Volkswagen Caddy California Lease Deals

Why Lease the Caddy California?

Volkswagen has been making campers since the 1950s, and the Caddy California is the smallest one it has ever built. At 4.50 metres long it is shorter than a lot of family hatchbacks, which means it fits a normal parking space, goes under height barriers and does the school run without comment. Then at the weekend it becomes somewhere to sleep.

That is the entire argument for it. A camper that only earns its keep in August is an expensive thing to own. One you drive every day is just a car that happens to have a bed in it.

The Bed and the Kitchen

The bed is the clever part. It measures 1,980mm by 1,070mm, so a proper double, and it folds down to about a third of its length and stows away when you are not camping. It opens out above the rear seats, sitting on cup springs with a real mattress rather than a cushion. Headroom from the mattress to the roof is 74cm at most, so you can sit up at the head end but not at the foot.

The kitchen slides out of the back, which means you cook standing at the tailgate instead of crouched inside. It has a single burner gas hob with a wind shield and a shelf, a pull-out lower section with a cutlery tray and storage for utensils and provisions, and a lockable gas bottle box with a floor vent that takes a cylinder of around 1.85kg. Two camping chairs and a table come as standard, in a bag that lives under the bed.

Here is what is worth being honest about, because it decides whether this is the right camper for you. There is no fridge, no sink and no fresh water supply, and no mains hook-up as standard. You take a cool box and water containers, the way you would camping. For a lot of people that is exactly right, and it is why the vehicle stays small and usable. If you want a fridge and running water, the California is the next step up, and the Grand California adds a washroom with a toilet and shower.

Standard or Maxi?

The standard Caddy California is 4.50m long and the Maxi is 4.85m, so 353mm longer. The bed is the same size in both, and so is the kitchen and the equipment, so this is purely a question of how much space you want behind the camping furniture.

The standard body is the one to have if the appeal is a camper you can use as an everyday car, since it is the easier of the two to park and live with. Take the Maxi if you carry bikes, boards or a lot of gear, or if you are travelling as a family rather than a couple. Both are worth pricing, because the difference is usually smaller than people expect.

Engines, Seats and Options

Five seats, with a three seat second row bench that comes out completely if you want the full load space. On engines, the published range is a 1.5 TSI petrol at 114PS with a manual or the DSG automatic, a 2.0 TDI diesel at 102PS with a manual, and a 2.0 TDI at 122PS with the DSG. Diesel suits touring mileage, petrol suits a vehicle used mostly locally.

Worth knowing that the Caddy range was updated this year and the new specification for the California has not been published yet, so engine and equipment details may change. We will confirm what is actually on the vehicle you are quoted rather than going by this page.

Standard kit already covers most of what you need: magnetic window blinds, storage bags on the rear windows, mosquito screens on the front doors, air conditioning, cruise control, an 8.25 inch touchscreen with App-Connect and DAB, 16 inch alloys, twin sliding doors and Front Assist. The options worth asking about are the California Plus pack, which adds a 230V inverter with a UK three-pin socket along with tinted rear glass and USB points, the panoramic sunroof at about 1.4 square metres of glass, and the tail tent, which with its sleeping cabin takes the vehicle from sleeping two to sleeping four.

Why Lease a Caddy California with LetsLease?

Compare the latest Caddy California lease offers with fixed monthly payments, flexible contracts and one consultant from enquiry through to delivery.