SPACE VAN
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If you can’t squeeze all the things you need to into a Caddy van, the Caddy Maxi is Volkswagen’s tailor-made solution. Steve Walker reports
By adding a cubic metre of extra load space and 80kg or extra payload, the Caddy Maxi model opens up the Volkswagen Caddy van range to operators who may have though it too small. Otherwise it’s the same as a standard Caddy, strong, comfortable - a very agreeable small van.
If you like the look of Volkswagen’s compact Caddy van but feel that you might need a bit more room, a solution is at hand. The Caddy Maxi is a Caddy with nearly a cubic metre more space to offer. It’s perfect for delaying the inevitable day when the stuff you need to shift won’t fit.
It’s the situation every van driver dreads. There’s an important job on that involves a large assortment of items being transported to a certain location. You begin loading your van and it rapidly becomes apparent that all this stuff isn’t going to fit. Suddenly, you’re looking at time consuming and costly alternatives. Two trips, hiring a larger vehicle, attaching a trailer, discarding unnecessary items (the sort that tend to prove absolutely crucial at some later point): none of the available solutions are particularly appealing. You find yourself wishing you’d opted for a van that was a little bit bigger. Today Volkswagen Caddy buyers can and that van is called the Caddy Maxi.
There’s a diesel only-engine range for Caddy Maxi customers to consider and the overwhelming majority of UK van operators wouldn’t have it any other way. The 103bhp 1.9-litre TDI engine opens proceedings and is adequately forceful for moving a Caddy Maxi and its cargo thanks to torque of 250Nm that’s generated at 1,900rpm. The alternative, however, has quite the powerhouse - by van standards at least. Packing 138bhp and 320Nm all the way from 1,750rpm to 2,500rpm, the 2.0-litre TDI can really move. Its strength low down in the rev range is perfect for getting weighty loads off the line or up steep inclines. The cut and thrust of motorway travel is also greatly simplified when you’ve got this much of the good stuff under your right foot.
Both of the Caddy Maxi’s diesel engines use direct injection technology rather than the common-rail injection set-up that tends to be smoother and more refined. There’s the usual diesel rumble at start-up but once operating temperatures are achieved, the Caddy goes about its business in a reasonably hushed manner. The driving position is nice and high affording good viability and easy access. The dash-mounted gear shifter has a nice, positive feel and the braking performance inspires confidence. The Caddy isn’t as enjoyable to hustle along as some of the other offerings in this sector but its suspension irons out the bumps well for an overall driving experience with high levels of comfort.
It’s the extra space that will need to sell the Caddy Maxi because otherwise, it’s the same as the standard Caddy van. Neat but unspectacular styling in the best Volkswagen traditions dominates the outside while the interior is similarly efficient with build quality that’s as good as anything in the small van sector. The Caddy Maxi is 470mm longer than a normal Caddy van with 151mm of that accounted for by a longer rear overhang and 319mm squeezed into the wheelbase. It all makes for a vehicle of 4,875mm in length with a 4.2m3 load volume that’s up 1m3 on the standard van. The maximum payload is increased too. You can take around 720kg in a Caddy and 800kg in a Caddy Maxi.
The Caddy is kept in check by disc brakes on all four wheels controlled by the standard ABS system. There’s traction control too. Not many small vans can offer that as standard but not many small vans have the option of 138bhp. The whole package rides on suspension based on that of the MkV Golf at the front but the rear set-up has been beefed-up to cope with the Caddy’s more taxing load-lugging duties. The rigid rear axle is mounted on leaf springs, while there are anti-roll bars fore and aft to keep everything nice and rigid for more composed cornering.
All Caddy Maxi models have twin sliding side doors an
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