[ad_1]
Vans like the VW Caddy attract a large audience: families with two or three children, but also small business owners and amateur athletes. It is not an easy task for the developers of such vehicles to bring all the needs of this clientele together under one roof. In addition, the price should remain cheap, because expensive and noble does not work in this league.
VW has managed to do this with the fifth generation of Caddies. Visually only the old one (in a positive sense), it is reminiscent of the new Golf not only for the new cockpit with multifunctional screen up to ten inches for navigation and voice control. Reason: For the first time, the well-made Caddy is also based on the VW Group’s modular transverse construction kit, like almost everything under the Passat.
Significantly more spacious
The standard caddy is 4.50 meters long, almost ten centimeters longer than its predecessor. The wheelbase longer than seven centimeters favors interior and cargo space (3.3 cubic meters). The VW Caddy Maxi, which has been extended to 4.85 meters, looks much bulkier, but also offers much more cargo space (4.0 cubic meters) or, optionally, a third row of seats, which makes it a practical seven-seater for families. Interesting for traders: the high payload (850 kg), steeper walls (this way the structure can be better used for internal shelving) and the new rear axle, which not only drives better, but also allows loading and unload a euro pallet.
Incomprehensible: Although the fifth generation Caddy introduces new door closing aids, electric controls for the powerful tailgate or sliding doors are not available even for the higher quality PW versions.
Better driving behavior
The driving behavior has been significantly improved over the last generation of the Caddy. No wonder that the new generation of Caddies received the front axle of the Golf 8 and, by the way, most of its driver assistance systems. Turning behavior and comfort level are significantly better than before. From 2021 the Caddy will also come with a 4×4, but unfortunately only combined with the manual gearbox.
Stromer is about to arrive
When it comes to electrification, VW is still holding back with the new Caddy. A plug-in hybrid variant (mated to the 1.5-liter turbo petrol engine for the first time) is unlikely to reach customers before 2023. The purely electric range is expected to reach up to 100 kilometers thanks to a 90 kW battery pack. Some customers can be assumed to access it, although the payload of this variant drops to a whopping 600 kilos.
The first models of the new Caddy Cargo Entry (2.0 turbodiesel, 6-speed manual, 75 hp) are already available from Swiss dealers – starting at CHF 18,427. Further variants (2.0 turbodiesel from 75 to 122 hp, 1.5 turbo petrol engine from 114 to 130 hp, methane version with 130 hp) are now continuously following.
Source link