Volkswagen Caddy Beach confirmed - Australia's cheapest camper?

Think of a car that’s synonymous with the endless summer, and Volkswagen’s Transporter – more commonly known as the Kombi – has to be right near the top of the list.

The humble Kombi campervan was last made in Mexico in 2013, and the new T6 range, while functional and  - in the case of the 70 Years, very cool - it’s not a cheap proposition for most surf bums-at-heart. That’s where the new Caddy Beach comes in.

Announced today as part of the launch of the new Crafter commercial line-up, and available locally towards the end of 2018, the Caddy Beach will hit showrooms at a not-unreasonable $44,990 plus ORCs.

The Beach is based on the Caddy Maxi Trendline long-wheelbase compact van. (image credit: Tim Robson)

In fact, it’s the first commercially available factory campervan from Volkswagen since 2006, and it is arguably the cheapest campervan on sale anywhere today. “This marks our return to the campervan market in Australia,” confirmed Nicholas Reid, the marketing manager of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia.

The Beach is based on the Caddy Maxi Trendline long-wheelbase compact van, which is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine that pushes out 92kW and 220Nm through the front end, via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

It sports a fold-out mattress that lays atop the folded rear bench seat, a tall walk-through tent that attaches to the tailgate, two stowable folding camp chairs and table, tray tables for rear-seat passengers, block-out window curtains that extend all the way around the car, plastic window slat vents, a rechargeable torch and four very cool storage bags for the rear side windows.

The Caddy Beach sports a fold-out mattress that lays atop the folded rear bench seat.

Available in six colours, the Beach also gets roof rails, bespoke 17-inch alloys and bi-Xenon headlights, as well as customised Beach decals.

Safety-wise, the Caddy Beach will come, not with a tanned lifeguard, but with city AEB, adaptive cruise control and lane assist as standard, as well as front, side and curtain airbags for front seaters and ISOFIX baby seat mounts for the rear row.

Six speakers will route through an App Connect equipped multimedia system, too, to crank the tunes up in the carpark.

The Caddy Beach is expected to hit the surf around September this year.

Would you take the new Caddy Beach over a Kombi? Let us know in the comments.