Volkswagen Caddy Life review

If you read the first page of this review this might not come as a surprise, but the current-generation Caddy is an excellent thing to drive. Okay it might not be the last word in refinement, but that’s primarily thanks to a slight lack of soundproofing and the roomy-but-boomy cabin.

That move to the Golf’s MQB Evo platform (which also underpins the Seat Leon, the Skoda Octavia, the Cupra Formentor and the current Audi A3) has benefitted the current Caddy massively, with leaf springs being swapped out for a proper coil-sprung rear axle too.

What are the engines like? 

So far we’ve driven the Caddy Life with the 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine and VW’s venerable 7spd DSG. We’ve also tested the same engine with the six-speed manual in Caddy Cargo form – you can read more about that by clicking these blue words.

The little four-cylinder is responsive and more than powerful enough with 112bhp and a 0-62mph time of 11.9 seconds, while the DSG is super smooth and can be overridden with wheel-mounted paddles. The redesigned suspension means it can corner like a car too, although there is a bit more roll than you’d find in something like a Golf.

You mentioned refinement?

Ah yes. The cabin can get a little rattly over bumpy surfaces and that blunt shape means you’ll hear a fair bit of wind noise at motorway speeds, but compared to other van-based cars, this car-based-van-based-car (we think we got that right?) is still a class above. 

And there are new safety systems?

Lots of them. The Caddy Life gets 19 different driver aids including (but not limited to) pedestrian monitoring, city emergency braking, lane assist, trailer assist for help with towing and even VW’s impressive Travel Assist system that can take the brunt of the driving duties on a motorway at speeds of up to 112mph.