SA Road Tests

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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.


Trendy little school bus: 2016 VW Caddy Maxi Trendline 2.0 TDI

No stepladders needed

Posted: 3 April 2016

The numbers
Base price: R407 200
Engine: 1968 cc, DOHC 16-valve, four-cylinder turbodiesel
Power: 103 kW between 3750 and 4150 rpm
Torque: 320 Nm between 1750 and 2800 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 186 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 7.8 l/100 km
Tank: 55 litres
Cargo: 530 – 3880 litres (max.)
Warranty: 3 years / 120 000 km
Service plan: 3 years / 60 000 km; at 15 000 km intervals

Mom’s school run rideshare isn’t forever about little kids; they eventually get to high school and grow into lanky teenagers - some of them huge rugby forwards. It’s not only about moms either; B&Bs and start-up tour businesses need space for a driver and six adult passengers too.

But some days you wish you could have bought a truck for carrying appliances, lawnmowers, bulk groceries or maintenance materials for the business. That’s where VW’s Caddy Maxi Trendline comes in. Its panel van roots give it convenient entry height and easy-opening sliding rear doors, while its extended body (470 mm longer than the swb version) means there’s enough space to carry more cargo or seven fully grown people in comfort.

On that subject, this seven-seater’s rearmost chairs are easy to get to and offer more than adequate head-, knee and foot space for six-foot users. Four cup holders and big storage bins help keep passengers supplied with drinks and whatever else they might need. Our only reservation is that the backrests are too upright to remain comfortable on long journeys.

Second-row passengers have yet more space although they have to share a single cup holder. Compensating somewhat is a set of extension aircon vents on the back of the central console. A further “plus” is that entry and exit is easy thanks to big, wide doors and the low sills mentioned earlier.

For easygoing power and convenience, the top model is fitted with a 103-kW diesel and a six-speed DSG gearbox. Many commercial users are finding that the initial extra cost of an automatic is more than offset by avoiding expensive and time-wasting clutch overhauls. That’s because not all paid drivers are mechanically sympathetic – just saying.

And, instead of feeling socially challenged for ferrying your kids or customers in a minivan with panel truck roots, consider these points. That full-width shelf above the windscreen, where Deliveryman Dave stashed his clipboards, and those pickup-sized outside mirrors that show so much more of what’s going on around you, are actually very useful. Every mummy bus should have them.

Other hints at its heritage are the rather firm ride – seven people weigh a lot so strong springs are needed – the heavy tailgate and a very upright seating position. On the other hand, its gear lever, parking brake, air conditioner, height adjustable front seats, touch-screen infotainment system and safety kit are straight out of VW saloon cars. Take six airbags; post-collision braking; ABS brakes with ESP, electronic differential lock, hill hold and traction control; powered mirrors and front windows (those on the back doors slide); central locking and fatigue detector as examples.

About the only quibble-worthy items not fitted as OE are parking sensors with reversing camera (a R9350 option), and cruise control with automatic wipers and lights, and come-and-go lighting. A “Light and Sight” package corrects those omissions for R4450. Bi-xenon headlights with LED running lamps, alternative alloy wheels, towbar, smarter sound systems, lumbar support control and metallic paint finishes are other options.

Its loading sill is only 58 centimetres above ground level, significantly lower than almost any SUV, so getting heavy stuff in and out is a lot easier than usual. It also means that little kids or elderly passengers probably won’t need step ladders. There are four lashing rings, a light and a 12-volt socket for convenience, while first aid kit and jack are tucked away behind clip-off panels. The spare is slung under the body.

A single pull strap drops the backrest of each rearmost seat, then tugging simultaneously on two more unlatches the chair so it can be pulled out backwards. It’s a one-person job, although he or she would have to climb inside to wrestle it back into place. It’s a similar exercise to fold and tumble a second row seat then unlatch it for removal via a side door. All these fold, tumble or removal options make the available load space almost infinitely variable.

From the driver’s point of view the Caddy Maxi has plenty of power, its gearbox shifts smoothly, if a little lazily, and it steers easily in city traffic thanks to additional power assistance that’s only a button push away. There are as many boxes, trays and cubbies as most moms should ever need and its all-round view through big side windows makes driving a pleasure.

Test car from VWSA press fleet

Our launch report, with more technical detail, is here

We drove a Gen-5 version in 2022



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?
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