Volkswagen Caddy 1.9 TDI Review

With a name like Caddy, you'd think the vehicle plays second fiddle to a star golfer like Tiger Woods. This is not surprising, as for many years commercial vehicles were rough, ugly, noisy workhorses that carried heavy loads from point A-B, as compared to higher spec passenger vehicles.

Over the years though, many European makes have produced amazing diesel-powered machines that not only perform well, but look good and possess sedan like interior comfort levels. Names that come to mind include Renault's bouncy Kangoo, Opel's sporty combo and the MPV-like Mercedes Vito. However, having heard of the legendary engine of the old Caddy TDI, and being informed of the incumbent TDI coming with a DSG gearbox, the sgcarmart team decided to bring it for a spin.

The exterior of the caddy has grown 'fatter' as compared to its predecessor, which is a good thing for people who need this vehicle for their businesses (and maybe amorous young couples for their 'businesses'). A loading space of 3.2 m3 is more than enough for a couple of boxes filled with hardware, a camera tripod stand, a German shepherd and maybe a sofa bed. Of course, a Caddy owner who has only a German shepherd and a sofa bed all the time has serious issues.

The Caddy's sliding doors also make for swift loading and unloading amazing race style, which happens every day due to Singapore's narrow roads, impatient motorists and nasty-as-hell taxi drivers. A sore point to note is the rear doors. They do not swing open fully, and therefore loading from the rear can be irritating due to 2 pieces of metal constantly poking you. On the other hand, if the doors swing open fully, they may hit another vehicle parked next to the caddy, or worse, another person.

Practical uses as a panel van aside, Caddy does look like a mini MPV of sorts. Sports rims, flip open key with remote locking make you forget this is a van in the first place. We decided it was time to sit in the Caddy and place ourselves in the shoes of a small business owner.

The first thing one notices is a cabin so huge, even Luciano Pavarotti has no problem adjusting his seating position. The panels, though made of plastic, do not feel cheap at all; rather they blend in very well with the overall scheme of things.

Built in CD player was a pleasant surprise, although sound quality was decent and not very fantastic. The Air-conditioning took a while to start up and the team had to let it cool the sauna-like atmosphere before settling in. Frustratingly, the air-con does take quite a while to circulate, and we were not in the mood to have an English style cup of tea.

Then we noticed a major flaw: NO Leather seats!

Oops, this is a commercial vehicle. The Fabric seats weren't too bad either; to be honest they were rather comfortable. Good enough for a photographer on a long day's shoot to take a catnap. In fact, any self-employed business person, be it a photographer, mobile food stall operator or florist would be delighted to settle down in the spacious and inviting interior of this diesel powered cocoon.

We started the engine and got ready to set off. The whirl of the diesel engine proved a treat, and was less noisy than expected. Truth of the matter is, European diesel engines are as advanced, if not better than petrol engines, and just as quiet. The leather gear knob felt great, and yours truly thought for a moment that he was behind the wheel of a Golf.

Hitting the expressway, the consensus for the team was that we would drive it like the layman at first. Volkswagen's double clutch gearbox, also known as Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), flawlessly switched gears for us, and the smoothness felt fantastic. A sleeping toddler would not have sensed anything.

Suddenly, a bulky Malaysian truck obnoxiously cut into our lane. We decided to put the 1.9l Turbo engine to the sword.

The minute the accelerator was floored, the engine roared to life, and it's snarl was equivalent to its performance. Our faces turned white as we watch the tachometer jump from 70km/h to 100km/h in 4 seconds. In our rear view mirror, the furious Malaysian truck driver was flashing his headlights. Well, too bad chump, your diesel engine wasn't built for speed. When overtaking another Corolla a couple of minutes later, the WRX driver on our right did a double take when he realized it was a panel van travelling at the same speed as his souped up Subaru.

Diverting to a posh neighborhood, the team decided to test the pickup of the Caddy from standstill. Switching off the air-conditioning, the throttle was floored again. The 0-100 score was 8 seconds. And to think that this vehicle was designed for carrying goods! The DSG allowed us to switch to a tiptronic driving mode, which was a bigger thrill than seeing the black faced Malaysian truck driver curse and swear.

Now the bad news. The brake was sensitive. Very sensitive, and the slightest tap would make the Caddy jerk a little. Engine noise at 100km/h and over was very apparent, then again, we seriously would not recommend running at that speed, unless you would love to meet that handsome hunk of a traffic cop. The speed warning device is as irritating as hearing cricket and frog noises in the middle of the night while trying to catch some shut eye.

The next test was going up a steep slope. The Caddy performed admirably, gripping the tarmac. In fact, if there was any loss of power, we did not feel it. Add maybe 60kgs worth of goods and there might be some adverse effects, but the suspension performed admirably with two huge men inside and one couldn't ask for more.

The truth is out- A diesel panel van CAN be as comfortable to drive as a passenger vehicle, without sacrificing loading space, riding comfort and especially, performance. The only thing a Singaporean buyer has to seriously worry about when purchasing a Caddy is what kind of business to register it under.