Usefulness of 5th seat for five adults

[DonOregano]

I am in the process of speccing a T6 Ocean, and I am wondering whether the 5th seat is actually useful for the one use case when I need it?

I will be using the fifth seat at the most once a year, when I go on a skiing holiday with some friends. Sometimes (when spouses' work schedules work out, etc) there are five of us traveling. So, five grown men, that is. With one or two pairs of skiis, boots and poles each. Lots of luggage, warm clothes, helmets, avalanche kits, etc etc etc.

The threads on the forum talk about kids in the back, and pushing the bench back for extra leg room. But nothing about how it works with adults, and if there is any useful room left for packing.

So, five adults, with all that gear, a roof box, maybe a towbar bike rack for some stuff. Driving 800 km. Is it at all possible? Is the van useful like this in a five seat configuration?

Grateful for any input!

 

[WelshGas]

I would suggest looking very closely at the Payload of the vehicle you are contemplating. the 5th seat is heavy and with 4 adults + roof box and bike rack + luggage I would be very surprised if you didn't end up being overloaded unless you were very very careful.
A Beach might be able to cope but an Ocean - I have my doubts.

 

[DonOregano]

Thank you very much for this input!

I would suggest looking very closely at the Payload...

Ah, yes... I hadn't really thought of that. And I am a first time (well, not even that, yet) van owner, so I know next to nothing about the rules and regulations around this. What should I look into? Is this a legal issue, or a rating issue?

 

[DonOregano]

Ok, found some payload numbers in the brochure. From 411 kg up to ~550, depending on gearbox and engine. But a part of my question still remains, I am guessing the max weight is a rating thing. Is that the same in all countries, and is there any way to stretch that?

 

[WelshGas]

Ok, found some payload numbers in the brochure. From 411 kg up to ~550, depending on gearbox and engine. But a part of my question still remains, I am guessing the max weight is a rating thing. Is that the same in all countries, and is there any way to stretch that?

VW make the T6 in at least 3 chassis variants, T28/30/32 with differently rated suspensions and as the basic vehicle weight varies only slightly so different payloads.
The California is based on the T30 variant.
Exceeding the Payload will/can cause changes in handling etc:. Also, be illegal in many countries.

It is possible, in the UK, to have a vehicle certified to a higher weight limit if changes are made to the suspension. Eg: fitting Air Suspension.

 

[DonOregano]

It is possible, in the UK, to have a vehicle certified to a higher weight limit if changes are made to the suspension. Eg: fitting Air Suspension.

Cool, thank you! Will look into what the Swedish rules are.

Back to my original questions, though! Will we even be able to fit in there?

 

[WelshGas]

Cool, thank you! Will look into what the Swedish rules are.

Back to my original questions, though! Will we even be able to fit in there?

Rear seat back as far as the overhead locker leaves some boot space. 5th seat facing forward next to kitchen and legs between front seats, possible. Using a small trailer would allow more luggage. I presume you would not all be sleeping in the van.
Imagine budjet airline economy class .

 

[Eber123]

We purchased a dealer demo model, which had a 5th seat.

When we collected the van I asked them just to put the seat in, not to install it. Even to take out the van was difficult, because it is so heavy.

Because we don't use it is in the garage. I wanted to sell it, but my wife is not in favour for this. To store it for a long while might not be that easy either (my wife suggested to put it in the attic - ).

Regards,
Eberhard

 

[DonOregano]

Yes, I have understood that it is a beast to carry. But I have room to store it, and I can get my four passengers to carry it in and out :-D

 

[westfalia]

(my wife suggested to put it in the attic - ).

If you put it in the attic, try and put it above your dining room and
towards the end of your dining table.
When it eventually falls through the ceiling you won´t have to move it
far to use it.

 

[cundf]

Ok, found some payload numbers in the brochure. From 411 kg up to ~550, depending on gearbox and engine. But a part of my question still remains, I am guessing the max weight is a rating thing. Is that the same in all countries, and is there any way to stretch that?

You can strech the maximum payload up to 3.300 kg (from 3.080 kg) with other springs. The bus will be aprox. 2cm higher!

E.g. you can‘t order the 5th seat in a T6 with 4motion. You will only get two rails becaue of the weight.

 

[Trev]

I am in the process of speccing a T6 Ocean, and I am wondering whether the 5th seat is actually useful for the one use case when I need it?

I will be using the fifth seat at the most once a year, when I go on a skiing holiday with some friends. Sometimes (when spouses' work schedules work out, etc) there are five of us traveling. So, five grown men, that is. With one or two pairs of skiis, boots and poles each. Lots of luggage, warm clothes, helmets, avalanche kits, etc etc etc.

The threads on the forum talk about kids in the back, and pushing the bench back for extra leg room. But nothing about how it works with adults, and if there is any useful room left for packing.

So, five adults, with all that gear, a roof box, maybe a towbar bike rack for some stuff. Driving 800 km. Is it at all possible? Is the van useful like this in a five seat configuration?

Grateful for any input!

Don we bought a 5th seat for exactly that purpose. As other poster said remove rear shelf and slide bench seat back in order to create leg room for 5th seat. Legroom isn’t fantastic but 5 adults with ski boots, usual kit plus food (we were self catering) down to the alps and it was perfect. We fitted ours by sliding door. It’s a bugger to cart in and out. For ease a two person job. There’s also a thread on how to remove/install which might be worth reading. Avoid the mistake I made! I was also amazed by the amount of kit the Cali swallowed. Hope this helps.

 

[MattBW]

Because we don't use it is in the garage. I wanted to sell it, but my wife is not in favour for this. To store it for a long while might not be that easy either (my wife suggested to put it in the attic - ).

Regards,
Eberhard

Wow that will be a difficult job to get it up there, be careful!

 

[rippers]

We have had our first 5th seat experience as my mother in law needed picking up from Alicante airport on the way down to Almeria and drove her around for the week. So we had it all the way from London to Almeria and back!
Its a very heavy item which took two of us to move and you have to be very careful other wise it will scratch up the floor (ask me how I know) and we had to remove it every night. We bought a Water Proof BBQ cover from B&Q for it to protect it at night which worked well.
In my honest opinion unless you take the rear bed shelf and mattress out to be able to move the bench seat back this is not suitable for Adults to sit in and behind it. My kids where happy sit cross legged behind it so the Mother in law was ok.
My biggest grip about it all was the aluminium fittings in the floor they where a proper faff!
My conclusion is that unless you really really need one don't bother! I think I'll decline helping the mother in law in future!

One tip is that we unscrewed the plastic brackets and rubber stops off the metal bed frame and that gave us another click back on the bench seat.. every inch counts.. so I'm told!

 

[Eber123]

Wow that will be a difficult job to get it up there, be careful!

Yes, the seat is still in the garage.

I am a very well trained husband (30 years) but with the years come experience. A few years ago my better half asked me to move a bush (didn't even know what plant it was) from the side passage to the back of the garden - that project took 15 month . Well, planning is important....

Regards,
Eberhard

 

[DonOregano]

Thank you everyone for the input! I will think carefully about a fifth seat before ordering my Cali. It is a very specific journey that I need it for, that will probably only happen once every other year or every third year even. So I need to talk to my friends and see what they think. And unless I can respec for higher payload we would have to travel with a trailer, which may turn out to be quite a nuisance.

 

[Jay586]

Probably more comfortable to take the kit and let a couple of them fly or train it there.

 

[DonOregano]

Mmm, If only the place we go to were somewhere where there were planes or trains

Ok, I exaggerate a bit...

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[Jay586]

Ha, ha, maybe not all the way then but you'll have to compromise somewhere. Like we have the front bench seat so we can just about have 3 people as otherwise we'd have a seat in the back we'd hardly ever use...

 

[Jay586]

PS I don't have a Cali, for compromise reasons to do with dogs.

 

[bigmac77]

Don’t bother with the seat,save the money and rent a suitable vehicle for the trip.

 

[DonOregano]

Don’t bother with the seat,save the money and rent a suitable vehicle for the trip.

Yes, that is what I am currently thinking... The cost and the payload limitations are prohibitive...

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[AndyVits]

The cost of the 5th seat when ordering a new Cali is about a 3rd compared to ordering one retrospectively (I bought my 5th seat 2nd hand). We use it in the van during the winter when opportunities to camp are few and far between.

 

[Wojciech Jerzy]

Hi, I have T5 and not sure if tere is any dofference to T6 but here the legroom is really bad, I had an 8yr old there and he could not sit comfortably, bad design imo, plus it’s terribly heavy, watch out for you back.

 

[Bellcrew]

View attachment 37350 Hi, I have T5 and not sure if tere is any dofference to T6 but here the legroom is really bad, I had an 8yr old there and he could not sit comfortably, bad design imo, plus it’s terribly heavy, watch out for you back.

Many people on here use a fith seat all the time without any issues. The rear frame has to be left at home to give acceptable leg room and it helps to remove the track stops. For instance a 150 DSG Ocean has 500 kg of usable payload not including a 75 kg driver and 90 % fuel load. Just do the arithmetic.