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By Jonathan Crouch

Volkswagen's Caddy People MPV models offer an interesting take on the van-based MPV theme. Jonathan Crouch looks at the latest versions.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 85

Van-based MPVs have, to date, failed to disguise their utilitarian roots. The Volkswagen Caddy People MPV offers a rather more upmarket feel and a drive that's a good deal more spirited than most. You can have seven seats, yet in a car that's easy to park in the tightest multi-storey - and all the technology a family could want. As a compromise between relative sophistication and solid common sense, this compact Caddy people mover works extremely well. And some recent updates have improved the proposition.

Backgroundword count: 177

The problem with van-based MPVs is easy to identify. It's the lingering feeling that no matter how much glazing you have around the outside, when you're behind the wheel you'll still feel as if you're delivering pizzas. No matter how hard many manufacturers have tried to get away from the light commercial origins, these vehicles can't shake off the faint whiff of deep pan pepperoni. But if you were to lay odds on anyone to crack this thorny issue, it would be Volkswagen. With a range of increasingly sophisticated passenger cars, Volkswagen has decided to sprinkle a little of that urbane charm onto the fourth generation range of its compact Caddy people carriers, van-based MPVs that aim to be cut above the norm. The challenge is to do so while still keeping prices in the ballpark that van-based MPV customers expect. It's a tougher brief than you might expect. The current 'Caddy 4' design was first launched in 2020, then in Spring 2026 got the package of updates that has created the car we look at here.

Driving Experienceword count: 179

There are no engineering changes as part of this Caddy update - apart from the fact that you can no longer have manual transmission. So the two available engines - a 122PS 2.0 TDI diesel or a 116PS 1.5-litre TSI petrol - both have to be had with a 7-speed DSG auto gearbox. This generation of Caddy, announced in 2020, is far more car-like to drive than its predecessors. That's because it uses car-like coil-sprung suspension, something unknown in older generation Caddy MPVs, who shared the same van-like leaf-sprung suspension as their LCV cousins. This generation of Caddy also got a much more sophisticated chassis, the stiffer Modular Transverse Matrix platform used on all Volkswagen's current Golf, Passat and Tiguan-sized car models. The other drive change you'll notice if you're graduating up from a pre-2020-era Caddy MPV is the electrically assisted power steering rack with its more direct feel. All of this is the same of course as you get with the rejuvenated current Caddy Cargo van model, though the payload of this MPV version is 100kgs lower (506kgs).

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