Volkswagen provides a longer Life

VOLKSWAGEN has introduced a stretched version of its Caddy Life compact people mover that is capable of carrying seven adults and extra cargo.

Sitting on a 320mm longer wheelbase and with a body that is extended by 470mm, the new VW Caddy Maxi Life is claimed to offer comfortable accommodation for adults throughout – even in the three-abreast third row seat.

Powered only by the same 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine that is available in the rest of the Caddy range – and which originates from the Golf, on which the Caddy is based – the Maxi Life is priced from $34,990 for the five-speed manual (plus $3000 for the six-speed DSG double-clutch ‘manumatic’ transmission).

This is $2000 more than the short-wheelbase Caddy Life, but the Maxi comes with extra equipment as well as the extra space, including side airbags (for the front seat passengers only), body colour bumpers, mirrors and door handles, and bigger (16-inch versus 15-inch) alloy wheels.



Apart from being longer, the Maxi Life is otherwise dimensionally similar to the shorter version, but that extra length provides considerably more room inside, with VW claiming “ample leg and headroom”.

While towing capacity is marginally reduced, cargo space is greatly improved over the short wheelbase model.

With all three rows of seating in place, the Maxi Life has 530 litres of capacity in the back (versus only 190 litres with the regular Life), and this increases to 1650 (versus 750) with the split-fold third-row seating completely folded down and 3950 (versus 2890) with the second row seat also folded down.

The bigger body adds 67kg to the weight of the Caddy Life, and the extra mass has only a marginal affect on the Maxi’s fuel consumption, which rises by 0.1L/100km to 6.3L/100km for the manual and 6.8L/100km for the DSG auto.

Similarly, carbon dioxide emissions rise by only one gram per kilometre to 167g/km and 181g/km respectively.

Mechanically, the only difference between the long and short wheelbase versions is that the Maxi Life has bigger brake rotors at the front (up 24mm to 312mm).

Access to the rear seats is by the same 70cm x 110cm sliding doors, which have inset sliding windows.

Standard equipment includes ABS brakes with EBD, electric front windows, central locking, ‘semi-automatic’ air conditioning and traction control, but electronic stability control remains an option ($690, including brake assist).

Caddy Maxi Life pricing:
1.9 litre TDI	$34,990
1.9 litre TDI DSG (a)	$37,990