Caroline Rule, occupational therapist and owner of Rolling Rebab, explains why when transporting people in wheelchairs, the VW Caddy 5 Kombi is the way to go.

Transporting people in wheelchairs

When Pam Ferraris decided that she wanted to start a wheelchair accessible transport service, the key factors when choosing a suitable vehicle were: safety, reliability, fuel efficiency along with the versatility of the vehicle and what the possibilities were for transporting people in their wheelchairs.

Her research started by speaking to Johan Cillie, from Easy Drive Western Cape, as he has been in the industry of converting vehicles for people with disabilities for many years. He guided her directly to the VW Caddy.

The VW Caddy is well-known as a fuel-efficient, reliable workhorse, and Volkswagen provides countrywide support with servicing and maintenance. Plus, the VW Caddy is the most suitable vehicle available in South Africa for converting for wheelchair users.

Pam wanted the smallest possible vehicle while still having ample space for the person in a wheelchair as well as their luggage. The 7-seater Caddy Kombi Maxi has generous space for her needs.

Unfortunately, the floor to roof height is too low in the standard vehicle to transport a person sitting in their wheelchair. Thankfully, there is the option of converting it and lowering the floor as well as fitting a ramp which creates easy access into the vehicle and provides enough headroom for a passenger in a wheelchair. Pam had this conversion done by Easy Drive.

The conversion

The conversion includes lowering a section of floor from the middle of the vehicle to the rear door, to create a deeper pathway that the wheelchair plus user can be pushed into and where the wheelchair can be secured while being transported. This makes it quick and easy to get the person into and out of the vehicle as there are no transfers required. It has a lightweight folding ramp that is easily opened and closed and is secured behind the wheelchair in the closed position.

A 4-point restraint system is used that attaches to each corner of the wheelchair to firmly secure it, and a seatbelt with a shoulder and pelvic strap which secures the passenger.

The two front restraints can be attached to the wheelchair before it’s moved onto the car. These work on inertia reels so that they will hold the wheelchair as it is pushed up the ramp to prevent it from rolling back if the attendant stops pushing.

The middle bench of seats is versatile and can accommodate three passengers but can be split into a single or double seat. The backrest folds easily and the seat can be tipped forwards or even removed.

By simply folding the backrest down on the middle row of seats, it removes a barrier between the driver and passenger, allowing the passenger at the rear of the vehicle to feel part of the passenger space. By rolling the seat forward, it creates more legroom for the passenger in the wheelchair. The versatility of the seats is a winning feature of the VW Caddy 5 range.

The Caddy 5 range

The Caddy 5 is the 5^th generation of the popular Caddy and is currently available in three variants: Caddy, Caddy Kombi and Caddy Cargo. Each of these is available in the short wheelbase and long wheelbase or the Maxi.

The short wheelbase is a 5-seater, the long wheelbase is the 7-seater and the Maxi is the long wheelbase with additional cargo space behind the rear row of seats.

Each variant has the option of a 1.6L petrol engine that boasts 81kW at 152 Nm, or the 2.0 TDI engine that boasts 81kW at 300 Nm. Though, they are only currently available in a six-speed manual gearbox as internationally there is a shortage of the popular direct shift gearboxes (DSG), and these have not reached South Africa yet.

The transmission is smooth with a soft clutch, making it a very easy manual car to drive but unfortunately it cannot be driven with hand controls due to the lack of an automatic option.

The Caddy Cargo is a panel van designed to transport cargo, not people. The Caddy Kombi is a functional people mover and has the same interior as the Caddy, but fewer luxury additions. The Caddy is the top of the range version and the Maxi is slightly longer than the other variants. 

New design

The new Caddy 5 design is modern in style, with the front honeycomb grill and LED headlights giving it a look of a current electric car. The innovative driving features, such as advanced in-car technology, gives it the feel of a fun and sporty car and not the workhorse people mover that it is.

The wing-mirrors are electrically adjustable, foldable, and heated which is perfect for cold misty mornings if they have fogged up.

The Volkswagen designers have gone to town to provide useful pockets of storage space inside the vehicle, both easily accessible and well hidden. Overhead storage compartments, spacious door pockets, storage space under the seats, and useful pockets around the console for keeping pens, cell phones and small tools that are needed in a working vehicle.

The typical buttons and dials that are normally found on the dashboard and console of most cars, have been replaced by the intuitive touchscreen infotainment system. A touch of a button opens the climate control options and once that is set, you can switch to radio controls, answering a phone call, using the navigation system or listening to a pre-loaded podcast while you are driving.

Other features

The VW Caddy 5 range is fitted with the essential driver assistance features to provide a relaxed, comfortable and safer driving experience. These include cruise control and speed limiter, a driver alert system, park distance control in front and rear, self-adjusting dynamic headlight range control, tyre pressure monitoring system, and external USB type C data and charging sockets. Having achieved a 5-star EURO NCAP safety rating, there is no shortage of safety features such as the curtain airbags and braking assistance.

The Park Assist and rear-view camera as well as the panoramic sunroof are optional extras.

Measurements (mm) of the unadapted Caddy Kombi