What is it?

Volkswagen’s little city van and never has demand been higher for such vehicles as the Covid-19 pandemic has boosted the home delivery market.

The Caddy is now in its fifth generation and comes in various guises – long and short wheel-base panel van plus a passenger carrying version.

 

The latest Caddy Cargo uses the VW Group’s modular MQB platform which also underpins vehicles such as the Golf and Audi A3. The Caddy also benefits from many of the safety features found on these models.

It comes with a choice of the Group’s latest 2.0-litre diesel engine, which includes a twin-dosing AdBlue system to reduce NOx emissions, or a 1.5-litre petrol.

There are also three trim levels and the option of all-wheel-drive for those building site or farmland deliveries.

The new Caddy, which has been redesigned from the ground up, offers increased space, efficient engine options, additional driver assistance systems to improve safety and a new connected Digital Cockpit and infotainment system to turn the vehicle into a smartphone on wheels.

The fifth-generation Caddy is available as the Caddy Cargo panel van and the passenger-carrying Caddy. The Caddy Cargo is available in three new trim levels: the entry-level Commerce, Commerce Plus, and the range-topping Commerce Pro.

Caddy rear

What do we think?

Given that the Caddy sits on the underpinnings of the latest generation Golf, you’d expect it to be one of the best handing small vans around – and it is.

Steering is very responsive, really good road holding and the ride feels really smooth thanks to an advanced rear coil suspension. It feels just as smooth when loaded up.

The 2.0 TDI diesel engine is available with three power options, 74bhp with 184lb ft of torque, 101bhp with 207lb ft or 120bhp and 236lb ft. and all are turbocharged allowing plenty of pulling power.

As is often the way, though, we reckon the sweet spot is the middle 101bhp engine, which supplies plenty of grunt for a wide variety of uses. We have yet to test the 1.5-litre petrol engine, but we’ll bring you our verdict when we get behind the wheel later this year.

A six-speed gearbox is standard across all models while the range-topping 120hp gets the option of a seven-speed DSG gearbox with a new ‘shift-by-wire’ system.

Inside, the Caddy’s interior has a clean, modern feel and, as already mentioned, and is packed with technology carried over from the cars.

Caddy interior

This includes automatic emergency braking as standard, while adaptive cruise control, road sign detection (which adjusts the cruise control to the speed limit) and lane-keeping assistance are options.

All models have a central screen, a standard 6.5in on the Commerce and Commerce Plus trims or 10.0in touchscreen on Commerce Pro models.

Just like the passenger cars, you also specify an ‘eSIM’ enabling wi-fi and emergency calling as well as the ‘We Connect’ app for vehicle reports, breakdown calls and service planning.

An advanced services package, We Connect Plus which is standard on all Caddys with sat-nav, enables anti-theft warnings, media streaming, live traffic information and a parking position finder.

The interior also features USB-C connectors plus the option of adding wireless phone charging and a wireless connection to Apply CarPlay.

There’s plenty of seat and steering wheel adjustment so even the burliest of drivers should find a comfortable position. Commerce Plus and Pro vans feature a driver’s armrest and electrically adjustable lumbar support.

Commerce Plus models come with rear parking sensors, with Pro models adding front parking sensors. A rear-view camera is an options along with Park Assist that will actually steer the van into a parking space for you.

At the business end, the Caddy Cargo is a functional small van. The short-wheelbase Caddy is 1885mm wide, 4500mm long and 1856mm high, providing a load space length of 1797mm, a width of 1613mm and 1272mm in height.

Caddy cargo

The long-wheelbase version adds 353mm to the length of the van, making it 4853mm long and increasing its load length to 2150mm.

In terms of payload, the maximum weight is 687kg in the standard model or 700kg in the larger versions, which is less than rivals such as the Ford Transit Connect.

The new Caddy Cargo is capable of carrying a Euro pallet sideways in the back of the load bay

Customers financing the Caddy Cargo on Personal Contract Plan, Hire Purchase and Lease Purchase can benefit from a deposit contribution of £2,400 (including VAT) and a low finance rate of 2.9% APR Representative. All Caddy models financed through Volkswagen Financial Services are also eligible for two services for just £99.

Business customers can finance the Caddy Cargo on Contract Hire for just £209 per month in 102 PS Commerce specification.

As for price, the line-up ranges from £17,800-£26,850

 

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