It wins plaudits as a van, family MPV, shuttle and camper with limitless versatility: the Caddy.
To date over three million have been built, and now, as a world première, VWCV is revealing the progressive, fifth generation of the Caddy. Every detail from the ground up is new, as for the first time the best seller is now based on the Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB). Thanks to the MQB, new high-end technologies now find their way into the range. Innovative driver assistance systems enhance safety and make driving easier; networked infotainment and digitalised control systems turn the Caddy into a smartphone on wheels; a new twin dosing technique makes the TDI engines cleaner than ever before. The exterior has been given a completely new and strikingly sporty design. At the same time the space in the interior has also been significantly improved. The Caddy is an all-rounder, the Swiss Army knife of urban delivery vans and family MPVs.
The switch to the MQB platform is visible in the new Caddy’s more dynamic- looking proportions. The designers utilised the exciting technical opportunity presented by the MQB platform to create a completely redesigned vehicle body – one that is more charismatic than ever. With the cw value reduced from 0.33 to 0.30, the Caddy sets a new benchmark for this type of vehicle. In terms of engineering and specification, the exterior of the Caddy has a number of new features. These include as options the electric closing aids for the sliding doors and tailgate, plus a panoramic sunroof – with an especially large glass area of 1.4 m2 above both the first and second rows of seats. Also new: up to 18-inch alloy wheels and – fitted as standard in the top versions – new LED headlights and LED rear lights.
Included for the first time are the Keyless Access (Kessy for short) ignition and locking system and the ‘Digital Cockpit’.
Inside, the fifth generation of the all-rounder impresses with new high-tech solutions and appreciably more space. The long version – the Caddy Maxi – now, for example, provides room for up to two Euro pallets, which can optionally be loaded sideways in the middle and back or sideways in the middle and lengthways in the back. The indicator and control elements have been completely redesigned: the interactive interfaces to driver and front- seat passenger are formed by the new Digital Cockpit (optionally fully digital instruments) and the radio and infotainment systems (between 6.5 and 10 inches in size). The fusion of Digital Cockpit and top 10-inch navigation system creates a new digital landscape of indicators and controls: the ‘Innovision Cockpit’. Via an online connectivity unit (OCU) with integrated eSIM the infotainment systems are able to access the mobile online services and functions of ‘Volkswagen We’, meaning the new Caddy is ‘always connected’.
Another new feature in the Caddy: digital buttons for light, sight, audio and menu functions. The rotary switch for light has served its time, with the front array of buttons for Light & Sight to the left of the steering wheel now taking over its role. Various items of the central control system’s menu can be reached very quickly and easily via the direct access buttons. In addition, LED interior lights, ergonomic seats and a power supply for external 230V devices enhance life on board. Another new feature is a roof vent for better climate control and faster stationary ventilation in the back.
Like the driver assistance systems, the Caddy’s new four-cylinder engines are also innovative. They are from the next stage of engine evolution, fulfil the 2021 Euro 6 emissions standards and are all fitted with particulate filters. Also being used for the first time in the TDI units – which have power outputs between 55 kW / 75 PS and 90 kW / 122 PS – is the new twin dosing system. Via two SCR catalytic converters and hence double AdBlue injection, the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission levels are significantly reduced in comparison to the previous model, making the Caddy’s TDI engines among the cleanest diesel engines in the world. Also efficient and sustainable are a turbocharged petrol engine (TSI) delivering 84 kW / 116 PS and a supercharged natural gas engine (TGI). The new drive system technologies have a noticeably positive effect both ecologically and economically: dependent on engine version, the Caddy’s projected fuel consumption is up to twelve per cent lower than the previous model (forecasts; certified consumption figures are anticipated to be available from early July).
