1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196 
NEW KID ON
Page 64
Page 65
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
HF
It may have ony been with us for a month, but the VW Caddy is already making friends on the CMtest team.
It's still early days, and only fools rush in, but we've already become firmly attached to our long-term Volkswagen Caddy TDI. We knew from previous experience that it was a superior product, but our brief encounter didn't really highlight its impressive range of abilities.
This example might not sport the raciest paint jobpowder-puff-blue leaves it looking more washing machine than driving machine but it's what's under the skin that counts, and this is where the Caddy is as modern as it gets. First there's the 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine, complete with Pumpe Disc' technology (we reckon that's German for "very good-). It provides plenty of power (I03hp) and strong torque through the mid-range, ideal for overtaking. Mind you, it does feel a little peaky; sloppy clutch control can lead to stalling.This is pretty much redeemed by exceptional fuel economy that's working out about 48mpg.
Multifunctionality
Next up, there's the way it drives.The steering, brakes and suspension are all beautifully matched, allowing you to make solid, unruffled progress whatever the conditions If your work involves mostly motorway and A-road work the Caddy will cruise at high speed without a murmur, planting itself squarely on the road and, unlike lighter vans in the category (GVW is 2,235 kg), it's seemingly unaffected by crosswinds. But it's also happy as a van about town, cosseting you from that urban chaos as it nips in and out of traffic on command.
What's more, when the VW designers were building in all these undoubted virtues they didn't lose sight of the fact that the Caddy has to earn its keep.There's a serious 3.2m3 of load volume and the flat side walls make it all u sea ble.Payload is 815kg, all of it easily accessible via twin-sliding side doors and offset rear doors. Our steed came with a rubber load space mat (a must) and a handy-dandy sat-nay rig we soon came to appreciate.
And finally there's the build quality, which sets the standard for the Caddy's competition to aspire to. From the feel of the heater switches to the way the doors close with a reassuring clunk, there's evidence of solid engineering throughout that simply isn't present in the rest of the class. After a year with us, our doubts about the Nissan Terrano have given way to a new respect.
The end of October marked the reluctant return of our Nissan Terrano 3.0 SE at the conclusion of a year with us during which it covered nearly 23,000 miles.
Aware of the killer off-roader' controversy raging in the minds of Guardian readers, we were dubious as to how well a small 4x4 van would fit into an urban environment. In the event it took only a few days before the vehicle's virtues earned our gratitude.
Having just joined the A331 Blackwater Valley road that bypasses Farnborough and Aldershot in the early evening darkness, it became apparent that a major incident was going on ahead and the road was becoming rapidly blocked by numerous crashed cars. Still more cars approaching from behind were oblivious to this hazard,so stopping completely would probably earn us a car in our rear.
Slowing right down, we were able to use the Terrano's surprisingly nimble handling to weave through the junkyard, the big wheels and decent ground clearance shrugging off the assorted debris, letting us get the hell away.
The next 11 months were less dramatic, and it was only in the final days that we had more to report in the 'incidents' section of the CM logbook.
This was on a routine motorway journey from Swansea to Sussex, the end of which revealed a broken nearside headlamp lens, which is traditional glass rather than today's more sensible polycarbonate. Because of the Nissan's all-in-one headlamp design, the result was a complete new unit fitted at a cost of I215.75. At about the same time, the switch off the rear interior light fell off and disappeared into the darkness beneath the seats.
Other than these mishaps, the Terrano proved to he an effective means of travel. It handled longdistance motorway journeys with more than adequate comfort, thanks to good noise suppression. comfy seats and a spec sheet that includes air-con and a CD player.
With 151hp and 304Nm on tap from the impressive 3.0-litre engine (which is rapidly becoming a modern classic thanks to its use in assorted other applications such as the Renault Master van family), theTerrano was never lacking in performance.Tbe only downside to its generally safe and secure handling was the ease with which clumsy application of all that torque could unstick the rear wheels in lowspeed corners, hut you soon learn to be a bit circumspect if grip is in doubt.
No cause for concern Standard ABS and selectable four-wheel drive are there to help when conditions get tricky.
Fuel consumption ranged from 26.6mpg to 33.7mpg which, given that it spent its life with us either negotiating the mean streets of South London or blasting up and down motorways, is quite acceptable. In general it required a visit to a fuel station after about 300 miles. Apart from that interior light switch, nothing broke, fell off or gave a moment's cause for concern. By the end of the year we had grown to look at the Nissan with a new respect, and even managed to avoid harming any of those Guardian readers. •