Review
Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life mini MPV
/5
- Pros:
- Enormous load area
- Seats seven adults with ease
- Quiet, comfortable cruiser
- Cons:
- Frumpy styling
- Interior lacks flexibility of proper MPVs
- Not as affordable as rivals
reviewed by Carbuyer
"If you want space above all else, the Caddy Maxi Life has it in abundance. There's room for seven and their luggage, too."
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There's no disguising the commercial roots of the Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life, and it struggles to hide its height and length. However, in its favour, the VW boasts huge amounts of space inside, which is easy to get to thanks to the huge rear door, although it's a bit of a struggle to open and close. It's a shame that the third row of seats is a fixed bench, as this impacts on its flexibility - if you want maximum space, you need to remove the bench completely. The cabin is well built, but its hard plastics lack sophistication. On the move, the Caddy is sluggish off the line but is a comfortable cruiser. Steering is precise, although body roll is a problem in bends. The pick of the engine range is the 1.6-litre diesel with VW's fuel saving BlueMotion Technology, although this unit will struggle if you regularly carry a full complement of passengers. The Caddy Maxi Life's biggest stumbling block, though, is its price tag – the firm's entry-level Touran is cheaper, also seats seven, is better to drive and has a higher quality interior.
Drive
Precise steering, body roll is a concern
The diesel engines feel sluggish off the line, but are smooth once you're up to speed. Behind the wheel, the steering is precise, but you're aware of the car's bulk behind you, and body roll in corners is pronounced.
Comfort
Diesels can rattle. Caddy is quiet at speed, with a composed ride
On start-up, noise from clattering diesel engines can permeate cabin. Door mirrors and roof rails can also create wind noise. However, on the motorway, it's reasonably quiet. A compliant ride helps to soak up imperfections in the road. Spacious interior means occupants should be comfortable.
Reliability
Excellent build quality, safety could be better
Volkswagen has a decent reliability record, consistenly performing well in customer satisfaction surveys. The Caddy's solid build should also mean that trips to the garage are few and far between. It gets driver and front passenger airbags, but curtain airbags for the remaining occupants aren't included – a glaring omission on a model billed as a family car. Crash test safety organisation Euro NCAP awards the MPV a four-star rating for adult occupants, but only three stars for children. It does feature ABS and traction control, however.
Practicality
Hugely spacious, although flexibility needs to be improved
With its commercial underpinnings, the Caddy Maxi offers bags of head and legroom, and easily accommodates seven adults. The cavernous boot area (520 litres) includes a wide, square opening, which makes loading even the bulkiest items simple, although you need to leave enough space to swing the big, heavy tailgate open, and closing it can be a bit of a struggle. With the second and third row of seats folded, carrying capacity rises to 3,900 litres. unfortunately, there aren't any clever touches in the back. The final row of seats is a fixed bench, and although the seatback can be folded, if you require more space, the whole bench has to be removed, which is an awkard and tiring process. Access to the second and third rows of seats is easy thanks to two sliding doors.
Value for money
Decent kit count can't make up for MPV's hefty price tag
Only one trim level is available for the Caddy Maxi Life, but it gets plenty of kit. Air-conditioning, alloy wheels, remote central locking, front foglights, a six-speaker radio/CD player and electric front windows are all standard. The Caddy is expensive, though. While van-based rivals can't boast the VW's quality, many are far cheaper. And fierce competition is provided within VW's own range – the seven-seat Touran is cheaper, better to drive and trumps the Caddy on interior quality. VW's excellent second-hand reputation means residual values should be strong.
Running costs
The 1.6-litre diesel BlueMotion promises fuel returns of 54mpg
The 140bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel will have enough power to cope with most loads, but running costs will be steeper than the 1.6-litre diesel. This returns 48mpg, while BlueMotion models (which get stop-start and cruise control) promise returns of around 54mpg.
