- Bluemotion is now a Caddy model in its own right and is well-equipped with electric windows, heated and power adjustable wing mirrors, 5-inch touchscreen DAB radio and CD player for £20,098.
- It’s not just the standard kit that impresses on the new Caddy; it’s the car-like levels of new safety systems. On our test van this included Front Assist with City emergency braking and Adaptive Cruise Control, although both were admittedly options at £288 and £516 respectively.
- On the road, the new Caddy feels pretty much like the old Caddy. So this means direct steering and a decent gearchange. The ride on the 15-inch wheels is refined and isn’t easily upset on pot-holed roads and although there is some body roll in corners, the Caddy handles tidily and there’s plenty of grip.
- Gone is the previous Euro5 1.6-litre, 101bhp TDI diesel engine to be replaced by a Euro6 2.0-litre with the same 101bhp. Acceleration is reasonably sharp (0-62mph in 12 seconds), plus it’s torquey too and well matched to the reasonably slick five-speed manual gearbox.
- The Bluemotion badge has efficiency at its heart and the Caddy is capable of 65.7mpg on the Combined Cycle, with CO2 emissions of 114g/km.
- This Caddy like the last is available in two versions, ours being the standard version with the same 3.2m3 load area and the bigger Maxi. Volkswagen doesn’t offer a high roof option, so the Caddy can’t quite match the biggest vans in this class, but the 857kg payload is impressive. Further Caddy practicality comes in the form of a sliding side door and the rear doors, which open 90 degrees and can be swung out to 180 degrees by unhooking the latches.
What’s not?
- The new dashboard might look smart, with an upmarket finish, but it’s still made of hard plastic that looks like it will scratch easily.
- Our test van is fitted with a full-height bulkhead, but rather than being totally solid, it has a mesh upper part which affects the Caddy’s interior refinement, as you can hear all the noise from the load area.
- The Bluemotion version might be a van offering the best economy, but we think refinement at speed could be further improved by having a six-speed gearbox over the standard five.
- The Bluemotion test van isn’t cheap as standard and option prices soon mount up and with just a couple of them, our test van totalled £22,000.
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