Ah, yes, another forbidden fruit we wish we could get here in the states. This is the 2021 VW Caddy 5 van/SUV-thingie. The Caddy has sold over 2 million copies in its 40 years of production. VW has deemed it not worthy for sale in the US, instead of providing us with “clean” diesel sedans and Arteons and Touaregs by the dozen.  What America needs is the 2021 Caddy 5 van/SUV instead.

VW has not fared well in the US so the Caddy 5 could help

Volkswagen has not fared particularly well in the US and some of the blame has to be placed on the blantastic vehicles it chooses to sell in the US. It is one of the largest manufacturers of cars in the world but it doesn’t have much to show for here. From the fantastic early successes of the original bug and Rabbit/Golf, it has fallen on mostly deaf ears in America.

The new 2021 Caddy 5 is something entirely new for VW in that it rides on the MQB platform. That platform is not new but nonetheless is shared by numerous other Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, and Skoda models. The suspension has been updated, however, for better handling and ride. 

The VW Caddy 5 sees the new TDI Euro6 engine

One thing that is new is the application of the TDI Euro6 engine. It’s a four-cylinder turbo diesel that VW says drinks 12% less fuel compared to its earlier version. We hope VW has not fudged on this claim nor the engine’s emissions numbers. 

With the new turbo-diesel comes back up from the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. The standard drivetrain is two-wheel-drive. Either version is said to function better and more efficiently than previous Caddys. 

The body is sort of a high-top SUV or a small van with a bit of a snout. Styling is all new and takes on some of the familiar VW cues, especially the headlights and taillights. The new Caddy’s aerodynamics have been improved from 0.33 to 0.30 coefficient of drag. You see these used a lot in Europe as panel vans for in-town deliveries. 

VW sells over 500,000 of these a year so this is a proven winner

Volkswagen sells over 500,000 of these van/SUVs a year so this is a proven winner elsewhere. With the success of the Ford Transit Connect, you would think VW would want a piece of that action. Especially since Chevy abandoned the segment in 2018 with its City Express. Maybe it is just waiting for the ID Buzz Microbus EV van as we all have for years now. 

VW keeps teasing the retro ID Buzz and yet after seven or eight years of development, it doesn’t seem any closer to producing it. Current plans say 2022 but for years we heard 2021 so who knows. It sure seems like the Caddy 5 could be a great placeholder for VW while we all wait for the eventual debut of the ID Buzz in the next several years.