
Volkswagen's New Camper Has a Loft Where You Can Stargaze - billconan
http://www.countryliving.com/home-design/house-tours/news/a44775/volkswagen-california-xxl/
======
gjem97
This is my new least favorite sport: speaking about concept vehicles in the
present tense. "has sophisticated features ... has space for a sink ...
includes an LCD projector" Oh wait. "The California XXL is still in the
concept stage." Now there's correct usage of the present tense.

Concept cars come to market approximately 0% of the time. In the rare cases
that they do actually make it to market (many many years later), they undergo
significant changes through the product development pipeline.

Is this the effect of PR people setting the tone for these stories, or is it
the authors/editors of the piece that want to trick people into believing it
exists? The point about the "concept stage" was buried in the middle of the
article.

~~~
spaceflunky
There’s a crazy amount of subliminal PR in this vaporware puff piece.

VW PR are trying to get you to think of VW as a nature loving, fun outdoorsy
company that’s connected to the environment. Instead of that company who cared
so little about pollution in the environment that they literally programmed
their cars to lie about how much pollution they were spewing.

The car doesn’t need to ever exist, what exists is the manufactured image in
your mind of VW and a “harmonious” place in nature.

~~~
lafar6502
Electro vehicles hysteria is much worse for the environment than some diesels
spewing a bit more Nox than expected. Vw made a huge mistake because their
engines are among the most fuel efficient on the market and now they got all
the blame and punishment. Most cars have much worse emissions than the
cheating Vw models

~~~
spaceflunky
While you're right in that the extra nox might not be that bad in the scheme
of things, what irks me is that they systematically lied and they also
actively marketed AGAINST hybrids and other clean technologies based upon
falsified data.

~~~
OneTimePaddy
Is systemmatically hiding that most E Vehicles drive with Coal and/or
Fukushima-fuel that much better. The whole debate of e-vehicles versus
traditional vehicles is heavily warped.

Im actually for a easily visible sign wethr a vehicle drives with some nature
friendly fuel- or the oppossite. Also, what has this debate to do with
anything- this is a concept car- it could be e or tradfuel.

~~~
grzm
I understand what you're saying. At the same time, electric vehicles can be
powered by electricity generated from any number of sources while ICE vehicles
require carbon-based fuels. Even when the electricity is generated from
carbon-based sources, those power plants can be located strategically (e.g.,
away from heavily populated areas), can be run more efficiently (e.g., at peak
efficiency for power generation rather than at varying efficiencies in
vehicles), and have better pollution controls.

------
robotbikes
This seems pretty cool then I realize that it would probably cost 100,000$ or
so and I realize looking at the stars from a blanket is free.

~~~
mikestew
Given the price of comparable Sprinter-based campers, you might even be a
little under. But it’s all moot. It’s a concept vehicle, and even if VW builds
it, it won’t be coming to the U. S. The pop-top California never did, and the
last time VW sold campers in the U. S. was fourteen years ago.

~~~
evervevdww221
This is disappointing. If this RV can relieve the need for house purchasing in
Bay Area, 100k price tag doesn't seem to be a problem.

It's a shame that this vehicle is named California and we can't buy it in
California. America is such a great place for RV camping (vast area, low
population density, plenty parking spaces and so many beautiful places to go),
and VW somehow decided not to sell any of these for 14 years!

I mean, just checking the craigslist prices for those second hand vw campers
from the 60s, their marketing people should be able to tell there is a strong
demand for this in the US.

~~~
newman8r
The issue is where to park them. In southern california, there's some amazing
rv parks in the desert that you can stay in for under $500 month, you get
electricity and plumbing.

Are there many places like that in the bay area?

~~~
sulam
Depends on what you’re willing to call the Bay Area. Head east and you get to
spots like that within thirty minutes, as long as it’s not commute time. If
you decided to BART from Pittsburgh/Bay Point or Dublin/Pleasanton you could
probably have a twenty minute commute from a cheap RV community and then take
the train into the city easily enough. It’s much harder if you want to work on
the peninsula, although maybe there are easy public transit options from down
near Gilroy that I’m unaware of.

Honestly better would be to get a boat. Cheap slips exist all over the place.

~~~
newman8r
I've considered live aboard boating, definitely would like to try it at some
point

------
newman8r
As someone who's lived in a 'hacker trailer' for an extended period of time
and kinda-failed, next time I'm gonna use an LMTV. Uncle Sam paid ~$100k+ for
each one of them. Sometimes you can find one with living quarters/plumbing.

[http://www.govplanet.com/Light+Medium+Tactical+Vehicle+%28LM...](http://www.govplanet.com/Light+Medium+Tactical+Vehicle+%28LMTV%29?kwtag=navbar)

~~~
djaychela
Looks similar idea to a Unimog[1], which I've seen a few camping out in Europe
when I've been on holiday; saw a couple when I drove through Western Sahara
(cheap banger rally stuff), and they can get just about anywhere. Some of them
are kitted out to a seriously high standard, and you could go just about
anywhere and be comfortable in them. I think the fuel consumption might be
somewhat heavy though...

[1] [http://www.expedition-
trucks.com/brokers/unimog-4x4-expediti...](http://www.expedition-
trucks.com/brokers/unimog-4x4-expedition-camper-conversion)

------
peterwwillis
It looks kind of... huge. And cramped at the same time. I'd rather either have
a small van and deal with less convenience, or tow a mini-house-on-trailer.
That way I have a transportation vehicle that isn't also as big and unwieldy
as a boat.

------
sizzzzlerz
I like it although it might get pretty cramped if you plan on spending weeks
on the road. Having to make up the bed every night could also prove to be an
annoyance. One thing is for sure, however, based on that video. It seems to
make you smile all the time.

~~~
mikestew
What I tell people about our Vanagon Westfalia (which has even less space), if
you're spending a lot of time in the van you're doing it wrong. If you want to
live in it, get a Class C (built on a box truck chassis) or better. If you
just want a windproof, waterproof container to sleep in that has the
conveniences of running water, stove and a fridge, a camper van might be for
you. We also have two 60-80 lb. dogs. Space considerations mean the dogs get
the downstairs bed, we take the upper bunk. Winter camping (in Seattle == 40F
and drizzling rain) gets a little claustrophobic between weather and very
early sunset, so we usually spend but a night or two.

Making the bed is no more an annoyance than it is tent camping. Still, it
takes me all of five minutes either way: open the valve on the mattress pad,
unroll the sleeping bag. If you have a young back, you don't even need the
sleeping pad, as it's got a (pretty poor) mattress already.

As for making us smile, yes, it does. My parents offered to chip in for us to
buy a larger Class C (enough for us to buy a low-end new one with no money out
of our pocket). We turned them down. We wouldn't have room to keep the Westy,
and we realized we loved the Westy too much to get rid of him.

------
t3h2mas
I'm a big fan of 'panoramic sunroofs' and look forward to seeing them included
vehicles that don't have every other bell and whistle.

------
GoToRO
I find it... ugly?

~~~
sizzzzlerz
Well, it is a Volkswagon after all.

------
DeepYogurt
That looks fantastic. I look forward to buying the low end model on craigslist
in a few years :p

------
tdburn
That thing is an awesome little big package!!

