The new VW Caddy: More comfortable and flexible than ever before | Tyrolean daily newspaper online

By Markus Höscheler

Munich, Innsbruck – Lately a lot has happened with city delivery vans and MPVs – but preferably with the competition. Volkswagen, on the other hand, relied on the talent and reputation of the Caddy, which has been on the market since 1978. Not entirely without good reason, because there was really no shortage of customers. More than three million sales prove that the Caddy is a successful product, and the company was able to sell more than 800,000 units of the fourth generation in just under six years.

Despite the success numbers, the Caddy is getting on in years, design, interior equipment, infotainment and chassis procurement have lost ground to some rivals, albeit not in popularity. Volkswagen can continue to count on this when the Caddy V shows its presence on the domestic market for the first time in the next few weeks. It retains the box-like appearance, but at least there is a new, more modern front view, a contemporary-looking platform in the form of the modular transverse matrix (MQB), a significant upgrade in the interior quality, a plus in the space and an innovation boost in the comfort and Security systems.

In any case, the use of the MQB brings new dimensions with it, with the basic caddy, for example, a length increase of 92 millimeters to 4.5 meters. This goes hand in hand with more width (+62 mm to 1.855 meters) and an extended wheelbase (+73 mm to 2.755 m). The length of the cargo space has increased by 18 mm and is now 1797 mm, provided it is a box van (cargo). It will be available with the market launch at the end of next month, as well as the maxi version and the normal version of the car version (shuttle and van). An expansion of the range is planned for the coming spring, for example the shuttle and the van as a maxi version or the Caddy California for camping enthusiasts. Even a PanAmericana is being considered.

First of all, panel vans and short cars have priority. The Caddy Cargo has a loading volume of 3.1 cubic meters, the Caddy Cargo Maxi even 3.7 cubic meters. Up to two Euro pallets can be transported with the model, and loading has become many times easier thanks to the wider rear opening and enlarged side sliding doors. As a station wagon and family van, the Caddy offers a trunk with 1213 to 2556 liters of storage space, provided it is designed as a five-seater. A third row of seats (single seats) is available at an additional cost, which, like the second row of seats, can be folded up and expanded.

Another innovation step can be found in the technical equipment, mostly for a surcharge: LED headlights, digital instruments, touchscreens in various sizes (depending on the selected infotainment system) and advanced driver assistance systems such as the practical Travel Assist.

Four-cylinder turbodiesels with 75, 102 and 122 hp are initially planned for the Caddy, as well as a 114-hp petrol engine and a 131-hp natural gas vehicle. A plug-in hybrid will follow later, as will the 4Motion all-wheel drive system. The panel van is available from 15,400 euros net / 18,480 euros gross, the car (75 hp) from 19,191.06 euros net (23,255 euros gross).