Auto News & New car review

Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Review.

What do you get if you take an award-winning van, stretch it a bit and add two extra rows of seats? The answer is a Caddy Maxi Life.

Volkswagen’s second-generation Caddy was launched in 2004. It’s main new feature over the old one was that it was larger, but not content with that, the company decided that something was needed that fitted into the commercial line-up, in between the Caddy and the Transporter.

What do you get if you take an award-winning van, stretch it a bit and add two extra rows of seats? The answer is a Caddy Maxi Life.
Volkswagen’s second-generation Caddy was launched in 2004. It’s main new feature over the old one was that it was larger, but not content with that, the company decided that something was needed that fitted into the commercial line-up, in between the Caddy and the Transporter. And so the Caddy had its wheelbase stretched and the Caddy Maxi range was created and launched in February of this year (2008).
This new version of an old favourite is some 470mm longer, which means and extra 1.0m3 of loadspace, which is great if you are a courier but a tad uncomfortable for any passengers. So, they added an extra row of seats and some extra glazing and it became the Caddy Maxi Window Van but, by adding another row of seats and dressing it up a bit, you get the Caddy Maxi Life - a seven-seater MPV.
The Window Van could be considered the transitional vehicle twixt van and MPV. For instance, the van has asymmetric rear doors, as befits a working vehicle; these are replaced in the Window Van and the Life by a lifting tailgate, which is more in keeping with family and personnel carriage. However, while the tailgate is deep enough to provide shelter from the rain while the children change their boots, it does mean that a fair bit of room is required in urban environments, to open it, so parking becomes a consideration.

The passenger versions of the Caddy Maxi retain the two sliding doors, for easy access, while the side panels are replaced by windows. Those on the Window Van have the appearance of a single, glazed unit as there seems to be no C-pillars between the sliding doors. The same can be said of the Life but in this case passengers in the second row have the benefit of sliding panels in their windows, which look like portholes and are a bit odd, from the outside.

The Window Van remains a dual purpose vehicle and the rear load space makes no pretence at being anything other than a van with an extra row of seats. These have a 60:40 split and tumble-fold function for when extra carrying capacity is needed.
The Caddy Maxi Life, on the other hand, has carpeting throughout and more trimmings and plastic mouldings to the roof and sides. It is altogether more hospitable and car-like but there are elements that show its origins, such as the open glovebox.
Above the driver and front passenger, is an overhead storage tray, which runs the full width of the car. It is particular to the Life and as well as being useful, it also serves to lower the interior roof-line, making it feel a little less cavernous. Two items of which there is no shortage are cup and bottle-holders; these are to be found between the front seats and in the door mouldings although, they don’t have quite the same capacity as the van.
The dashboard displays the same VW efficiency throughout the Caddy Maxi range except that the dash-top document tray gains a lid in the Life. Other Life differences include a central armrest, electric front windows, front foglights; height-adjustable driver’s seat to go with the rake-and reach-adjustable steering column, and odd mirrors. By that I mean the driver’s side door mirror is a different shape and size to that on the passenger side, for better visibility.

As with the Window Van, the second row of seats have the tumble-fold action, which is the only way to gain access to the third row. This rearmost set of two seats in a bench format, also fold or can be removed altogether.

The extra length of the Caddy Maxi Life means that there is plenty of legroom for all without compromising the luggage space, which is where the Life wins over the Sharan. Both have seven seats but with all of them occupied, the Sharan can only manage 256-litres of load-space while the Life has 530-litres (to the window line), so there is plenty of room for family holiday suitcases and bags.
Nevertheless, it is still a van and although it has car-like driving qualities, the rattling of the rear parcel shelf over bumps makes it clear that this car is designed to carry loads, whether that be cargo or people. Driving light, over speed bumps causes the single, rear leaf springs some confusion, which manifests itself as a double bounce, even at modest speeds, which can be a tad annoying. So, unless you intend going into the courier or taxi business, perhaps the Sharan would be the better option if £2,600 dearer, depending on the model.

The Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life comes with a choice of two engines; both are the excellent TDI PD diesel variety. The 1.9-litre unit develops 104PS and is mated to either a 5-speed manual ‘box or the clever DSG automatic. The other is the 2.0-litre version, which produces 140PS at 4,000rpm and 320Nm of torque between 1,750- and 2,500 rpm. This is the engine in the test car and is mated only to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The torque is seemingly ever-present and there is plenty left in sixth gear for motorway overtakes.
The top speed is 116mph and it takes 11.2 seconds to do the 0-62mph sprint. The Life is surprisingly agile on minor roads and will happily cruise all day long on motorways, as will the driver.
High mileage customers will also appreciate the fuel consumption figures of 36.2mpg (urban), 50.4mpg (extra-urban) and the combined is 44.1mpg. Generally, Volkswagen use sensible loading for true-to-life economy figures, so these should be quite accurate but driving style and load are clearly a factor.
Tee tailpipe emissions are measured at 169g/km, putting the Life in VED Band E, which is £170 per annum at the time of this report but, with prices starting at £15,995, customers might not mind too much.

The test car bore a price tag of £17,995 but the differences in pricing are due to the engine and whether or not it has a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). The specification is the same for all three Life variants and comprises of semi-automatic air-conditioning, four small luggage nets in the roof lining, remote central locking and a single CD/radio with six speakers, in addition to the features already mentioned.

It’s not exactly brimming over with goodies but the list of optional extras is quite lengthy with reasonable pricing. For instance, rear parking sensors add £245 and there are two Satellite Navigation systems. One has a monochrome screen and replaces the radio, as it has its own RDS version built in for £240 and the other, is a much more expensive £1,550, DVD-based system with a full colour monitor. In either case, audio CDs cannot be played at the same time, for that you need the £235 autochanger, which sits in the centre console.

As for safety, all Caddy Maxi models have ABS with EBD, Engine Braking Control (EBC), TCS traction Control, while ESP plus with Driver Steering Response (DSR) and trailer stabilisation function is available as a £282 option. Only the driver and front passenger have front and side airbags and I couldn’t find curtain airbags on the options list but the two outer seats of the second row do have ISOFIX mountings.

The Caddy Maxi Life is a curious beast, it feels bigger than it is, it drives like a car but you know it is a van made just to carry loads. But it is just so nice to drive.