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ON TEST
VW CADDY SDI
Base price: £8,730 (ex-VAT).
Engine: 1.9-litre DI diesel, 63hp (47kW). GVVV: 1,730kg. Payload: 550kg. Fuel consumption (laden): 47.9mpg (5.91it/100km).
Every once in a while, particularly here in South London, you'll spot a van that's been dressed up by its owner. The van (usually a Ford Escort) will have alloy wheels, tinted windows, a big-bore exhaust and a body kit. If you're really lucky, it'll have some lurid graphics and "Escort Van" in giant graffiti letters stuck on to the side. These vans are horrible—their owners should take a lesson or two from Volkswagen in how to make a van look good.
The Volkswagen Caddy SDI that we've tested looks great—a good basic shape, in an attractive colour—and even the (non-standard) alloy wheels look goad. But it's not just a pretty face: the Caddy is the only car-derived van on the market to use a directinjection diesel engine, promising new levels of fuel economy and driveability The Caddy is not the first small DI van: there was the late and little-lamented Austin-Rover
Maestro 500 City, launched in 1986, which housed a two-litre Perkins Prima MDi unit rated at 62hp (46kW). Now, there was a van which needed a body kit...
If the Caddy looks familiar, that because it is also badged as the Seat Inca, powered by \1V's indirect-injection diesel and tested in CM last year. The Inca is not a bargain-priced option: it costs 128,695—£365 more than the equivalent VW Caddy SD— but for that you get a three-year unlimited-mileage warranty.
Volkswagen is Seat's parent company, and retaliates with a broader range—as well as the diesel SD and SDI, there is a 1.4litre, 59hp (44kW) petrol model. And the VW badge will pmbably mean lower depreciation.
VW also offers a good range of options, from ABS (alone or with traction control, at £664 or £785) to air-conditioning (£700). Other extras include central locking and electric windows at £295, and heated seats at 1179. A dri
ver's-side airbag comes as standard; one for the passenger costs 1235.
The SDI model offers the same peak power and torque as the SD, but costs a hefty £400 more. It will have to offer a significant fuel saving to justify that premium—does it?
• PRODUCTIVITY
We were hoping that the Caddy would break the high-cube economy record round our Kent route— currently held by the Ford Courier 1.8D at 50.9mpg but it was not to be. Still, the SDI returned a very competitive 47.9mpg at an average speed of 69.11cm/h despite lousy traffic conditions. The Caddy's average speed was a fair bit better than the Ford's, and its payload is 35kg more, so overall productivity is at the top of the class.
The SDI's fuel figure is around 10% better than the indirect-injection Seat Inca, at the same average speed, with the same payload.
This makes a break-even calculation relatively easy: fully laden round the Kent route, with diesel at 63p/litre, the extra 1400 for the DI engine would take 64,500 miles to pay off.,.
That bald calculation makes the worth of the direct-injection engine look debatable, but it has another benefit: oil-change intervals go up from 5,000 to 6,000 miles, saving money and reducing downtime (already very low for the class). Major services come at 20,000 miles.
In other respects, the Caddy is very competitive: load volume is almost a match for the Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner or the class-leading Fiat Fiorino, while the payload is the best in the group, unless you go for a heavyweight variant such as the Partner 800.
The load compartment is a sensible shape, with a sturdy rubber mat and six heavy-duty tie-down points. The steel-andplastic bulkhead is one of the best in the business.
• ON THE ROAD The direct-injection diesel has a small advantage in productivity over the IDI unit—but is it any different to drive? The specifications give no due: swept volume is the same and peak power is identical, as is maximum torque. But a close look at the torque curve is more rewarding; the Di unit produces significant torque from 1,000rpm, about 500rprn lower than the IDI engine, and has a smoother and fatter torque curve.
As you would expect, this translates to a more lively response on the road the SDI's 0-80km/h time of 14.5 seconds is about 10% quicker than the Caddy SD's. And in absolute terms, the Caddy per forms very well, out-accelerating most of its rivals both from a standstill and in gear.
The final advantage of the DI engine is rapid starting: the pre-heat light goes out after just a couple of seconds. The downside of direct injection is usually said to be noise the infamous "taxi rattle" at idle, and a nailgun rat-at-at at speed. But this isn't true of the SDI: it is actually a decibel quieter than the SD at idle, and very slightly louder than the SD at speed—at 70mph, the in-cab noise reading of 75.0dB(A) is one of the best in the class.
The Caddy handles more tautly than most high-cubes: a relatively short wheelbase and low-profile 175/65R14 tyres must help, and the power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering is impressively sharp. There isn't quite the magic-carpet ride of the Courier, but the Caddy is actually fun to drive.
The Polo-based driving compartment is a decent size, and very well finished: not quite as nice to the touch as the Courier's, but with plenty of cubbyholes and an overhead shelf deep enough (just) for a clipboard. There's still nowhere to put a Coke can, though. • SUMMARY The state of the CDV art has come a long way since the Maestro, except in one respect: that Perkins-powered van returned an astounding 49.7mpg round our Kent route, beating the Caddy tested here by 1.8mpg. But a better payload, load volume and acceleration still put the VW ahead on productivity.
The main difference is in driveability. The Volkswagen is quicker, quieter and safer, yet it has a more sensible load area and much better build quality. It is one of the best high-cubes around, in an enormously competitive market.
Is the direct injection engine worth the extra 400? Yes, we reckon—not for the fuel saving alone, but for the improvement in throttle response and longer service intervals.
You don't need a daft body kit, or even alloy wheels, to show that you have taste—the Caddy SDI is a much smarter bet all round.
by Toby Clark MODEL
Volkswagen Caddy SDI.
ENGINE Volkswagen 1.9-litre fourcylinder direct-injection diesel, mounted transversely.
Capacity: 1,896cc. Maximum net power: 63hp (47kW) at 4,200rpm. Maximum net torque: 92Ibft (125Nm) at 2,40Orpm.
TRANSMISSION
Five-speed all-synchromesh manual gearbox, driving front wheels.
LOAD CAPACITY Load volume: 2.9m3 (by VDA measure).
Loadspace dimensions (maximum LxWxH): 1.66x1 53x1 28m. Axle design weights: front, 845kg; rear, 950kg. GTW: 2,730kg.
RIVAL TESTS
Citroen Berlingo 1.8D 600: CM 24-30 Oct 1996.
Fiat Fiorino 1.7D: CM 9-16 June 1994.
Ford Courier 1.8D: CM 25 April-1 May 1996. Peugeot Partner 1.9D 800: CM 19 Dec 1996-1 Jan 1997.
Seat Inca 1.9D: CM 28 Mar-3 Apr 1996. Vauxhall Combo 1.7D: CM 4-10 Nov 1993. Volkswagen Caddy SD (Vans on Test): CM 15-21 Aug 1996.