ROAD TEST: VW’S MEGA ROOMY CADDY MAXI
VW’s designers seem to have decided that function trumps form
WE STACKED the Volkswagen Caddy Maxi and then we stacked it some more, and still its boot had the voracious appetite of a hungry chick with its beak wide open yelling for more. And that was even before we folded down the back seats.
This is a roomy vehicle, and there aren’t too many passenger cars into which you can fit two large mattresses and a mountain bike all standing upright, as you can see in the picture. Despite its unglamorous van-like styling, the Caddy Maxi swallows up to seven people and huge amounts of retail therapy.
The Caddy has always been about versatility and space, and the new, fourthgeneration version recently launched in South Africa is now larger, safer and more loaded with features.
If comes in four body styles with three engine choices. The Caddy Panel Van and Crew Bus derivatives cater to commercial buyers with needs for loads of packing space. The more family-focussed Caddy Trendline comes in five-seater shortwheelbase or seven-seater Maxi lengths, while the Alltrack versions replace the previous Cross Caddy as the flagship derivatives.
On test here is the Trendline Caddy Maxi with three rows of seats in a 2+3+2 formation, which turns into a roomy panelvan when you fold forward the middle row and take out the back row. Removing the two-seater back bench is fairly straightforward and it’s light enough to be a one-person job for someone with a bit of muscle, though two people is preferable.
As a people-hauler the Caddy Maxi does a great job. It takes seven adult passengers in reasonable comfort and the third row isn’t just for toddlers, as is so often the case. Getting to the rear seats is made easy in tight parking spaces by the car having dual rear-sliding doors instead of swing-open ones. The middle row has a quick folding mechanism to simplify access to the back row.
Caddy Trendlines come standard with upward-swinging rear boot lids, but our test car had the optional sideways-opening split doors. These ‘barn doors’ are useful for loading in tighter spaces but they hinder rearward vision when driving.
The vehicle’s large, wideangle side mirrors partially compensate for this, but parking would still be a bit of a mission without the optional rear-park distance control that was fitted to the test car. At R4 150 it’s a worthwhile option.
Inside the new Caddy is a more modernly-styled dashboard and centre console, but the black-dominated cabin is austere and little effort has been made to glam it up except for a shiny strip of plastic across the fascia. The flatweave cloth covering the seats is also utalitarian, more focussed on being easy-to-clean than soft and welcoming.
There is plenty of oddments space including a centre console, drawers under the front seats and a ceiling storage tray above the front windscreen. There are also tray tables for the middle-row passengers to enjoy a mobile picnic.
Spec levels in the Caddy Maxi Trendline are reasonable and include aircon, trip computer, front electric windows, remote central locking, and a radio touchscreen system with USB and Bluetooth cellphone interface. But you’ll have to spend more money to buy options like cruise control and a multi-function steering wheel.
New safety features across the Caddy range include a Post-Collision Braking System which automatically brakes the vehicle after a crash to reduce the risk or severity of a secondary collision.
Also new is a Driver Alert system which monitors driving patterns at speeds over 65km/h, and activates visual and acoustic warnings if it feels a driver needs to take a break.
Front and side airbags, along with ABS brakes and a stability-control system, complete a generous safety package. A hill-start system prevents rollback when pulling off on inclines.
We tested the weaker of the two diesel versions, a 2litre engine producing outputs of 81kW and 250Nm (the more powerful one, also a 2-litre, makes 103kW and 320Nm).
For its humble-seeming power the 81kW Caddy pulls with decent gusto, even when we piled it full of holiday luggage and towed a trailer with a motorcycle. Lusty low-down torque keeps it moving along contentedly, though steeper climbs require a downshift in the five-speed manual gearbox.
On a flat road the car easily scoots past the national speed limit if you’re not concentrating on the speedo, and on longer trips the lack of cruise control does become an irritating issue.
This easygoing cruising nature is paired with budgetfriendly fuel economy, and our test car averaged 6.6 litres per 100km in a town/freeway combined cycle (VW claims 5.8 litres). Even when packed with all the holiday gear and towing a trailer, the consumption never went over 7.3 litres.
At nearly 4.9 metres long this long VW needs some care when you’re parallel-parking but it’s not a bulky-feeling vehicle to drive.
The high roof makes for more body roll than the average sedan but not dramatically, and in general the Caddy rides and handles much like a regular car.
Speed-dependent servotronic steering lightens up for low-speed manoeuvring but loads up for more feel when the pace picks up. The ride is also very comfortable.
The R392 400 price comes with a three-year/120 000 km warranty and three-year/60 000km service plan, with 15 000km service intervals. VERDICT It’s a pity that all this wonderful space isn’t packaged in a more attractive shape, and that the Caddy Maxi looks like a delivery van.
It lacks glamour, but the Caddy Maxi is a Rubik’s cube of seating and storage possibilities, a versatile family car or mom’s taxi that doubles as a business panelvan or a lugger of space-eating hobbies like cycling or remote-controlled aircraft. The low thirst makes it kind to the pocket too.