Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. Outdoors
  4. News

VW’s Caddy Mini-Camper Is a Pint-Sized Home Away from Home

By
Volkswagen Mini Caddy
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The modern vanlife movement has taken on a life of its own. Perusing #vanlife on Instagram reveals an endless gallery of hyper-stylized conversion vans whose designs rival most upscale studio apartments. But, many feel more like statement pieces than practical, mobile living solutions. Now, Volkswagen wants to get back to basics with an affordable, pint-sized campervan that promises everything road-trippers need and nothing they don’t.

According to concept sketches, the new VW Caddy Mini-Camper is designed as a basecamp for couples and small families. The “compact mobile home” steals a few RV-style innovations from VW’s larger California and Grand California van models. Those include compact, lightweight camping chairs and a matching table, plus hanging storage bags that double as roll-down privacy screens for the rear windows. A six-foot-long bed with plush disc-spring elements also makes for comfortable overnighting in the front country. However, the Mini-Camper’s pièce de résistance is a massive, 15-square-foot glass roof that’s purpose-built for stargazing. For extra privacy, passengers can darken all of the windows, including that roof, at the push of a button. The concept drawings also hint at an optional rear hatch tent that would more than double the Mini-Camper’s available living space.

Recommended Videos

Under the hood will be an ultra-reliable, four-cylinder diesel pushing either 74 or 121 horsepower, depending on the model. The new engine uses a clever twin dosing system to reduce nitrogen emissions, making it one of the world’s cleanest-burning diesels. A turbocharged, 113-horsepower gasoline-powered alternative will be a likely option. Volkswagen also promises a long list of 19 standard electronic safety systems, including Travel Assist (adaptive cruise control), Side Assist, and Rear Traffic alerts. A Trailer Assist feature will also make it easier to tow and reverse-maneuver a travel trailer or popup camper.

Volkswagen Mini Caddy
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Caddy Mini-Camper isn’t an all-new vehicle. It’s rather an extension of Volkswagen’s popular Caddy minivan that’s now in its fifth generation. In Europe, the compact van has become a go-to base model for anyone looking to customize their rig to haul people, gear, goods, or anything at all, really. The longer wheelbase Caddy Maxi edition even boasts enough floor space for two standard European pallets. While the base models are designed as workhorse vehicles, VW offers plenty of modern conveniences — LED headlights, keyless ignition, and a panoramic sunroof — as well.

VW will virtually debut the Caddy Mini-Camper in September, and it’s suggesting an official release by mid-2021. Volkswagen has yet to confirm, however, whether it will be available to U.S. buyers.

If you just can’t wait, check out Ready Set Van’s customizable, all-electric campervan alternative, available right now.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard
Contributor
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He’s kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South… Read Full Bio
Topics
Auto
Cadillac celebrates 125 years with the Escalade-V
cadillac celebrates 125 years with the escalade v my27 collector img 1620

The Cadillac Escalade has been a symbol for decades. When you think about those who made it out of the neighborhood and into the more affluent parts of your home, you think of them in a Caddy. The Cadillac image has always been the go-to for those who want to showcase their success and their ability to rise above the average. The Escalade became the harbinger of wealth when it became the status symbol of the urban and hip hop cultures.

Now the Escalade is the vessel Cadillac is using to celebrate 125 years with the Escalade-V.

Read more
Auto
Porsche wants to teach you how actually to drive their cars
Porsche

A Porsche is one of the most recognizable cars on the road. You always know when you are looking at one. So, it stands to reason that people love them, right? Of course they do. But loving a car and knowing how to drive one are very different. What is it that Ja Rule said in The Fast and the Furious? “We know a few things. And one of the things we knows is, it isn’t how you stand by your car, it is how to drive your car. You better learn that.” How do you learn to drive a Porsche? At the Porsche Track Experience, which has offered programs on everything from a single-day basics class up to a three-day advanced course.

Now, the team behind PTX is expanding into new offerings for the car.

Read more
Auto
The next evolution of the sports car: Porsche redesigns an icon
City, Car, Transportation

Authenticity. It is what we are looking for nowadays as consumers. Thirty years ago, we looked for brand names. We strived for status and letting all those around us see that what we wore, where we lived, where we dined, and finally, what we drove, symbolized our success in life. Then all of that started to stumble, and every industry felt the recession. Of course, the recession was temporary, but the effects of it were not. What we started to look for after that was something real. We realized that stuff…was just stuff. Now, when I look at cars, or suits, or restaurants, I ask myself: What is this going to make me feel?

That is what the new Porsche Mission S does; it makes me feel like vintage New York and the upstate escape.

Read more