VW Caddy California Van Review, Specs, Pricing, Features & Our Verdict

Being a van-based vehicle, you also get a great view of the road ahead, and its relatively compact size means you won’t be breathing in every time you meet a tractor on a single-track lane either - especially if reversing a caravan or trailer in this situation fills you full of dread.

Parking is also a doddle compared to its bigger brothers, and it’ll fit in most standard supermarket parking bays and multi-storey car parks really easily as well here which is great to see, we thought.

So, what does that mean in the real world to you?
Well, let’s say you have two adults on board (around 150kg). That then leaves you with a very healthy 400kg to 500kg to play with.

That’s more than enough for a couple of suitcases, food for the weekend, cooking gear, walking boots, those essential camping chairs, and even the optional drive-away tent as well.

You’d have to be packing some seriously heavy kit to trouble the payload limit for a typical British holiday here.

If you then need even more storage, the Caddy California can be fitted with roof rails.

These can then carry up to 100kg, making them perfect for a roof box full of bulky but light items (like bedding and clothes) or for strapping on a couple of surfboards or kayaks if that is more your thing as well.

Thinking of bringing more toys?
The Caddy California is a capable tow car as well.

Here, most models have a maximum braked towing capacity of around 1,400kg to 1,500kg (and 750kg unbraked).

That’s easily enough to pull a small to medium caravan, a trailer tent for extra sleeping space, or a trailer with a couple of motorbikes or a jet ski on the back, for instance.

As a result, this really adds to the Caddy's flexibility, turning it from a simple mini-camper into a proper base camp for all sorts of hobbies as a direct result.

In profile, its van-based origins are more obvious, but VW has done a good job of keeping it neat.

For instance, you get a sharp crease, or 'tornado line', that runs the length of the vehicle just below the windows, breaking up the metalwork and adding a sense of motion as it does so.

The large glass area, including a handy sliding window in the passenger-side sliding door, which is especially good at helping you to get ventilation on a warm summer's day, ensures the inside feels light and airy.

Unlike a standard panel van, the rear windows are also flush-fitting and tinted for privacy as well, with the only real giveaway to its camping intentions is the track for the single sliding door, which is a standard feature offering you excellent access to the rear seats and living space area here we thought.

The roofline of the Caddy California is also both flat and practical, while there's no option for a panoramic sunroof, which would have been a nice touch, the large glass area ensures the interior always feels light and airy. There is also no pop-top like on its bigger Transporter-based sibling, which is a key reason it remains so discreet and can slip under car park height barriers (most are over 2 metres, and the Caddy is around 1.83 metres high).

From the factory, it also comes with fixing points ready to accept a set of roof rails or a full roof rack system, as well as if needed.

Which is needed for carrying leisure equipment, allowing you to load up with up to 100kg of gear, from surfboards to a streamlined roof box for extra storage and more here.

The back end is also dominated by a large, top-hinged tailgate.

This single-piece door then lifts up to open, creating a useful rain shelter while you’re setting up the mini-kitchen that slides out from the boot.

It also features a large window, giving you a good view out when driving, and is flanked by some very stylish, vertical tail light clusters.

Like the front, the rear bumper is also body-coloured, completing the clean, integrated look here as well, and you’ll also find a discreet ‘California’ badge - the only real clue to the vehicle's dual identity.

As you will know, wheels can really make or break a vehicle's look, and VW offers you a few choices as a result.

As standard in the UK, the Caddy California usually comes on some good-looking 17-inch 'Colombo' alloy wheels in Brilliant Silver, which suit the vehicle well.

Then, for those wanting a more commanding look, there's the option to upgrade to larger 18-inch 'Monterosso' alloys.

However, don't be surprised to see some models with sturdy steel wheels, though these are more common on the base Caddy models rather than the more lifestyle-focused California we should note.

Wheel Options

• 'Wien' alloy wheels 6.5J x 16.
  In Silver. With 205/60 R16 tyres
• 'Barahona' alloy wheels 6.5J x 17.
  In Silver. With 215/55 R17 tyres
• 'Colombo' alloy wheels 6.5J x 17.
  In Gloss Black. With 215/55 R17 tyres
• 'Colombo' alloy wheels 6.5J x 17.
  In Black with translucent Gold Beige. With 215/55 R17 tyres
• 'Monterosso' alloy wheels 7J x 18.
  In Gloss Black. With 225/45 R18 tyres

Volkswagen also offers you here some lovely colours to choose from for the Caddy California, allowing for a bit of personal expression.

For instance, alongside the classic whites, blacks, and silvers, there are some more adventurous, lifestyle-oriented options that really suit its character.

Some of its standout choices available in the UK include:

Solid paint

• Candy White
• Pure Grey
• Cherry Red

Metallic paint  

• Mojave Beige
• Costa Azul
• Golden Green
• Fortana Red
• Indium Grey
• Copper Bronze
• Starlight Blue

Pearl effect paint

• Deep Black

To truly unlock Caddy California's potential for a UK holiday, the optional drive-away tent is a must-have here.

This inflatable awning is then purpose-designed to attach to the back of the van and transform your living space accordingly.

It also gives you a proper living area to shelter from the inevitable British summer shower as well, a place to sit and eat in comfort, and it can even be used as an extra bedroom, turning the two-berth Caddy into a four-person camper as a result.

It’s a doddle to put up as well and, crucially, you can detach it and drive off for the day when you need to, leaving it to hold your spot at the campsite as you go and enjoy your day.

The dashboard is then lifted straight from the latest Volkswagen Golf, giving it a clean, minimalist, and thoroughly modern layout as well.

As a result, the build quality is excellent, as everything feels solid.

While you will find a lot of hard-wearing plastics, Volkswagen has cleverly used soft-touch materials on key touchpoints like the steering wheel and door tops, we must note, giving the cabin a more premium feel than you would get in a standard van, for instance.

As a result, it is just designed for durability, which is exactly what you want in a vehicle made for adventure.

In front of the driver, you'll typically find clear, traditional analogue dials with a small digital screen in the middle for your key information as well.

However, a popular and worthwhile upgrade is the 'Digital Cockpit'.

This then replaces the physical dials with a high-resolution 10.25-inch screen that you can then customise to show what you want to see, including a full-screen sat-nav map, which is a real bonus when you are on unfamiliar roads.

Then dominating the centre of the dash is the touchscreen infotainment system.

Here, the standard setup is the 8.25-inch 'Ready 2 Discover' system, which includes DAB radio, Bluetooth, and VW’s App-Connect - allowing you to use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

This is a brilliant feature as well, letting you mirror your phone's apps, like Google Maps and Spotify, directly onto the car's screen in front of you.

A common critique, however, is the lack of physical buttons.

Instead here you get key functions like volume and climate control which are operated by touch-sensitive 'sliders' below the screen, which can be a bit fiddly to use accurately while driving compared to a simple knob granted.

However, you can also upgrade to the larger 10-inch 'Discover Media' system, which adds built-in navigation if you prefer as well.

The front seats are also one of its highlights, as they can provide you with a car-like driving position that makes long journeys down the M6, for instance, utterly effortless.

There is plenty of adjustable travel to help you find your perfect spot as well, and the tall cabin provides you and your passengers generous headroom and legroom, even for taller drivers.

While there isn't a dedicated central armrest, the door design also allows for comfortable support on the move here, too.

There is also plenty of adjustment to help you find your perfect spot behind the wheel as well, for those planning on covering serious mileage, Volkswagen offers optional 'ergoComfort' seats, which are even more supportive and have been certified for promoting good back health – a worthy investment for the serious road-tripper we must admit.

The rear seating is a three-seat bench, making the Caddy a proper five-seater for daily tasks.

These seats are then designed with incredible flexibility in mind, and they can be folded down, or tumbled forward to create a huge load space, or removed from the vehicle entirely if you just need the overall space as well.

Taking them out can require a bit of muscle, but doing so completely transforms the rear into a spacious cargo hold or a more open-plan camping area if needed here.

Overall comfort, we thought, was excellent for a van-based vehicle, primarily because it sits on the same platform as the VW Golf.

The ride is also smooth and composed, soaking up bumps from broken British B-roads far better than more agricultural rivals do.

Due to this, it doesn't feel bouncy or unsettled like some vans can, and with some nicely placed dimmable LED reading lights and adjustable air vents for all your passengers, these just add to the sense of comfort and refinement, either when you are parked up at night or on the move.

This is where the 'California' magic happens, though.

With the rear seats in place, you still have a perfectly usable boot.

But the real party pieces are housed here. Tucked away is the cleverly designed fold-out bed, which measures 1.98m by 1.07m.

It also features a comfortable mattress on a sprung base and neatly concertinas away when not in use, then beneath the bed frame, at the very back of the vehicle, is the slide-out mini-kitchen.

For a compact vehicle, stowage is also surprisingly well thought out as well.

For instance, up front, you have some deep door pockets and a decently sized glovebox to handle the essentials.

Then you can also find a clever overhead shelf and a handy cubby hole in the centre console, perfect for stashing phones or snacks.

The front doors then have large pockets, and there are various cubbies and cupholders as well.

For camping, California comes with some special storage bags that hang over the rear side windows, which are ideal for clothes and smaller items as well.

The special storage bags that hang over the rear side windows are also ideal for clothes and to improve your privacy when parked up for the night as well.

There's even a dedicated cutlery drawer as part of the kitchen unit, ensuring everything just has its place.

For your tech side of things, here, the Caddy is loaded with modern safety and convenience tech.

For instance, as standard, you get important driver aids like 'Front Assist' with emergency city braking and 'Lane Assist' to help keep you in your lane.

Then you can get optional extras, which include Adaptive Cruise Control, which automatically maintains a safe distance from the car in front of you, and a rear-view camera for easy parking as well.

All in all, it also features VW's 'We Connect' services, which allow you to check things like your fuel level, driving data, and vehicle location right from an app on your smartphone as well.

Trailer Assist automatically manoeuvres the vehicle and trailer during parallel and reverse parking, only in combination with towbar preparation or a removable and lockable towbar.

Adaptive Cruise Control uses a front radar to measure the distance (up to 120 metres) and speed relative to vehicles driving ahead, which automatically regulates the pre-set distance.

ACC also includes the Front Assist with City Emergency Braking System. This detects critical distances, warns of hazardous situations, and when necessary, a speed of up to 18 miles per hour triggers emergency braking.

Detects pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles in the direction of travel and alerts the driver to hazardous situations. If the driver doesn’t react in time, the system responds with automatic emergency braking and can even perform an evasive manoeuvre in critical driving situations.

As part of Park Assist, Parking sensors monitor the vehicle’s sides and alert you with visual and audible warnings if you’re getting too close to other vehicles, pillars, walls or pedestrians.

Enhances safety when the driver is incapacitated. The system initially reacts to inactivity by emitting a warning tone, vibrating, and then performing a safe braking manoeuvre.

Detects road signs and informs the driver.

WHEELS AND TYRES

• 16 inch ‘Wien’ alloy wheels in Silver, 6.5J x 16 with 205/60 R16 tyres
• Anti-theft wheel bolts, lockable
• Tyre mobility kit in lieu of spare wheel; 12-volt compressor and tyre sealant

EXTERIOR

• Black door mirrors
• Body-coloured door handles
• Body-coloured front and rear bumpers
• Electronic parking brake - with auto hold function
• Exterior mirrors, power-adjustable, folding and heated
• H7 twin halogen headlights
• LED tailgate lighting surround
• Rear tailgate with heated window
• Rear window wiper and washer system with intermittent control
• Roof rails, black
• Separate daytime running light with automatic headlight range control
• Silver coloured sliding door rail
• Twin rear sliding doors
• Unique ‘California’ badging

HEATING AND SUN PROTECTION

• Climatic air conditioning system, manual
• Heat-insulating windscreen
• Sun visors with vanity mirrors

INFOTAINMENT AND CONNECTIVITY

• App Connect
• Composition Colour DAB+ radio system with 10 inch touch-screen and six loud speakers, Bluetooth® hands-free and two USB interfaces (type-C) in dashboard
• Digital cockpit
• We Connect¹ preparation

INTERIOR - CAB AREA

• Carpet floor covering in cab
• Center console with two cup holders
• Drawers under driver and front passenger seats
• Electric front windows
• Electronic parking brake - with auto hold function
• Glovebox compartment, lockable - with illumination
• Interior light in headliner incorporating LED technology
• Manual height adjustment for front seats
• Manual lumbar adjustment for front seats
• Multi-function leather trimmed steering wheel
• Overhead storage compartment
• Reach and rake adjustable steering column
• Rear-view mirror with anti-dazzle function
• Seat trim covers in 'Double Grid' fabric upholstery
• Servotronic speed-related power-assisted steering

INTERIOR - PASSENGER COMPARTMENT

• Carpet floor covering in passenger compartment
• Interior lights, five in passenger compartment
• Fixed side windows in passenger/load compartment
• Folding table on front seat backrests
• Three-seat bench in second row - split/folding and removable with ISOFIX mountings to outer seats
• 12V socket in passenger compartment

CAMPING EQUIPMENT

• Folding comfort bed, with dished springs (1,980 mm x 1,070 mm)
• Magnetic window blinds for all windows
• Pull-out kitchenette in the rear - single burner
• Ventilation grille with mosquito screen for driver and front passenger doors
• 2 folding chairs and 1 folding table, including bag for storing under the bed

DRIVER ASSISTANCE AND SAFETY SYSTEMS

• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
• Anti-theft alarm system with interior monitoring in cab, back up horn and towing protection
• Automatic hazard light activation under emergency braking
• Automatic Post-Collision Braking System
• Brake Assist system
• Central locking system with 'Keyless Go'
• Cruise control including speed limiter
• Curtain airbags for rear outer passenger seats
• Driver Alert system
• Driver and front passenger airbags with front passenger's airbag deactivation
• Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
• Electronic engine immobiliser
• Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)
• Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP)
• Electrically-operated child safety lock
• eCall emergency system
• Engine Drag Torque Control (MSR)
• First aid kit with warning triangle and safety vest
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Front Assist with Pedestrian Monitoring and City Emergency Braking System
• Lane Assist
• Rear view camera
• Remote central locking and two remote keys
• Seat belt warning if unfastened, front and rear
• Side and curtain airbags for driver and front passenger
• Traction Control System (TCS)
• Tyre pressure loss indicator
• Windscreen wiper with variable intermittent delay and wash-wipe system
• 3-point seat belts in front, with pretensioner and height adjustment

EFFICIENCY TECHNOLOGY

• Regenerative braking
• Start/Stop