The new Volkswagen Caddy looks fairly Golf-like in some ways, but when it comes to being a sound commercial decision, does it deliver the goods?

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SINGAPORE — Two kinds of people buy light commercial vehicles. This is true whether it concerns a van like the ubiquitous Toyota Hiace, or panel vans like the Renault Kangoo and Mercedes Citan, or this, the Volkswagen Caddy.

The first kind of buyer is the sort who owns one to drive about with the back full of goods and, occasionally, dangerously unsecured people.

The second is the sort who, at the stroke of a pen, buys them by the dozen for an army of minions to drive.

Both should consider Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which looks at things like fuel consumption, servicing costs and warranty strength, along with roadside recovery and generally what happens if something goes wrong. Downtime is costly, after all.

Volkswagen says its new Caddy and Caddy Maxi ought to come up sparkling when viewed in the harsh light of TCO. You’d expect as much, but then VW’s claim is based on a five-year, 200,000km warranty, as well as the fact that the Caddy only needs servicing every 20,000km (that’s eight months’ mileage for the average commercial vehicle here, in case you were wondering.)

The frugal TDI engine is another cost-saver, says VW. For a Caddy Maxi like the one you see here, the claimed fuel mileage is 5.7L/100km but we managed 6.4L/100km, which is still fairly efficient.

That’s important because every cent saved on fuel works out to $1,500 extra in the bank, over five years of typical Singapore mileage.

While I can’t tell you what the Caddy Maxi is like after a half a decades’ hard use, I can at least confirm that it’s a pleasant enough conveyance when new.

It’s not entirely car-like to drive, but the controls and the cabin layout are easy to get to grips with, even if the Caddy is your first VW.

Presumably, maps, clipboards, stationery and packed meals are at the heart of life in a panel van, because there’s acres of space for odds and ends, with shelves and trays all over the place.

Yet, while the Caddy looks a bit Golf-like in front, it’s nowhere close in terms of how it feels behind the wheel.

It’s a lot noisier, for one thing—panel vans don’t have much in the way of sound insulation, so you’ll hear plenty going on, including the fuel sloshing about from one end of the tank to the other. Apart from that, the steering’s slower, the ride is bumpier and of course, it doesn’t feel as surefooted or precise around bends.

But that’s not to say it’s a bad thing to drive at all. It’s easy to handle, and the turbodiesel engine propels it along pretty smartly. And the seats are comfy enough for hours of use. All told, there are worse things to spend all day in.

Anti-lock brakes are standard, and so is electronic stability control, which is apparently a commercial vehicle first here.

Perhaps (actually, make that definitely) the worst thing about driving a Caddy is the speed warning device (which squawks like a talentless robot parrot at 70km/h and above, obliging you to either slow down or jam a screwdriver through your eardrums), and that’s hardly VW’s fault.

The cargo payload is 830kg and the Caddy Maxi can swallow 4.2 cubic metres of stuff, which is less than, say, a standard Toyota Hiace’s 6 cubic metre capacity. VW says it can customise its commercial vehicles so specifically that four billion different combinations are possible, so it’s not just space but what can be done with it that counts.

That said, if your business needs don’t actually involve all that much room, there’s the smaller Caddy Window Van to consider. It’s worth a look (and a test-drive) if you’ll be doing the driving duties yourself and are much more used to a passenger car.

The windows make lane-changing much less fraught with uncertainty, and the turning circle is a more manageable 5.6 metres (versus the Caddy Maxi’s 6.1m).

OUR TIPS FOR CHOOSING YOUR FIRST PANEL VAN

• Consider Total Cost of Ownership. That means the warranty, servicing costs and fuel consumption are just as important as the vehicle price
• The average commercial vehicle in Singapore does 30,000km a year. That makes fuel economy 50 percent more important than with a car, essentially
• If you’re driving it yourself, then don’t just go for size: smaller vehicles tend to be easier to handle
• More used to driving a car? Try a panel van with windows
• Safety features like stability control and airbags are worthwhile options to consider

Renault’s Kangoo is marginally bigger inside (with room for 3.5 cubic metres of cargo) while the Mercedes Citan Long is slightly smaller (3.1 cubic metres). They each have their own TCO numbers, of course, and any fleet buyer would be able to let his calculator make the decision for him.

But if you’re a small business owner who intends to also use his panel van as a car substitute, then the Caddy’s safety equipment and ease of use make it worth a serious look. After all, human cargo is pretty important, too.

NEED TO KNOW
Volkswagen Caddy Maxi 1.6 DSG Panel Van
Engine      1,598cc, turbodiesel in-line 4
Power      102bhp at 4000rpm
Torque     250Nm at 1500-2500rpm
Gearbox   7-speed dual clutch
Top Speed  168km/h
0-100km/h 12.7 seconds
Fuel efficiency  5.7L/100km
CO2  149g/km
Price   $105,800 with COE
Availability Now

Also consider: Renault Kangoo, Mercedes-Benz Citan