SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive under controlled conditions. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.


Tea for fourteen: We take the lid off VW’s New Caddy

Many choices

Posted: 4 February 2016

The facelift was thorough - there are 4200 new components - but other things count for more.

From the front one notices that the roof ridges have gone and wheels are new; so are the headlights, grille, front valance, fog lamps, lower air intake and bonnet. A rear-three-quarter viewpoint reveals different side windows; rear glass that goes all the way across; a new roof spoiler with slimmer high level brake light; a changed back bumper and reshaped tail- and fog lamps.

Interior changes include a reshaped dash with silvered cross strips, new air vent grilles, a new steering wheel and a reshaped instrument cowling.

Also new is more power for the 1600 cc petrol engine found in basic panel vans and crew busses (up from 75 kW to 81), upgraded entertainment and connectivity systems and post-collision braking fitted to all models. Hill hold is included on all Trendline passenger carriers but optional on upper level Crew Busses and Panel Vans. Probably more important to those with ground to cover, quickly, is the reworked rear suspension. It’s more comfortable and makes the vehicle handle better.

The range has been expanded to 14 models: five panel vans, four crew busses, three Trendlines and two Alltracks that replace the old Cross Caddy, while adding a more powerful alternative with six-speed DSG. Alltrack offers neither an increase in ground clearance nor wad.

Engine choices include the revamped 1.6i petrol motor mentioned earlier, the familiar 81-kW spec of VW’s 2.0 diesel and the 103-kW TDi that is teamed only with DSG. Quite correct; to get the one you must take the other.

Naturally, starting off with fourteen models and a fairly comprehensive options sheet, the choices are many. Short wheelbase vans have a sliding door on the left but a second can be added. Similarly with all crew busses and the short wheelbase Trendlines; they seat five but can be optioned up to carry seven. The beauty of it is that one can fold, tumble or even remove all but the front seats in order to create almost infinitely variable inner space.

Then we get into entertainment systems, air conditioning, comfort- and lighting packages, 360-degree optical parking system and rear-view camera. Perhaps you should download brochures from http://www.vwcommercial.co.za/en.html rather than let me confuse you further.

Briefly, the panel vans are pure cargo vehicles that come in either short or long wheelbase. LWB adds: 470 millimetres of floor length to bring it up to 2249 mm, a cubic metre of loading volume to create 4.2 m3 and 70 kilograms more payload capacity to make 815. Loading sill height is either 577 or 588 mm, depending on model and ground clearance is between 163 and 166 mm; both slightly higher than Crew Bus or Trendline. In true VW fashion, you can fit a DIN-sized pallet through the rear doors.

For board riders, campers and happy wanderers, an 81-kW diesel Sport version boasts 16” alloy wheels, electric windows, the Composition Audio sound system with LCD screen, cruise control, exterior trim items in body colour, front fog lamps with static cornering function and towbar preparation. It also opens up further possibilities for available options.

Moving up, Trendline models are the sophisticated people carriers offering a greater variety of good things like electric windows, Climatic air conditioning, cellphone connectivity, music interfaces and multifunction displays across the range. Five seats are standard on swb versions with seven chairs optional, while the long derivatives seat seven from the get-go.
 
In between are the crew busses, or panel vans with seats and windows if you will. The price differential between similarly specced products is only around R14 000 but there is a reason. Interiors are, let’s be kind, Spartan so if you hoped to one-up your neighbour and his or her Trendline, it would be wise to forget it. Crew Bus is strictly for moving crew - not Lord Muck or pernickety Aunt Emily.

Finally, the new Caddy range is not just a facelift; it’s like that coffee store chain that offers more and more.

Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored press event.

Retail Prices (VAT Included and emissions tax on passenger models)
Panel Vans: R234 000 to R317 900
Crew Bus: R226 800 to R331 100
Trendline: R351 200 to R399 300
Alltrack: R365 400 to R395 000
Service and Warranty
Caddy Panel Van and Crew Bus (except 1.6 with 81kW – service plan optional) come standard with a 2 year/unlimited kilometres warranty and a 3-year/60 000km Automotion Service Plan.
Caddy Trendline (including Alltrack) comes standard with 3 year/120 000 kilometre manufacturer warranty and a 3-year/60 000km Automotion Service Plan.
All models have a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty and 15 000 km service intervals.

Our launch report on the 2011 model is here

Our review of a 2016 Caddy Maxi 2.0 TDI is here



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.