Caddy maxi 4motion vs 2wd

[Tigcraft]

I'm just curious to how refined the 4motion is compared to two wheel drive and more so what differences in any extra fuel useage?

[dan@biali]

I suspect like any other VW 4wd it's not full time so shouldn't have much of an effect on how it drives or fuel economy apart from slight increase in weight from addition of rear diff. Essentially it's fwd most of the time and rear only engaged when it loses traction. Don't think its particularly fancy like the Haldex systems on the R Golfs but probably uses abs sensors to determine when front wheels need some help.

[beerbelly]

iv been looking into this as iv just put a deposit on a 14 plate 2.0 4 motion maxi and apparently its the haldex system as used in the golfs has electronic clutches in the centre diff under normal use it delivers power 80/20

[Tigcraft]

A friend of mine had a very late model transporter which was 4wd and said that it was noticeably more clunky than the 2wd hence the original posted question. Ive seen one I may be interested in but unless I can find something to tempt me about it I may just settle for fwd.

[beerbelly]

I test drove the one I am buying for about 10 miles some duel carriageway some stop start traffic and a few miles of country road and apart from the 2.0 cr engine being noticeably smoother than my 1.9 pd and as its done 120k less miles it all felt a bit tighter. lighter gear change from the 6 speed box was nice in fact it drove like new but its only done 47k. certainly no clunky ness or odd behaviour at all. if it were me id drive it then make your own mind up

[Tigcraft]

From what you said that sounds very fair but these things are far and few between and one I like is 200 miles away so sometimes I have to go on other people's experiences. Cheers

[SnoWhite]

I have been monitoring fuel consumption since I purchased my used 2012 maxi life 2.0tdi 4motion. The fuel consumption averages out at 40mpg which is similar to my previous Mk4 1.9tdi 130 Golf Estate 4Motion (which admittedly was not brilliant as it had passed 250k miles when I sold it!).

The biggest driving difference with the Maxi is the annoying hill assist system which has a life of its own and is sometimes downright unhelpful, The system is unpredictable sometimes it is fine, but other times it will refuse to disengage smoothly after a hill stop until you apply a lot more power and clutch slip, with the inevitable consequence that the Caddy then tends to lurch away. The issue is however not down to 4Motion!

I think the 4Motion system on my Facelift model has been pretty much lifted from the leftover VAG parts bin. The system on my Maxi is basically the system which was previously installed on Mk1 Skoda Octavia models (rather than the more sophisticated system fitted on later VAG models). I am not sure if the new 4th Gen Caddy models have the same 4Motion system or if VAG have finally run out of old bits and begun installing their newer 4Motion system where the main difference appears to be the vehicle apparently always moves off in 4WD mode before imperceptibly switching into largely 2WD mode.

I mostly operate my Caddy in a ski resort in the Alps, and I can confirm that the system certainly works and I have never encountered conditions where I have needed to use snow chains. Most of the time my Caddy only operates in 2wd mode, but when inputs from the ABS sensors show a lack of grip, the Haldex rear differential electronic clutch seamlessly engages drive to the rear axle for as long as needed. Driving often on snow covered mountain roads in inevitably the system has cut in on several occasions, but when it does there has been no discernible clunk as the rear axle drive engages or disengages, indeed the only real indication the system is operating is the flashing traction symbol on the dashboard.

SnoWhite

[Tigcraft]

That's interesting snowhite, I was under the impression it was permanent 4wd

[beerbelly]

typically the hill assist is one thing I didn't test during my test drive lol oh well iv 12 months lookers warranty if it misbehaves

[Tigcraft]

typically the hill assist is one thing I didn't test during my test drive lol oh well iv 12 months lookers warranty if it misbehaves

Everything can be disconnected!!

[Robin UK]

Only had my Maxi 4motion (2012) 2 days, but brought it to Devon from Belfast via Bath in that time so got a few miles under my belt already! I seem to average 50 mpg when travelling below 70 and about 42 when going motorway speeds (hopefully this'll be improved when I fit cruise control).

I just came form a T4 syncro (with oversized AT tyres), so I'm slightly worried I'm going to forget that I've lost a fair bit of ground clearance at some point, I hope that rear diff is rugged! However it's nice to drive something which feels more like a car and less like a boat.

Also think I'll miss my rear diff-lock on the T4, although I've only had to use is a handful of times, it was always when it was really needed. Just need to be a little less gung-ho with the caddy, which is probably a good thing as it's worth a lot more!