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The Caddy Maxi Life - Ingenious new people mover
What are we Testing? We had the new VW Caddy Maxi Life with the 1.9L TDi mated to a 6sp DSG . It retails for $37,990 but with the options that were fitted the price was about $40,000. It is a 7 seat multi purpose van ideal for large families. The 1.9L TDi produces 77kW at 4000rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1900rpm. The 1.9 litre TDI meets the stringent EU IV emissions standard whilst maintaining a fuel consumption of 6.3 litres/100km with the 5-speed manual and 6.8 litres/100km with the 6-speed DSG (according to ADR 81/01).
What's it's Purpose? Quirky People mover with heaps of space and flexibility. For those that want something different What's it Like? The Caddy Maxi Life is a real mix of excellent ideas and limitations from its commercial van base. It is relatively comfortable for 7 people, with absolute motza's of storage space for almost any amount of luggage. Great visibility for all passengers and enough comfort to prevent any complaints. The 1.9L TDi provides adequate power and outstanding fuel economy, the inetrior is typical Volkswagen, which means well thought out and put together, and the 6 sp DSG mates well to the torquey motor especially cruising, but overall it works well Safety is a feature with all the acronyms you need like ABS, TCS, ESP, EBD, etc along with airbags front and side for the front occupants,but not rear. Here is where the van basis limits somewhat. Overall the Caddy Maxi Life is a worthwhile addition to the people mover market segment. At $40,000 you may expect a little more in the little luxuries and creature comforts, but it lacks nothing you need and is built tough. Drive Notes: When you first approach the Caddy Maxi Life its van origins are obvious, but it has a sleek style and looks smaller than it actually is. Its small exterior look hides an enormous interior. Jump inside and you immediately notice that the drivers seat is comfortable without being luxurious, with slightly limited rear travel for tall drivers. Manually adjustable for height only you can compensate with a height and reach adjustable steering wheel to find a comfortable drivers position. The leather steering wheel we had was optional with the controls on the wheel. In front of you is a familiar VW console and controls. In the centre area is the airconditioning and cd/radio controls with two large air vents on top. It is typical VW again, which means good! Rear passengers also have a/c vents. Electric front windows, central locking, semi-automatic air conditioning, a dust and pollen filter, two vents on the centre console, and the radio with CD / MP3 and six speakers are standard in every Caddy Maxi Life. Storage facilities are a key feature with a storage compartment in the driver's door and on the front passenger's door that will take a 1-litre bottle, there's a generous centre console compartment with an armrest, two cup holders in the front of the centre console and one single cup holder at the rear of the centre console. Various pockets are found in the rear passenger compartment in the rear doors and in the 3rd row walls. For additional storage the Caddy Maxi Life also features small cargo nets located above the windows. It is able to seat up to seven adults comfortably with ample leg and headroom, even in the rear most seats. The 700 mm wide and 1108 millimetre high sliding doors on both sides allow comfortable entry and exit. Both doors feature an inset sliding window. The 3-seater bench in the 2nd row provides plenty of legroom and is surprisingly comfortable. It can be double-folded in a 2/3rds or 1/3rd configuration depending on who or what you're carrying The Caddy Maxi Life is a neat blend of form and function to meet a range of people and luggage carrying needs. With a total length of 4.88 metres, wheelbase of 3.0metres, a width of 1.8 metres, and a height of 1.8 metres, the Caddy Maxi Life has enough space to fit everything in your life. The load compartment capacity in the 5-seater configuration is 1,650 litres. Even with the third row of seating fitted, the 7-seater boasts an impressive 530 litre load compartment. One key advantage is the height of the storage compartment. If you're looking to carry even more cargo, the Caddy Maxi Life is capable of towing up to 1,430 kg. Safety is of the utmost importance. Control systems like ABS (anti-lock braking system), TCS (traction control system), EBD (electronic brake-pressure distribution) and ASR (anti-spin regulation) come into play in critical situations by intervening in the brake or management systems. ESP (electronic stability programme) with Brake Assist can be ordered as an option. Driver and front passenger, front and side airbags are standard on the Caddy Maxi Life. The Caddy Maxi Life comes with a 1.9 litre TDI engine delivering 77kW/250Nm with a choice of manual or DSG transmission. Thanks to optimal interaction of the components with DSG transmission, very short gear change times are achieved with, at the same time, the highest level of comfort from an automatic. The 1.9 TDI engine features unit injector or "pumpe düse" technology. Optimal utilisation of the fuel quantity is assured through this direct injection significantly improving consumption and reducing emissions. This power plant is closely related to the very same 1.9 litre TDI that is fitted to the Golf A5 which is also developing 77kW at 4000rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1900rpm. The 1.9 litre TDI meets the stringent EU IV emissions standard whilst maintaining a fuel consumption of 6.3 litres/100km with the 5-speed manual and 6.8 litres/100km with the 6-speed DSG (according to ADR 81/01). We didnt achieve these figures, nobody ever does, but it was close, especially cruising where the easy torque characteristics oif the TDi enabled very economical driving. We found the Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life, to have abundant versatility and practicality, and while it shows it commercial van origins at times the overall feeling was that it worked well. At about $40,000 there are a lot of competitors out there , many with more "features" and more car like, but the Caddy Maxi Life is just quirky enough to have plenty of personality, which is often lacking in its competitors, which makes it worth the look AnyAuto Ratings: Behind the Wheel | qqqq | Comfort | qqqq | Equipment | qqqs | Performance | qqqq | Handling | qqqq | Practicality | qqqqq | Safety | qqqq | Fit for Purpose | qqqqs | Towing Ability | qqqs | Off Road Ability | N/A | Value for Money | qqqq | Fuel Economy | qqqqs | Build Quality | qqqqs | Overall Rating | qqqq | Alternative | Citroen C4 Picasso HDI | Alternative | Hyundai iMAX CRDi | Alternative | Kia Carnival | Warranty | 3 yr, 100,000 km, with full roadside assistance | More Technical Specifications | |
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