By Sala Masindane

Doing business and wondering whether to go for a bakkie or panel van? We’ve spent some time with the Volkswagen Caddy Cargo and we try to answer this question for you.

Exterior design

The Caddy Cargo adopts looks of the rest of the range which makes it smart to look at. Naturally, it loses the rear windows but retains one sliding door for ease of access. This is in addition to the rear doors. The updated design has made the Caddy Cargo a looker of note.

Interior design and tech

Inside, the Caddy Cargo shares the design themes of the new Golf (which is really refreshing for a work car) like a touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android compatibility. The cabin space is well-laid out and the infotainment system is user friendly. There are two comfortable seats upfront with creature comforts like brake assist, electronically adjustable door mirrors, electric parking brake with an auto hold function.

We do feel that the access to climate control could be on the traditional buttons for easy access but it is not a deal breaker. The Cargo bay can be accessed via a sliding door on the left or rear double doors. It also features six lashing rings in the load compartment, and an overhead LED light. Unfortunately we didn’t use the load bay but we have no doubt in the new Caddy Cargo’s panel van capabilities.

Performance and drive

Under the hood is a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 81kW and 152Nm that’s paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. The Caddy Cargo’s petrol engine offers generous torque when required and makes it light and nimble reminiscent of some of its stablemates. Thankfully, the Caddy Cargo wasn’t high on fuel consumption as our stint yielded a return of a respectable 6.9l/100km from the claimed 7.2l/100km. This is good news for smaller businesses who are in the look for daily run around.

Final Word

We enjoyed spending time with the new Volkswagen Caddy Cargo which impressed us as a capable day-to-day or work vehicle. Pricing starts at R404,000.