Volkswagen Caddy California 2022: orders open for five-seat camper van, priced at $54,990

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Volkswagen has announced the Caddy California will arrive in Australia in early 2022 priced at $54,990 before on-road costs.

The Caddy California is now available to order online and is likely to be a popular offering from Volkswagen after previously finding itself inundated with requests for the larger and more expensive Multivan California Beach.

Rolling out as part of the wider fifth-generation Caddy range, the Calfornia variant sits on the longer Maxi body style and functions as a ready-made camper van complete with an array of must-have features. 

Most importantly this includes the ability to fold down the rear seats to reveal a double bed and an array of curtains to clip in on the windscreen, doors, tailgate and even the optional $1,600 panoramic sunroof.

Volkswagen has also included ventilation grids for the driver and passenger side windows to keep fresh air flowing through the cabin at night.

Around the cabin, storage pockets and draws can be found to keep necessities tucked away and there’s even a fold-out table and chairs included for a quick picnic. 

When you’re not using it as a camper van, the California transforms back into a regular five-seater Caddy, with the ability to remove the second row to free up extra storage when you need it.

Australian delivered Caddy Californias sadly miss out on the pull-out kitchen available overseas, however a range of aftermarket options could fix this omission if so desired. 

In the cabin the driver looks onto an digital instrument cluster and a 8.25-inch centre touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are accessible via two USB C ports. 

The interior features cloth seats with four-way power-adjustability for the driver, a leather steering wheel and dual-zone climate control adding a bit of luxury on long trips.

While the Caddy California has not been locally tested by ANCAP the van does come with front, side, and curtain airbags stretching back to the rear seats, while the front occupants also receive a centre airbag to avoid person-to-person clashes during an accident.

Other safety features include high and low speed AEB with the ability to detect pedestrians and cyclists, driver fatigue assist, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control along with a full array of sensors and cameras to help you squeeze into tight spaces.

Volkswagen has fitted a 2.0L turbodiesel four-cylinder engine in the Caddy California with the more powerful state of tune rated at 90kW of power and 320kW of torque. 

This feeds into a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission and finally gets sent to the front wheels. Fuel consumption is rated at 4.9 litres/100km in the regular Caddy Maxi models.

The braked towing capacity won’t have you selling off the 4×4 just yet at 1.5 tonnes but Volkswagen has already gone to the trouble of prepping the underside for a tow bar and it should be enough to pull a small caravan or boat for a weekend away. 

The Caddy California is now available to order via Volkswagen’s official website.