At least since we all have seen „Tokyo drift“, the third sequel oft the „Fast & Furious“ franchise, we know, that minivans from Volkswagen can be great tuning cars. For that reason and because Ap Sportfahrwerke just introduced a brand new coilover-kit für the Caddy, it`s my turn to take this little van for a test-drive.

There are days in the life of every test-driver and writer which are filled with joy. 911, Enzo, Camaro, Mustang, Challenger, GTR, STI or Evo are names which still give wet dreams even to the most experienced of us. Well, and than are those days when you have to test cars like the Caddy. Less joy, less wet dreams, less tension. But than of course, our real every-day-life is mostly very different from all these fantasies out of Hollywood-movies and tuning-exhibitions. Kids, dogs, gardening for your little house or a bulky hobby and suddenly the trunk of your roadster is way to small, the gas-milage of your sports-car is way to bad and it would be a shame to put those three sacks filled with soil right on your upscale leather seats. That would be exactly the day when you need more Caddy, more of this square, practical, good, more storage space, more of a good buddy than one of these divas.

The Caddy 2K is in production since 2003 and it is exactly this kind of buddy for all life situations. Over the years it came with all kinds of different engines from 69-170 horsepower and there is also a choice between front-wheel-drive and 4-wheel-drive. In addition there are all kinds of special-editions, from soccer – Volkscaddy and from Life – Roncalli. Well, what a circus. My Caddy today is just a Caddy without all these flashy marketing names but with a pretty nice list of extras.

Today, I do have a front-wheel-drive Caddy with the 2.0 diesel engine from the year 2012. I pick it up at the www.autopark-emmering.de. It has already 119.600 km milage on it and you can have it for 16.850 Euro. After a night with about 15 degrees centigrade under zero it comes with some free icicles and the good news is, it starts immediately. The interior is typically Volkswagen, a little bit mundane but clean, very well done and it still looks almost new. The seats are also still in a good shape and they fit perfectly to a german test driver with a hight of almost two meters. First thing, I switch the heated seats on and pull the heater to the far red section and I hope thaw will start soon in and out of the car. Just a few minutes later, I am already covered in sweat, obviously, the heater works very well. My test car also comes with a lot of nice goodies like a navigation-system, park-distance control and a fully automatic parking system, which actually is not impractical for a large car like the Caddy.

Well, talking about impractical – here is nothing impractical. Two sliding-doors, a split rear-door, seven seats, all kinds of storage-compartments, a luggage-compartment up to more than 3000 liters and a comfortable boarding height. Nothing to criticize.

So, how does it drive? Well, we all know those speeding delivery truck drivers. And thats your chance to become one oft hem. The diesel engine provides you with a lot of torque and the 6-speed manual gear box is also fun. You can almost find some driving-pleasure. Almost? Yes, maybe put some 18 inch rims on it and lower it with a coilover-kit. Than, the whole ride will not only look way better, it will also perform a bit more sporty. So, find yourself a nice set of wheels, maybe use some „Hulk“ green foil on the outside to lighten up the grey a bit and than, we are able to help you with the suspension. Because from now on, the young suspension brand ap Sportfahwerke has a coilover kit for the VW Caddy from year 03/2004 available. The new suspension kit offers an approved height adjustment of 50-90 mm at the front axle and 60-80 mm at the rear axle which can lower the car continuously. So the sporty ambitioned driver has the possibility to adjust his own individually desired lowering exactly by the millimeter. The parallel adjustment of sportiness, comfort and safety offers an optimal setup. The new suspension kit is now available at a price of 659,00 EUR incl. 19% VAT plus shipping.

Text: Andreas Leffler
Pictures: Andreas Leffler