SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
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Need a versatile combination of workhorse and personnel carrier without unnecessary frills? Need to drop off up to six staff members with just the basics at a function and then go back to the shop for more gear? Need a family bus that's hardwearing as well as practical? The answer could well be a Volkswagen Caddy crew bus. Basically, it's the “maxi” or long wheelbase rendition of VW’s panel van fitted with the 81 kW version of its smooth and willing 2.0 litre diesel, with extra seating and some of life's little necessities added.
The lwb panel van comes with disc brakes front and rear, ABS, ESP, electronic differential lock, traction control and engine drag torque control. It also has remote central locking and an alarm system with immobiliser. There is one airbag for the driver, basic heating and ventilation, twin sideways-opening rear doors and sliding doors on both sides. Seating is pretty basic as well, while windows and mirrors are worked by hand.
Good things added to turn the panel van into a crew bus include better quality seating for up to five, an airbag for the front passenger, ISOFIX child seat preparation, washer and wiper for the left back window, a radio/CD unit with auxiliary input, rubber covering for the load floor, heated rear windows, storage boxes in the rear foot well and a sliding window for the left rear door. To upgrade the car for family use, our test vehicle was fitted with air conditioning (R9620), 16" alloy wheels (R7620), electric windows and mirrors (R8210) and an extra pair of seats (R4970) to turn it into a very capable seven-seater. This brings the price up to R249 620, a saving of about R20 000 over the admittedly more luxurious Trendline Maxi bus that uses the same engine and five-speed manual gearbox.
Opening the rear doors reveals a loading volume between 530 litres (seven seat), 1 650 litres (five seat) and 3 950 litres with only the front chairs present. Expansion is done in minutes. All it takes is to fold each backrest down, then a quick pull on the webbing straps provided unclips each seat so it can be dragged out. They aren't massively heavy either, so most healthy adults should be able to do it. Simply leaving the relevant seats tumbled forward but locked in place can accommodate intermediate loads. Passenger space, even in the third row, is quite good with adequate knee, foot and headroom, while the second row seats three perfectly comfortably.
The crew bus' commercial roots are revealed in plastic roof lining, fibreboard inner side panels, painted metal on doors and body and rubber matting on the front floor. Farmers, campers and mums with muddy-footed children take note. Further evidence of its origins is leaf spring rear suspension that handles loads well, but is not the most compliant over speed bumps. The spare wheel is a full-sized steel item stowed under the load floor.
Two dash-top trays with dividers for pens and whatnot, an open cubby and a pair of open slots look after incidental storage, but the prize feature for the chronically untidy is a deep shelf above the windscreen. This was probably intended for stashing of clipboards and delivery books, although its possibilities when in service as a mummy bus are endless and practical. It keeps clutter out of sight to compensate for the lack of a lid on the glove box.
The two-litre diesel engine pulls strongly and revs freely, up to almost 5 500 rpm, before running out of steam. It's quiet as diesels go and frugal, with expected average consumption around 6,8 l/100 km. Once you overlook the lack of frills that don't actually contribute anything to the overall driving experience, the Caddy crew bus, fitted with the extras provided on our test car, is a very satisfying day-to-day mover of goods and people.
The numbers
Price: R219 200 (basic) or R249 620 as tested
Engine: 1 968 cc, 16-valve, inline four cylinder common rail diesel with variable geometry turbocharger
Power: 81 kW at 4 200 rpm
Torque: 250 Nm between 1 500 and 2 500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 12,8 seconds
Maximum speed: 170 km/h
Fuel index: 6,84 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Payload without driver: 714 kg
Trailer mass, braked: 1 500 kg (5 seat) or 1 300 kg (7 seat)
Warranty: 2 years/unlimited km
Service intervals: 15 000 km
Service and maintenance plans are optional
This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.
What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!
Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously.
This site is operated by Scarlet Pumpkin Communications in Pietermaritzburg.
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are courtesy of www.quickpic.co.za
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8