Caddy Camper: Car camping in VW Caddy – microcamper conversion review

This is the definitive Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life car camping review. Caddy camper information, dimensions and gallery. Continue reading if you want to know:

• VW Caddy’s size & measurements for car camping
• Its comfort & driving rating
• What are the common criticisms of VW Caddy
• How VW Caddy compares to other car camping / microcamper cars – our rating & overall cars table

VW Caddy Maxi Life Review summary

Is VW Caddy Maxi Life a good car for car camping?

This section focuses on assessing how does this car perform in car camping setting – space, storage, features useful for camping, extendability (how easy it is to add car camping gear).

The VW Caddy Maxi Life is a very good car for car camping – it’s the second most spacious MPV out there, only beaten in size by Chrysler Grand Voyager (which scores lower on all other fronts). Its level of comfort is lower compared to a VW Sharan (f.e. no armrest for the driver – although the Comfortline version does have it), but the rest is very similar – like mileage and maintenance costs. It’s also well priced – especially 5-10 years old models that were well kept. It’s not an offroad car so don’t expect a thrilling offroad ride, yet still, you can take it down a not too steep/rough dirt track or through a meadow.

Dimensions & Storage

The Caddy Maxi is the longest small car we’ve seen – you won’t realize it until you actually see the 3 rows of seats in front of you and then still plenty of trunk space behind them.

Good storage in the front – aside from the standard passenger’s side glove compartment, there’s one in the middle/top of the dashboard, two cup holders. One of the biggest winds of VW Caddy is the overhead storage.

In the middle, there are good size side storage compartments you’d expect in the door. Similar two are next to the 3rd row of seats with cup holders + there are 2 side compartments in the trunk too:

What will also come in very handy when car camping in the Caddy are the wide and flat surfaces on both sides of the boot – easy to keep things when the car isn’t moving. A great solution considering that all cars could have it, yet for some reason their design is tilted towards the inside (like in a VW Sharan):

Electric sockets – 12V outlets

There are two 12V outlets:

• one in the front (the image below is from a 2016 model – older ones probably won’t have a USB port)
• one in the middle compartment facing middle row of seats

See more in these VW Caddy Maxi detailed specifications on car.info.

Recommended video review (interior & exterior):

Is VW Caddy Maxi Life a good car for driving?

This can get very subjective – you can see more detailed reviews on these websites:

HonestJohn.co.uk rating 3/5 • Autoexpress.co.uk rating: 2/5* • Carbuyer.co.uk rating: 3.8/5

*(might be a fluke, as it scored above 3 in all areas, yet they gave it 2/5 in total – see and decide for yourself)

The Caddy is a big winner in terms of space and storage – it’s not as comfy as a Sharan (but it’s comfy enough) and you can pack all the camping gear in the world into it. It is very often used for DIY car camping conversions and you will find a lot of third party camping boxes & kits for it too. There’s even a VW made Caddy Beach that’s ready-made for car camping including a car bed and window storage kits – but it will set you back at least 18,000€ (used) + it’s actually shorter, so you’re paying a lot for the car bed and less room. You are better off buying a used Caddy Maxi Life and build your own or buy a cheap car bed solution.

The car is still quite lively considering its size. The consumption for a car this size is pretty good – Fuelly reports a range between 7 and 7.5 across 56 vehicles.

Maintenance costs are about average – it’s not such a fancy car, so no fancy maintenance costs – nothing you wouldn’t expect from a medium-range family car.

Compared to other cars we’ve looked at – WV Caddy is in the lead (together with VW Sharan and Seat Alhambra). The only bigger car is the Chrysler Grand Voyager (which scores lower on all other fronts) and then only standard vans (which don’t fit our car camping criteria). Therefore in terms of size – this is as good as it gets for car camping in a standard car. Overall, the Caddy is a good all-rounder if you prefer space when camping over more comfort whilst driving.

Recommended car tent / awning & camping gear

VW Caddy Maxi Life car camping & microcamper conversions photo gallery