Volkswagen Caddy road tests and consumer car reviews

Volkswagen Caddy 2008

What has happened to the German reliability and quality? My Caddy TDI is just over 3 years old. I "nurse" it, but it continues to give problems. The battery packed up under warranty, the air con packed up under warranty, the radiator packed up under warranty and new one was fitted, but it’s lasted 10 months and has packed up again (no more warranty). Also the back brakes had to be replaced at 90k. Toyota next time!

Volkswagen Caddy maxi 2.0 tdi 140 ps 2009

I love this van, but I have had some serious mechanical issues and its only 2.5 years old. The sliding doors wouldn’t lock as they didn’t fit correctly. The dual mass flywheel went at 50k, but also shook the engine to pieces. Both the engine and flywheel were replaced under warranty. Now at 88k, I parked up today after it had driven fine, but when I later pulled out of the parking space the van started pulling to the left and continues to do so??? So much so you have to steer right constantly with the wheel at 45 degrees. It’s going back to the dealer on Monday! Also the turbo has started to squeak when it spins up. What worrries me now is that I’ve got to keep it for another 18 months. It’s such a shame as it started out as a brilliant and comfy van, but it just hasn’t seemed to last.

Volkswagen Caddy 2007

I bought a second hand Caddy with 57,000 miles on the clock in February 2011. I’ve now done 63,000 miles and has it has cost another £1700 just to keep it on the road; a new gearbox, new clutch and new exhaust. This is the fourth VW Caddy I have had and is by far the worst. Lovely to drive when all is well, but what has happened to VW reliability?

Volkswagen Caddy 2.0 SDI 2007

I use mine for multi drop parcel delivery in a rural area. I started off with a LDV 200 (sherpa), but I simply do not have the time to list the problems I had. Transit R reg next, good van, reliable but shame about the rust. Next I had a Sprinter, which was again very reliable, but thirsty, and rusted even quicker than the Transit. Next I has a 51 reg Transporter, which was very comfy and a good van but it had niggly problems like door handles, wheel bearings and suspension (mind you, I do open and shut doors more in one day than most folk do in two months, and spend a lot of time on farm tracks I then bought a 2003 Toyota Hiace D4D, which has already done 68k before I took it to 204k in the space of 4 years. It needed 2 sets of front brake pads, 4 front tyres, 2 rear tyres, bulbs and wipers and that is it! A fantastic van! Unfortunately, the company that I deliver for lost a couple of big contracts so the Hiace was much too big, so to save diesel, I decided to get a smaller van and having liked the previous Transporter, went for a VW Caddy as Toyota do not do a smaller van. The Caddy is cheap to run, and nice to drive, but I will stop there. On the first day it broke down due to a fuel pump fuse, a week later the rear caliper seized up, and in the next village the back exhaust box broke off. 2 days later my wipers only work if the van is moving?? Today there is a loud knock coming from the rear suspension. Not very good for 3 weeks of ownership is it? The above may be teething problems, but you cannot run a reliable business without having a vehicle that you can depend upon and I simply do not have the time or patience for this, so I have already decided to trade the thing in against another Toyota. I will honestly be glad to see the back of it.

Volkswagen Caddy 1.9Tdi 2007

Very comfortable, very economical, lovely to drive...however, I have had a lot of trouble with mine. Even now has only 90k on the clock Cruise control broke, Air-Con broke, Gearbox replaced, Rear shocks replaced, Exhaust replaced , Front discs and Pads replaced (Shocks, Exhaust and Brakes) only after 20k. On top of all that, the Turbo has now broken and have been quoted more that £1200 to fix. Lovely van but bitterly disappointed in reliability, wouldn’t spend so much on a van again considering it was more than £18,000 new.

Volkswagen Caddy 104ps 2007

Bought 104ps, 20k on the clock, now on 85k, regular service with private garage £150, good on tyres, get about 43mpg, drives like a car. I previously had a Transit Connect, found it heavy on fuel but a good van. Would definetly buy another Caddy although expensive to buy new. P.S. Halfords sell replacement mirror glass £10, £50 with VW!

Volkswagen Caddy 1.9 TDi 2006

I bought this van 3 years ago with 41K in the clock. Now it has 60K on it. New toothed belt just been fitted. Never had any problem, it goes through on MOT`s without any problem. The dual mass flywheel just became a bit noisy. It`s gonna cost around £700-£800.

Volkswagen Caddy Life 2006

While they perform well, are economical and sized just right they are unreliable and extremely expensive to fix. Mine needed a new clutch at 120,000Km and that cost $2,500 to fix (and that was the cheaper single plate clutch). When I traded it I was quoted $4,000.00 to fix the airconditioning (for the second time), rear brakes, shock absorbers and CV joints. Paint coming off radio buttons window switches and both side arm rests. Reading stories from other Australian Caddy owners show that mine has been no worse than many others out there.

Volkswagen Caddy Maxi life 2009

Fantastic car, 2ltr, 6 speed, 50mpg easy, well made, loads of room even with 7 adults, very impressed!

Volkswagen Caddy DSG 2009

Best deilvery van I’ve had in 20 years.

Volkswagen Caddy 2L SDI 2008

My 2008 2L SDI Caddy is noisy, has poor performance and poor fuel consumption compared with other vans I have owned. Having said that it it a well built workhorse that holds its value well.

Volkswagen Caddy C20 TDI 2007

Bought the van from a local VW van center at six months old, it had 7,000 miles on the clock. In three years I clocked the van up to 94,500. The van was serviced every 10,000 by a local garage not VW and i have never had any trouble with it. I have never had any issues with the turbo or any pumps this van was fantastic. Very very nippy and looked stunning with my 17" alloys and powerflow exhaust system. I also fitted a K&N air filter when I purchased the van. The only reason I have not bought another one is that I needed something bigger and I don’t like the look of those stretched ones. Just sold the van on e-bay and the new owner was very impressed. Do not be put off buying one of these vans they are as good as they look.

Volkswagen Caddy New shape 2004

Bad points: have the van for 4 years and have put 2 new turbos in it. Van was serviced every 10k, VW are rubbish, use to be good but not anymore. Always a warning light on the dash for something or other.

Volkswagen Caddy 1.9 TDI 2007

Coming up to three years old now and still drives like a dream. Just hit 40k and have only just needed new rear tyres! Fronts I’ve only replaced just replaced for a second time. It’s a very quick van even when fully loaded and still gives me 400 - 450 miles each tank. Very comfy to drive on long journeys, quite quiet, everything works well and the load space is good - it seems small but I can stuff loads in! The only issue I’ve had was the sliding door lock broke and took VW 3 times to fix it. Front and rear lights on the near side had water ingress but has all been sorted under warranty. Overall a good van and will buy another. It’s solid, well built and I personally think it’s the best looking small van around. Expensive if you want all the gadgets, but they do hold their value!

Volkswagen Caddy sdi 2005

Dissapointed, tandem pump playing up, common fault, not happy.

Responses to this review

It is terrible when you purchase something not fit for purpose, isn’t it? - Polly Jedrzejak from London

Volkswagen Caddy 2010

Just want to write a review on the volkswagen caddy. It is an excellent van and very car like to drive and volkswagen have once again made a strong and sturdy vechile, was considering a transit connect and a citroen dispatch but after driving the caddy there is no comparison, a little more expensive to buy but in the long term works out better. A really excellent van.

Volkswagen Caddy tdi 1.9 2004

Just bought my caddy this week! 2004 new shape 119.000 miles on it. Timing belt just done. I was very, very impressed and suprised at how comfortable it is to drive. I previously had a Mercedes A Class and the caddy is far better, even though it’s a van. I have never driven a van before, but this feels so much like a car, it’s great. Too early to tell if it has any problems, but I am so far delighted with it. It’s quiet, comfortable, and fairly nippy as she goes. Plus the headlights actually work, something I didnt have on the Merc. It also feels so solid and well built when driving. I was going to buy a Mercedes Vito, but I’m glad I went for this. P.S. anyone thinking of buying a Vito either first generation or new generation, DON’T! for the love of God. Just read the reviews on them. I really, really, really wanted one, but just don’t do it.

Volkswagen Caddy tdi dsg gearbox 2008

Air con, heated seats, cruise control, multi -function steering wheel, auto wiper and dsg gearbox all work well. Mpg on ave is about 4 to 5 mpg down on 5 speed manual gearbox also dsg comes with dpf filter which does not help mpg. I also have all weather tyres, my ave 44mpg a good mix of driving/motorway work 80 mph drop to 39 - 41 town work 37 mpg. VW service oil change £150.00 at about 15000 miles, the dsg gearbox oil needs to be change at 40000 miles at a cost of £160.00. The front tyres will get 20-22 k wear, whilst rear 50 -55 k. Top up oil is about 1lt per 12000 miles.

Volkswagen Caddy 2.0 sdi 2009

Got the van for dog handling purposes and to and from from work, long journeys are very comfortable and performance is incredibly good. The van is as basic as can be as that’s what I asked for and I have to say I am well impressed. I used to work security and got the opportunity to have a pop at driving Vauxhalls, Transits and others as well, gotta say they didn’t even come upto the same standard. Im sure there’s gonna be something down the line I’m not pleased about, but then no one likes paying for parts or fixer work as it always costs once outside warranty, hence why I only gave it 4 stars. The van on its own merit, I’m glad i went with the VW as I had a few choices and spent a long time making the decision. As for the parts and fixings if you want a job done right you may as well go to the people that know the van better than anyone else.

Volkswagen Caddy 104 TDI swb 6 doors 2004

Bad Bits: VW labour costs very high, new pads fitted, bonnet release plastic lever broke, central locking problems, altenator replaced, pullys replaced, bulbs keep blowing, driver’s seat not good, fly wheel starting to go, small cargo area, let me down once, VW not as good as they used to be. Good Bits: Fast!!!! Good Mpg, easy to park.        

Volkswagen Caddy 1.9 TDI 104 2005

After searching for a suitable van for my auto locksmith business I stumbled across the Caddy by chance. I was impressed with the build quality and especially the comfortable seats having just given up my Jeep Grand Cherokee. The performance is more than adequate although I don’t thrash it. Its done 121K and feels just as tight as a new one. I’ve done just over 10K in a year and apart from one oil change nothing else has gone wrong. Came with aircon and CD player. Bags of storage space and pockets in the cabin. Consumption is regular around the 37-41 MPG. Well pleased especially as I was seriously looking at the Connect. Would recommend to anyone with a bit more of a budget. Quality comes at a price. Just read that British Gas have ordered 5,000 Caddy’s due to reliabilty and running costs.

Volkswagen Caddy 2006

This is by far the best van I have ever owned and driven and that’s saying something. I have driven and owned various vans over the years - Ford, Peugeot, Vauxhall, Mercedes-Benz (Vito) - for my roofing business and found many unreliable or juicy. These may not be the fastest vans, unless you get the sport line or turbo version but it’s the quality, build and reliability that counts. I would certainly recommend theses vans to any one.

Volkswagen Caddy 2007

Its the noisiest van I’ve ever driven out 02 Ford Transit is quieter. The Caddy Over revs all the time so the engine can always be heard, the Doors don’t shut properly so there is a nasty draft which adds to the already loud wind noise created by the van. Load space isn’t the greatest of a small van compared to others.

Volkswagen Caddy 1.9 tdi 104ps 2004

Very reliable vehicle. My caddy has 170k on the clock now and is as tight and lively as it was when new. Acceleration is superb through all the gears helped by a fantastic little turbo unit, even when fully loaded. Fuel economy is good, Motorway travel averages 49mpg whilst around town it will do 39 - 41mpg. Cabin is spacious, well laid out and very comfortable. Road noise is low and if you did not have the slightly restricted view out the back you would believe that you were in an MPV. Parts, when they do need replacing can be pricey but then again it is a Volkswagen and the parts do last. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone who was looking for a reliable load-lugger. Only 4 stars because nothing is perfect!

Volkswagen Caddy 2005

I am from China, my 7 seats Caddy Life bought in 2006; I drove it for over 40,000Km till now, nothing is wrong on this van....

Volkswagen Caddy 1.9 TDI PD 2007

Great little van, a real workhorse. Very comfortable cabin and good and clear arrangement of instruments. Very easy to drive, alhough the steering can sometimes feel a little over assisted. Excellent fuel economy and of course, as all Volkswagon, very reliable.