It’s true, MPVs are the least favourable form of mobility for an automotive journalist to savour. That is until a long-weekend comes around and people, pets and cargo need to be hauled in a commodious fashion and their intended purpose shines through. The new Volkswagen Caddy Kombi was at our beckoning call and does just this while even surpassing expectations as a people mover. 

Don’t let that last sentence fool you, this is an affordable MPV that prioritises versatility and practicality over just about every other aspect affiliated to a driving experience. It is still a rectangular shaped box with a wheel on each bottom-corner, its driving dynamics are still inhibiting of anything other than sedate and it is still not going to get you mad credit with your friends. 

What it will do however, is comfortably fit all of those said friends, their pets and any luggage into its capacious, stilted interior for a short commute into town or anything longer which may include long-winded country roads. Its MPV versatility exceeds any shortcomings it has when compared to more plush segments it may compete against. 

The unit tested was the short wheelbase 7 seater derivative although that extra third-row of seats can be exchanged for a long-wheelbase and more cargo space. Within five minutes of receiving the test car, all seats, save from those in the front row, were removed in a bid to see how easy-to-tinker the seat configurations were… They were. In typical millennial fashion, this was all done without the use of an instruction manual. More importantly, it is partly thanks to the intuitive placement and colour of the levers which slide, fold or remove the seats. Within minutes, the Volkswagen Caddy Kombi in our care was transformed into an open and spacious panel van, but instead of panels it had windows and instead of painted metal lining the interior we had considerably more plush materials. That is where the practicality of an MPV prevails, whether it is for work or play.

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The sliding doors made for easy loading and unloading of guests or goods while the interior storage space and above head stowaway compartments mean that every conceivable item you ever need to take into a car should have a safe place for the travel duration. There really isn’t much else to boast about when it comes to the interior though, it is fit for purpose and any unnecessary embellishments have been ignored. An analog driver display sits behind a steering wheel devoid of any leather or Alcantara but fortunately this retains physical buttons, unlike its Golf and Polo GTI counterparts. 

Touch capacitive function has not been spared from the model completely considering the lighting cluster to the right of the steering wheel makes use of this technology, it is however more livable considering the exterior lighting is left to its own devices on auto mode the majority of the time. Above-head in the first row of seats are gesture operated downlighting which can take some getting used to. Controlling the in-car entertainment and displaying a reverse camera and drive statistics is a centrally mounted and driver-angled 8,25-inch touch screen display, flanked by rotary dials on each end.

The exterior, finished in a pleasant Costa Azul Metallic, boasts even less embellishment. The front and rear bumpers are not colour coded and retain their untouched black plastic finish while halogen headlamps allude to its more utilitarian intentions. For R18 350, buyers can opt to spec their Volkswagen Caddy Kombi with LED headlamps which should provide better lighting output in comparison to its antiquated predecessor. Err on the side of caution with the shopping list of add-ons as things can get expensive very quickly. 

The rear doors slide along aluminium runners which starkly protrude from the blue tinged bodywork and don’t seem too well integrated with the overall side profile design of the MPV. But then again it would be unfair to compare its utility to that of more refined minivans or SUVs that demand a higher price. The split rear doors, equipped with their ability to lock in place at either 90° or beyond provide ample functionality although the vertical door split does inhibit the driver’s vision in the rear view mirror somewhat. 

Equipped with other amenities like a front fog lamps and cornering lamps, front and rear park distance control and cruise control with a speed limiter, the base price of R476 800 was elevated to a total of R521 570. 

It will always remain subjective but this Volkswagen Caddy Kombi, and other MPVs like it, may very well be the perfect addition to a two car garage that already has a sporty coupe parked inside.

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