A FRESH KIND OF CADDY (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The fifth generation Volkswagen Caddy van rewards buyers looking for a compact LCV with a quality feel and a depth of design engineering often missing from obvious rivals. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 68

The fifth generation Volkswagen Caddy is a compact van that's new from the ground up, described as 'the Swiss Army Knife of urban delivery vans'. It's now more stylish, but bigger inside, more economical and efficient but also more car-like. Plus there's an advanced digital interior and a whole portfolio of safety systems. You won't have previously come across a compact LCV quite as advanced as this one.

Backgroundword count: 155

With three million sales on the board, the Caddy is well established as the core starting point for Volkswagen's commercial vehicle line-up. Its history dates back to 1978 and a Golf-based US market pick-up called the Rabbit which was brought to Europe and rebadged 'Caddy' in 1982. But the Caddy's history as a small van really began in earnest with the second generation model of 1995. That became more sophisticated in the third generation form of 2003 which was subsequently offered in lengthened 'Caddy Maxi' form. By now, MPV and Camper variants were also available - and offered with both body lengths. The 'Caddy 4' fourth generation design of 2015 was visually very little different from its predecessor but much more sophisticated in terms of comfort, safety and efficiency. Five years on though, it was time for a more radical change, which brings us to the fifth generation model we're going to look at here.

Driving Experienceword count: 238

There are a trio of 2.0-litre diesel engine options to kick off, with a choice of 75PS, 102PS and 122PS outputs. All get 6-speed manual transmission and if you go for the 122PS version, you'll be offered the option of a 7-speed DSG auto gearbox. We wouldn't really recommend the relatively feeble entry-level 75PS version unless you'll only be using your Caddy for urban deliveries but the other two variants should offer a decent turn of speed. The top 122PS diesel TDI model can also be ordered in manual form with 4MOTION 4WD. Yes, that's right: 4WD in a compact van - a useful thing to have if your deliveries take you to slippery building sites or along rutted tracks. As with all VW SUVs, this is a set-up designed always to provide power to the wheels with most traction. Normally, it'll pull you from the front, but should conditions change, in a split second, 4MOTION can spread power to the rear wheels if required and immediately stop power to any wheel losing traction. What else? Well, for the few segment customers wanting petrol power, a 1.5-litre TSI engine with 114PS is available. Across the range, a braked trailer capacity of up to 1,500kg is within the Caddy's remit and it's worth pointing out that pulling potential of this magnitude is rare in this sector. Many vans of this size after all, don't even break the 1,000kg barrier.

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