Johannesburg - In this job we get to road test everything from Cherys to Bentleys, and we tend to know what the car is trying to be and whom it’s aimed at before we put it through its paces in a road test. But every now and then something pops into our parkade which makes us sit up and go “hmm, actually ...”
The Cross version of VW’s Caddy is such a car.
Who would have thought that the German carmaker’s designers could take what is traditionally used as a load-hauling van and turn it into such a fun little people carrier. Sure, a Caddy with back seats is not exactly new to SA – it’s the Cross part that’s the news – but it’s the merger of the Cross’s looks and the Caddy’s practicality that had me wondering if this is not, in fact, a Eureka moment for family mobility.
I dig what the Cross badge has brought to the party. The 17” alloys running 205/50 rubber gives this Caddy a very slick look; while the black fairings on the wheel housings, the side sills and at the lower edges of the front and rear bumpers throw in the offroad lyrics. The result is proper butch – with the underbody protection, side guard strips, and silver coloured roof rails sure to raise impressed eyebrows, as will rear tinted windows and the smoked tail lights.
DISGUISING A VAN
There’s not too much the penmanship could do with the van-like proportions of the interior, but this is disguised well with the funky “cross-look” fabric on the seats and door panels, complemented further by VW’s upmarket fascia. The end result is pretty much business class in a cargo plane, but it’s the little things that make this Caddy so interesting.
It’s a Rubik’s Cube on wheels this car – with short rear side-doors that slide open, barn doors that swing open for loading (R1 550 versus a traditional tailgate), and a third row of seats which make it a seven-seater (R5 200). This Caddy is designed for easy people-hauling, with the second row folding with the pull of a strap to let third-row passengers in, and that third row removable for greater storage space. The third row is also elevated, meaning that kids back there love the back-of-the-bus view they get.
The van-like design also throws in a few of its own quirks. That concert-hall raised roof means that the Caddy is basketball-player friendly in terms of headroom, the higher windscreen and front windows make for fishbowl-like visibility, and the huge (and differently-sized) side mirrors make for panoramic rear-side views. The netted little storage areas along the roofline, the various storage compartments and sliding drawers, and the wear-your-sunglasses-green-seats, were cool too.
The curveballs, if you look closely, include a narrow transmission tunnel with a tight centre console (my wallet couldn’t even fit in there sideways), and a gearlever further forward than normal (I had to stretch just a little to hook first gear in my normal driving position). It must also be said that second – and more-especially third – row legroom is nothing to write home about; the kids battled a bit with the sliding windows on the rear doors; and that raised third-row seat hampers rear visibility. Oh, those fancy barn doors mean there’s only one wiper blade on the larger left door, which can be tricky with the recent Joburg downpours we’ve experienced.
PLEASANT SURPRISE
Cruising around in the Cross Caddy was a pleasant surprise. Being based on something more at home in a warehouse than my driveway, I was expecting a bit of a commercial-driver feel. I got exactly the opposite. From the driver’s seat this Caddy feels as supple as a regular Golf or Polo, and I booted it down our national highways or pottered around town in comfort.
The well-known 2-litre TDI powering the Cross Caddy was more than up to the task, but those who prefer a relaxed driving style may not be in awe with the five-speed manual ‘box – which when paired to the short-revving nature of the oil-burner makes for a fair amount of left-hand and left-leg action. The R340 600 Cross Caddy is only available in SA in one model, though, meaning this is the only engine/gearbox combo you can get.
The lack of a sixth gear also meant it revved a bit higher on the open road (we averaged 7.4l/100km versus 5.7 claimed), but other than that the 81kW and 250Nm made for a genuinely entertaining package. I didn’t mind the PT involved with the gearbox, and found myself switching off all the nannies every now and then to bring out the Cross in this Caddy.
And before you ask, no, there’s nothing really offroad going on here. Unchanged ground clearance (146mm) and front-wheel-drive means that tar is where this baby belongs. But you knew that when I mentioned the low-profile rubber.
VERDICT
If you’ve ever wondered what a Postman Pat dream looks like, this is it. Remove all the seats and you have 3 030 litres of lugging room, load the seats back in and you have an MPV with a twist. The kids loved it, I loved it, even the boss’s mountain bike loved it. Just do me one favour, get it in Honey Orange or Viper Green.
Follow me on twitter: @mineshbhagaloo
FACTS
Volkswagen Cross Caddy 2.0 TDI
Engine: 2-litre, turbodiesel
Gearbox: xxx-speed manual/automatic
Power: 81kW @ 4200rpm
Torque: 250Nm @ 1500-2500rpm
0-100km/h (claimed): 12.4 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 170km/h
Consumption (claimed): 5.7 litres per 100km
Price: R340 600
Warranty: Three-year/120 000km
Service plan: Optional