2021 VW Caddy Spy Video Is A Reality Check About The Van's Styling

4 years, 10 months ago - 21 January 2020, Motor1

Commercial vehicles don’t necessarily follow the traditional life cycle of 6-7 years that regular cars do, but the Volkswagen Caddy is still quite old no matter how you look at it. Indeed, its roots date back to 2003 and it’s safe to say the confirmed February reveal of the next generation can’t come soon enough.

Meanwhile, a batch of fully camouflaged prototypes was spotted recently in wintry Europe where the vans carried around the full production bodies and the final lights.

While those teasers released by VW made the fourth-generation Caddy look like a sports car among panel vans, these test vehicles come to reveal that actually won’t be the case. It’ll remain a boxy vehicle through and through, unlikely to have those oversized air intakes and unrealistically sleek headlights. The aforementioned teasers showed the all-new commercial vehicle with the side mirrors mounted up high on the A-pillars, but as you can see, they’re where you’d expect them to be on the actual 2021 Caddy.

That’s not to say the revamped Caddy will be a disappointment in terms of exterior design, but it won’t look as exciting as in the official sketches. The interior of the current-generation model is certainly showing its age, and we’re expecting some major changes to keep up with the times and better compete with other small vans, including the Renault Kangoo / Mercedes Citan.

It’s not like the styling will be a top priority among prospective customers as most interested in buying the new Caddy will care about how much room there is in the back to carry cargo and/or people. VW has yet to disclose any in-depth details about the next generation, only saying that it will have a larger rear window for the passenger car variant, while the commercial model will continue to have an opaque tailgate and swing doors.

We also know there will be LED lights at the front and rear, along with a narrower grille and bigger wheels. It is widely believed – although not officially confirmed yet – the 2021 Caddy will ride on the MQB platform, which should translate into a more car-like experience. It’s also expected to spawn a Ford Transit Connect equivalent as per VW’s deal with Ford to “develop and build a city van” for the Blue Oval as it would make sense for the new Caddy to serve as a foundation for the next Transit Connect.