The Volkswagen Caddy is in its fourth generation which was first introduced during 2015. The model is available in either people carrier or panel van body styles. Volkswagen furthermore provides customers with the option of having a standard length or long-wheelbase variants. Customers can also choose to between a variety of engines, ranging from 1.6-litre, naturally aspirated petrol to a 2.0-litre turbo diesel.
Related: Which Volkswagen Caddy is better: Diesel or petrol?
From the outside, the Volkswagen Caddy might appear to be small but the panel van can take quite a lot of items and the people carriers not only provide adequate luggage space in its standard configuration, but all the seats can also be removed to obtain large loading volumes, similar to that of its panel van sibling.
Competitors
Considering that the VW Caddy is offered in so many configurations, there are a few models competing with it in this segment. Opel has entered the market with the Opel Combo panel van and Combo Life people carrier to directly compete within the segment. When considering panel vans only, the Peugeot Partner and Renault Kangoo, as well as the Fiat Doblo Cargo, comes to mind. For this article, we will be highlighting the top three features that set the Caddy panel van apart from its closest rivals.
1. Power
The entry-level Volkswagen Caddy panel van comes fitted with a 1.6-litre, naturally aspirated, 4-cylinder petrol motor. The engine is coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission, a trend that features even amongst its competitors. The powertrain combination produces 81 kW and 155 Nm of torque which is 4 kW more than what you get in the Kangoo, its closest rival in terms of power.
In terms of the torque rating, the Opel Combo takes the top spot with 230 Nm of offer from its 1.6-litre turbodiesel motor. The Fiat Doblo Cargo is also rated higher, developing 200 Nm from its 1.3-litre turbodiesel motor.
2. Safety
The Renault Kangoo is sold with a single airbag, this is also true for the Fiat Doblo Cargo, however, you can optionally specify a second airbag on the Italian offering. A similar theme takes place between the Opel and Volkswagen as both come standard with two airbags, one for the driver and one for the front passenger but Volkswagen provide customers with the option to have two additional airbags fitted resulting in a total of four.
The Volkswagen is also the only one to offer traction control as well as a tyre pressure monitoring system as standard equipment. Also unique to the Caddy is a driver fatigue monitor which will alert the driver to take a safety break from driving.
3. Sport option
Although throughout the article we have been comparing the base trim-levels of each of the competitors, Volkswagen has made a more sporty version of the Caddy panel van available to customers. The Sport model comes in the long-wheel-base Maxi Bodystyle and features additional sport and comfort items on the interior such as a composition audio system with LCD screen.
Customers can also expect a host of items on the exterior including colour-coded bumpers, handles and mirror housings as well as 16-inch spoke alloy wheels. The Caddy further retains front fog lamps with static cornering light and electric windows and mirrors. This option does come at a premium, however, is not available from the competitors.
Recommended next:
New vs used Volkswagen Caddy: what are the top 3 differences?
