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Volkswagen has extended its Sportline branding to its smallest van, the Caddy.
Sportline kicked off on the Transporter as a way of the factory catering for buyers, particularly smaller owner-driver fleets, that were personalising or speccing up their vehicles.
The Caddy Sportline is certainly distinctive, with chrome side rails and grille, front and rear spoiler, body-coloured bumpers and mirrors and unique 17-inch alloy wheels. The inside is just as different, with leather red-stitched Sportline branded seats, standard electric windows, CD player and aircon all added to an interior that was already well built.
Power comes from VW's 140PS 2.0-litre diesel, which offers a 0-62mph time of 10.1 seconds yet a claimed average economy of over 45mpg. And the Sportline doesn't lose anything in the payload stakes compared with its more sober siblings further down the range, with a 677kg payload and 1781mm load length.
The big problem is cost. The extras push the price tag up by £3530, enough to draw a sharp intake of breath from whoever has to enter the figures onto a spreadsheet.
The only other criticism is a slight sense that the body changes could even have been a touch more overt, although the Caddy Sportline does look great for a van, especially in the standard Tornado Red paint colour. Silver metallic or black pearl effect alternatives are on the options list, soon to be joined by a sports suspension kit.
The Caddy Sportline drives as well as it looks. That 140PS diesel engine provides plenty of power, and the chassis and steering is more than capable of looking after the driver on twistier roads despite there being no suspension upgrade as yet, unlike the Transporter Sportline, which is lowered compared with the standard version. From a driver's perspective the Caddy Sportline is possibly our favourite van on sale - it's just a shame it costs so much.
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