The Green Mamba (owing to the luminous, Viper Green paint job) is mostly used for heavy-lifting by the team and it was about time to treat it to an adventure. It involved a trip down memory lane and my dad helped me lift the 25-year old family canoe on the Thule roof racks fixed to the high, standard roof bars of the Volkswagen.
The seven-seat arrangement came in handy as my two children sat in the third row, wife and mother in the second row and my dad and I had the best view through the vast windscreen. Finding space for the picnic basket was a problem however as there was little space with the rear bench in place and it ended up on the middle seat of the second row. The Caddy’s refinement and good ride on the way to the Palmiet River impressed and you would not believe that the platform was designed with humble commercial applications in mind.
Another plus is although it has a voluminous cabin owing to the high roof, it is till easy to manoeuvre owing to the relative compact exterior dimensions. Once parked the two sliding doors (one on each side) make for easy egress. The journey to the river ended on a piece of dirt road which the Green Mamba took in its stride. A lovely day out was had by all and I can see that this vehicle will definitely appeal to families with an active lifestyle. Add a frugal turbodiesel engine and you won’t even break the bank going places.
After 3 months
Mileage now: 9 272 km
Fuel consumption: 8,11 L/100 km
We like: practicality, refinement, frugal turbodiesel engine
We don’t like: no luggage space when operating as a seven seater
Read the introductory report here.