VW California camper van cranks on all-night battery A/C for under 75K

Volkswagen gave its iconic California camper van a mid-cycle refresh earlier this year. Beyond snoozy updates like a reshaped grille and larger digital displays, the van life icon gained one highly desirable new capability: an upgraded climate control system that runs off the plug-in hybrid battery for hours on end. Campers enjoy the utmost in year-round comfort without the expense and bulk of an auxiliary camp heater or A/C unit. The revamped camper van is now officially available to order in the UK. The biggest upgrade on the 2027 California lineup is available only on eHybrid 4Motion variants because it relies on the plug-in van's 19.7-kWh powertrain battery to work as an off-grid power source. Campers can turn on the vehicle's air conditioner or heater and run it for up to eight hours when the vehicle is parked and turned off. Long story short, campers stay warmer on cold nights and cooler on hot nights without a loud, emissions-spewing engine or generator running in the background. All California models have a folding rear seating bed, but the Coast and Ocean bed is narrower than the Beach bed because of the kitchen and cabinetry on the driver's sideVW Commercial Vehicles Eight hours is a pretty solid night of sleep, ensuring you don't have to shut off the climate control system in the middle of the night and risk running seriously hot or cold before morning. If you do run the battery down, you can simply rely on the gas engine to get you where you need to go and charge the battery while driving – none of that pure-EV-style range worry about draining the battery down too far to even have enough power to drive to a charging station. Even before gaining overnight climate control, the 242-hp California eHybrid 4Motion was an easy favorite among all California powertrain options because of that efficient, range anxiety-defeating gas-electric capability. The van offers 53 miles (85 km) of all-electric driving using the same lithium battery that doubles as the climate control power station, a range estimate VW tends to vary by a mile or two based on market and timing. That gives camper travelers the ability to drive cleanly and quietly through city centers, around campgrounds and down deep forest roads. Upscaled with Gigapixel v1.1.2. 1032x1818 => 6192x10908 (6x) Model: High Fidelity V2, denoise: 0.01, sharpen: 0.01, decompression: 0.01 Face recovery version: 2, strength: 0.8, creativity: 0 (Realistic), selectedFaces: 2VW Commercial Vehicles But unlike an all-electric vehicle, the California eHybrid doesn't have to pull to an emergency stop once the battery is drained. Instead, it switches over to power from the 1.5-liter turbo-four TSI engine to power the front wheels and work with the front motor as a generator. The van can then drive hundreds of additional miles until emptying the gas tank. Even then, it ensures fast, reliable refueling in remote areas where electric charging stations are non-existent and even gas stations are few and far between. Another advantage of the Volkswagen's eHybrid California is that it brings integrated 4Motion all-wheel drive along with it, thanks to its combination of front engine and front and rear motors. The all-wheel traction continues working even if battery power drops down near zero, with the front engine-motor working as an electric generator to keep the battery and rear motor powered. The refreshed California eHybrid 4Motion camper van launches in the UK at a base price of £74,637 (approx. US$100,400) when equipped in Beach camper trim. The UK-market Beach comes ready to camp as a four-person with pop-up sleeper roof and folding rear seating that supports the 78 x 52-in (198 x 133-cm) lower bed. It includes a slide-out mini-kitchen at the tailgate with single-burner stove. Each California trim offered in the UK features a pop-up roof with 81 x 45-in (205 x 114-cm) double bedVW Commercial Vehicles The higher-spec California eHybrid 4Motion Coast and Ocean models start at £79,672 and £87,970 ($107,175 and $118,350), respectively. Both models include an interior kitchen block behind the driver's seat and a four-sleeper pop-up layout. The two rear seats fold into a 78 x 43-in (198 x 108-cm) lower bed that runs narrower than the Beach's bed because of the kitchen block next to it. The flagship Ocean adds enhanced features like an electric-lift roof in place of the manual roof, a more advanced interior lighting system, and higher-spec automotive equipment like IQ. Light LED Matrix headlights and three-zone climate control. The California Coast and Ocean include a front drawer fridge for easy indoor/outdoor access VW Commercial Vehicles While new California models powered by the 148-hp 2.0-liter TDI engine don't enjoy integrated battery-powered overnight climate control, they do share other refresh upgrades with eHybrid 4Motion models. Those start at the very front, where an updated grille and LED headlights give the new California a matured face. Also new are the 17- to 19-in alloy wheel designs and the power-latching sliding doors and tailgate. Inside, an upsized 12.9-in infotainment screen centers in the dashboard and works in concert with a 10-in digital cockpit. New materials, colors and finishes, including a California-specific fabric and color scheme, further distinguish the camper van's interior look and feel from the rest of the Volkswagen van lineup. The enhanced aesthetics are joined by new ambient lighting and improved wireless smartphone charging. Volkswagen offers a variety of accessories to build out your California base camp, including an awning on both sides to create a three-room indoor/outdoor setup VW Commercial Vehicles Volkswagen also packs in new driver-assistance content, including motorway lane change assist, traffic light recognition, and an emergency assist guidance system that maneuvers the car to a shoulder or outermost lane should the driver suffer a medical emergency. Base prices for the Volkswagen California with 148-hp turbo-diesel engine start at £66,334 ($89,250) for the Beach and rises to £79,762 ($107,300) for the Ocean. Volkswagen plans to begin UK deliveries of the refreshed California vans in early 2027. Source: Volkswagen