VW Caddy 5 review – So whats new?

David Smith MBE, world champion boccia player and Sirus customer for ten years reviews the VW Caddy 5 and tells us his opinion on the latest model. 

“In my opinion, Sirus produce the best VW conversions, hence why I have driven a Sirus Drive From Wheelchair vehicle for over ten years now. I’m loving the new Sirus Caddy 5 conversion, the team have performed miracles and it looks great inside. But what about the new Caddy 5 chassis upgrades from Volkswagen? After 13 years of Caddy 4, we were all eagerly waiting to see what VW had in store.

The new VW Caddy 5 body shape

The latest VW Caddy 5 took some time to grow on me, as when I first saw it online, I was unsure of the shape. It may be because I am so used to my VW Caddy 4, and it did feel like quite a change. VW produced the Caddy 4 for 13 years, this has got to be one of the longest ever years of production for any vehicle.  But after seeing it in the flesh, the Caddy 5 does look pretty impressive. The exterior is slick and is longer than the Caddy 4. (Caddy 5 is based on the long-wheelbase Caddy Maxi Life model, and the Caddy 4 is based on the short-wheelbase Caddy Life). I also think that the back looks neater and the lights look very modern.

Infotainment Technology

The front dashboard and infotainment system look very neat. It is definitely a huge step up from the Caddy 4.  The new model includes a wide range of technology – it has an 8.25inch touchscreen and the ‘Innovision’ digital dash has an electronic display replacing standard dials. It has a brilliant voice control system which means you can answer calls, talk to the satnav and control the music. Volkswagen We Connect brings even more functionality including Breakdown Call and Automatic Accident Notification.

Driver assistance safety features

It’ll be interesting to see how the driving aids work with Space Drive but I’ll leave that to AMC my controls company. I’m a bit of a control freak so I don’t like giving away too much control! There are also new controls on the steering wheel (I don’t use them as I use Space Drive high tech controls).

Fuel efficiency

The move away from diesel to petrol is good for the planet. The petrol engine comes with a DSG dual-clutch seven-speed automatic gearbox. I’ve had DSG for 10 years and I love the gearbox being very instinctive and controllable with the throttle. I’m looking forward to when we can finally phase out fossil fuels but until then I’m going to try and continue to get over 50mpg out of my current VW Caddy 4.

Floor pan

Even though this blog is to review the chassis, I wanted to include some information about the floor. In Caddy 4, there is an incline in the back where you have to manoeuvre over the rear axle.  In the latest conversion, the hump in the floor is now very manageable – the Sirus team has worked hard to find a solution without compromising on the interior space/head height.  This should remove or reduce any issues bottoming out on speed humps.

Interior space and seats

You really feel the extra space inside the vehicle and you could potentially add an extra seat behind the front passenger (something I know Sirus are currently considering).  Also, another change is the rear passenger seats – the feedback from my PA was that the seats were really comfortable so I will have happy passengers when I’m the chauffeur!

The changes to the VW Caddy 5 and really exciting, as are the updates to the Sirus conversion. However, my faithful Caddy 4 will soldier on for two more years”.

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