- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.4T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
92kW, 220Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 6.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2016 Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Crewvan TSI220 long-term review
Report two
For this instalment from the production team, we asked young gun Sam Rawlings – our video production co-ordinator – to give us his thoughts on the Caddy. Here’s what he said:
You’ve spent time driving, loading, unloading and parking the car. What have you thought about it in general?
I think it’s a great van. It drives super smooth, the engine and gearbox work perfectly together and the manual transmission means you can really drive it if you have to.
What are the things you liked most about the Caddy?
The manual transmission made driving it – even in traffic – very enjoyable, the infotainment system was modern and easy to use, and there was a good amount of storage space even though there was a second row of seats.
What are the things you disliked most about the Caddy?
The lack of a rear-view camera was a bit of a let down; the hill-hold system took a bit of feeling out of the clutch. Clutching at straws with that one. Pun intended.
What would you change about it?
The colour. A dark blue car shows up a lot of dirt and scratches, which is perhaps not ideal for a 'work' vehicle. And I’d add a rear-view camera.
Was it fit for the purpose of being a production van during its time with us?
The Caddy Crewvan was perfect for a production van. It could always deal with whatever gear we needed to transport. It even doubled as an office on one shoot.
Compared to the Renault, what is the biggest advantage of the Caddy?
It's drivability. Both the Trafic and Caddy felt much smaller on the road than they should, but the Caddy was superior in terms of ease of use and the clutch was an absolute dream.
Compared to the Renault, what is the biggest disadvantage of the Caddy?
Storage space. While the Caddy is a very economical area to work with, even with the second row seats in use, the vast amount of loading space in the Trafic was hard to ignore.
If you needed a van, or you knew someone who did, would you recommend a Caddy
Absolutely!
How has the fuel use been?
Fuel economy was great. Though I'm not sure of the exact figures, no matter what we were using it for, it always seemed like a long time between drinks.
Is the lack of a camera a deal breaker?
Not a deal breaker, but would be an disincentive for those that value it.
Would you prefer the barn doors or a tailgate?
Barn doors. Takes up less space and is far more user friendly.
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Did the five-seat layout make a big difference?
Yes. Having the rear-seat was great: it gave us the ability to cart around more people – and being able to say "everyone pile into the Caddy” kind of rolled off the tongue.
Is the load space usable?
Extremely usable, despite looking modest from the outside, we were able to fit an entire couch in it at one stage.
Did you fold the second-row seats forward much?
Once, while transporting the couch. Other than that, the space available with the seats up was more than adequate.
Will you miss it?
Oh yeah! Despite having the label of a commercial van, the Caddy drives like a small hatch and is legitimately fun to drive. It truly is a wolf in sheep's clothing… driving-wise, anyway.
MORE: Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Crewvan TSI220: Long-term report 1
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