Volkswagen Caddy Beach 2019 Review

In earnest, the Caddy Beach is about freedom. It takes Volkswagen’s trade-centric, fourth-generation Caddy van and adds some overnight niceties to wear the title as Australia’s cheapest new-car camper.

Beginning with the Caddy Maxi Trendline van – a $33,190 five-seat trade/passenger donor with sliding doors – the Beach adds a fold-out mattress similar in size to a king single, two folding camp chairs and table, block-out window curtains, a rechargeable torch and four storage bags for the rear side windows.

Also included with the vehicle is a 2.3m x 2.0m tent that attaches to the rear tailgate for additional privacy.

The Beach Caddy is powered by a 92kW/220Nm 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine with seven-speed dual-clutch (DSG) transmission, and safety features include autonomous braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, fog lights, a rear camera and rear parking sensors.

How cheap is it then?

The Caddy Beach is priced at $47,990 drive away, besting its nearest competitor by some $15,000 – the $63,627 (plus on-road costs) Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo Activity.

Its circa $10,000 premium over the regular Caddy brings the aforementioned camping kit and safety features and also commands standard items including a 6.3-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android auto, 17-inch alloy wheels and bi-xenon headlights.

The camper foregoes hard-wired satellite navigation and features a lot of last-generation tech elements in the interior, the driver instrument cluster being an example.

The Caddy Beach is available in seven colours including a loud Sandstorm Yellow or equally distinctive Viper Green. It's backed by Volkswagen’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and offered with servicing intervals that average $523.20 per 15,000km/12-month interval.

It's on sale now at Volkswagen dealers, with initial allocations capped at 120 examples based on dealer interest. Volkswagen says it will likely increase that number depending on consumer demand.

Should I get one?

That entirely depends on what you want from your moveable motel.

Beginning with the positives, the Caddy Beach uses a resourceful and thought-out formula to make the most of its 4.87-metre long and 1.8-metre high and wide exterior dimensions.

It doesn’t scream camper van to casual observers, either, with 17-inch alloys and ‘Beach’ decals about the only things denoting its status externally. That’s a good thing where overzealous council rangers are concerned.

Inside, the visual clues are more obvious, with zip-up bags that line the rear, a handy pull-lever and separate light switch mounted on the inside of the tailgate, and an assortment of canvas bags containing chairs, a table and other gear.

It’s all very neatly stowed away, and the process of setting up is a relatively straight-forward one.

ISOFIX points are fitted to the two outer rear seats, while bottle-friendly door pockets and a large overhead storage console ensures adequate space for pocket items and the like. Less convenient are the slightly-tacky flip-down tables mounted to the front seat backs.

How's it drive?

As with most new Volkswagens, there's a level of polish and refinement to the drive experience, including an efficient engine, quick-witted dual-clutch gearbox and meaningful weighting and feedback to the key controls.

Consider the claimed 6.0L/100km fuel consumption figure a tad optimistic; we went just above it using the required 95-Octane premium unleaded fuel.

Bed comfort is relatively strong, and once you have a system sorted the process of parking and sleeping would become relatively straightforward. Like many offerings at this end of the market, you require a constant shuffle of overnight bags to make the most of the Caddy’s interior space, but we can vouch that it will happily accommodate a good night’s rest.

On the road, the turbo-four can at times feel underdone when pushed; its 92kW/220Nm outputs are blunted by the Beach’s sizeable circa-1700kg kerb weight, requiring more revs and a fleet-footedness from the seven-speed transmission to keep the engine on the boil. A natural result of this is turbo lag, particularly during headier applications.

And being of trade van origin, the Polish-built Beach features hardier plastics more concerned with durability than comfort. This is particularly event in the second row door sleeves. Similarly, there's no fold down armrest for second-row occupants, and there's only one USB point across the cabin (however there are three 12-volt outlets).

The same shortcomings tend to permeate the ride, with the leaf-sprung rear thudding over bumps at low speeds. It’s by no means disconcerting, but it’s far from car-like.

Is it any good for camping?

For those intending on regularly using a Caddy Beach for several nights away, its biggest shortcoming will likely be the absence of a separate battery to run items including a fridge or air-conditioning/heating units overnight. Volkswagen says it's looking into a remedy, and in fairness, there are a lot of aftermarket options available.

Otherwise, there’s always an esky and portable cook-top from BCF.

For those happy to ‘rough it’, the Caddy features sliding windows in the second row with several lockable points. Insect screens can be fitted to stave off the dreaded mozzie.

However, the Caddy Beach is best suited to weekends away rather than weeks-on-end interstate journeys.

The lack of heating and cooling functions separate to the engine and the relatively primitive nature of having to fold the rear seats and slide the front seats forward to enable a flatbed means the adapted trade van is for those happy to do without some luxuries. Namely, younger folk.

Volkswagen clearly thinks as much, without dismissing grey nomads; it has started a dedicated Instagram page (@VWVanlife) and is using camping and fishing shows as one way of capturing the public’s attention.

Summing up?

The Caddy Beach is fun and purposeful, and in a sense invokes the rough-and-tumble spirit of the original Kombi.

Granted, it isn’t for everyone, shoehorning itself within a niche for singles/couples that want more comfort and convenience than the back of their SUV, but are happy to go without the mod-cons of a hotel.

Given how complicated daily life can be, the Caddy’s simplicity is its appeal.