Volkswagen Transporter vs Volkswagen Caddy

What's the difference?

The Volkswagen Transporter has a long bloodline which can be traced to 1950 when the first split-windscreen Type 2 (aka Kombi) van was launched sharing mechanical components with its equally iconic T1 ‘Beetle’ sedan sibling.

Since then, the Transporter has evolved through seven generations, with the latest being the result of a global alliance with Ford in which the automotive giants share vehicle underpinnings and other technologies. This is designed to streamline new model development and amortise costs, as demonstrated by VW’s current Amarok ute based on the Ford Ranger.

The latest Transporter shares a similar relationship with Ford’s mid-size Transit Custom range, including the full-electric e-Transporter variant based on the E-Transit Custom. We recently spent a working week aboard this electrified model to see how it measures up from a tradie’s perspective.

The venerable VW Caddy was launched in 1979 and after five generations and more than four decades of service, it remains one of the world’s most popular range of small vans.

In Australia’s light-commercial vehicle market, the Caddy’s work-focused Cargo model competes in the small van (under 2.5-tonne GVM) segment against the Renault Kangoo and Peugeot Partner.

The VW range offers Cargo (SWB), Cargo Maxi (LWB) and Crewvan (LWB) models with a unique choice of petrol/diesel engines and manual/auto transmissions.

We recently revisited this German workhorse to find out why it remains such a strong seller in Australia from a business perspective.