Popular two just got better
VOLKSWAGEN last week launched one new model and updated another. Celebrating 10 years of the VW Commercial brand in South Africa, the new Cross Caddy and the T5 Kombi with DSG gearbox made their appearances.
The Cross Caddy differs significantly from other Caddy model range derivatives – whether in the passenger or panel van range.
The wheel housing has black fairings and the side sills and at lower edges of the front and rear bumpers convey a rugged appearance. They stand out prominently from the add-on parts in body colour and form a unit with the side sills that rise up into the doors.
The silver underbody protection, front and rear, and side guard strips on the sills complete the off-road look.
There are also silver- coloured roof rails.
Privacy-glass on the rear windows and rear windscreen and smoked rear lights add to the distinctive visual differentiating characteristics.
Standard features include cruise control, hill hold assist, bluetooth mobile phone preparation, as well as light and rain sensors.
The Cross Caddy is powered by a 2.0 TDI 81kW engine. This four-cylinder engine operates quietly and efficiently with common rail direct fuel injection.
Its average fuel consumption is just 5.7 litres of diesel per 100km, while top speed is a respectable 170km/h.
The 81kW TDI also impresses with a maximum torque of 250Nm, which can be reached at 1750rpm.
The 81kW engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission.
The T5 Kombi is now equipped with a DSG gearbox in the 103kW engine derivative model. Until now, the seven-speed DSG transmission was only available with the long wheel based Kombi Comfortline and Transporter Crew Bus. The DSG gearbox combines the comfort levels of a conventional automatic with the efficiency of a manual box.
VW spokesman Matt Gennrich says gearshifts are performed within a few hundredths of a second, without any interruption in traction. The seventh gear has been designed as an overdrive. On the freeway, this reduces engine speed and therefore consumption, emissions and noise.
The maximum speed is reached in the sixth gear in each case.
Kombi is the bestselling derivative in the T5 model range. More than 21380 T5s have been sold in South Africa since its introduction here in 2004, and about 8600 were Kombis.
Gennrich said with the introduction of the seven-speed DSG transmission, the VW Commercial Vehicle division aimed to attract customers looking for a powerful yet affordable Kombi with automatic transmission.
Buyers have a choice of Trendline and Comfortline equipment lines.
The Kombi is registered for a maximum of eight people, both with a normal body (short wheel base) and a 40cm longer body (long wheel base), as well as two individual seats at the front, a two-seat bench and separate seat in the first row and a three-seat bench in the second row.
Prices:
Cross Caddy 2.0 TDI 81kW: R340600
T5 Kombi prices: 2.0 TDI 103kW DSG Trendline SWB: R474300.
2.0 TDI 103kW DSG Comfortline SWB: R536500.
2.0 TDI 103kW DSG LWB: R544500
- Bobby Cheetham
