the hire guys to see if they had mapped the van as it felt like a bad map, but they confirmed it hadn’t. I was just wondering if it could be a software issue or had anyone else noticed the same thing? It almost like the Biturbo produces too much torque for a 2wd setup..

I've my AWD since april, quite happy with it. I'm not sure how you you use your van, but we do a lot of wildcamping and i already got several times where we did climb some steep tractor road. It gives a lot more confidence when you drive.

Also, I did take this option because we have quite a lot more snow, and since it's quite heavy, It's also much easier to move on snow.