Reimo's Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Camp is often among the top highlights of the tiny camper van segment at the annual Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, but this year's variant was doubly so. Not only does Reimo's mini-camper handily surpass Volkswagen's own Caddy California in terms of overall van life accommodations, it's also the first Caddy camper conversion with available plug-in hybrid power. Volkswagen's new second-generation plug-in eHybrid system offers an impressive combination of electric and petrol driving for a truly capable camping vehicle that shows the cleanest, quietest respect for its campground neighbors.
The 485-cm (191-in) Caddy Maxi Camp 2 that Reimo showed at this year's Caravan Salon is similar to the Caddy Weekender 2 we looked over in 2022, albeit with more focus on indoor living. That means it houses a full interior kitchen that runs from inside the passenger-side sliding door to the tailgate. Up front, a slide-out single-burner gas or induction cooker and bowl sink plumbed to fresh and waste water canisters in the lower cabinets fill out the kitchen. The tall cabinet at the rear makes room for a 39-L compressor fridge that can be easily accessed from both inside the van and outside the tailgate.
The Maxi Camp 2's kitchen will certainly appeal more to those who like to have the option of cooking inside the van than the Weekender 2's slide-out galley. With the portable stove, cooking outside won't be a problem, either.
On the downside, the addition of the kitchen/storage console seriously cuts into available bed space, and the bed measures in at a snug 195 x 96 cm (77 x 38 in). That's plenty of length, but the width is the same as a twin bed, ordinarily reserved for solo sleepers. Maybe a pair of children or a particularly svelte, enamored couple might have a go at sharing the bed, but otherwise the Camp 2 might be more of a three-person than a proper four-sleeper.
Either way, that's at least one more berth than Volkswagen's own Caddy California thanks to Reimo's pop-up sleeper roof, an option that Volkswagen doesn't offer for its smallest camper van. The front-hinged pop-top clears headroom over the kitchen and lounge area and houses a slightly wider 195 x 100-cm (77 x 39-in) bed. When closed, the roof still sits well under the 2-m (79-in) parking garage cutoff at 193 cm (76 in).
During the day, the lower bed flips and folds into a two-seat dining lounge with a table that attaches to the inner side of the kitchen block. The rear-facing front seat even includes a foldable seat back for better comfort and support. Several different crate options are available to store a portable cassette toilet so buyers won't be at a loss for a bathroom option.
At its Caravan Salon showing, the 120-hp TDI-powered Caddy Maxi Camp 2 wore a sign that said it was also available as a plug-in hybrid, referencing the Caddy eHybrid model Volkswagen announced earlier in August. That model is currently making a trade fair premiere at this week's IAA Transportation show and comes powered by a 148-hp combination of 1.5-liter TSI evo2 petrol engine and electric motor.
The eHybrid's 19.7-kWh battery pack is estimated to be good for up to 122 km (75 miles) of all-electric driving per charge, giving the Caddy Maxi Camp 2 plenty of near-silent zero-emissions range potential when slow-rolling through cities, around campgrounds and down forest roads, without giving up the longer mileage and faster, painless fueling of an internal combustion powertrain. The new powertrain more than doubles the 50 estimated all-electric kilometers (31 miles) of the current-gen 13-kWh VW Multivan PHEV and 56 all-electric kilometers (35 miles) of the Ford Nugget PHEV.
The complete Caddy Maxi 2 with 4Motion all-wheel drive Reimo showed in Düsseldorf wore an MSRP of €69,932 (approx. US$77,750), including VAT. Those looking for something cheaper will be happy to note that the company breaks the package down into several separate pieces, including the kitchen block, sleeper roof, and accessories like diesel heating and toilet.
Volkswagen has added the eHybrid powertrain option to Caddy passenger and cargo vans in standard- and long-wheelbase (Maxi) sizes, with pricing starting at €44,012 ($48,925) for the standard-wheelbase Caddy Cargo eHybrid and €46,475 ($51,675) for the Caddy Cargo Maxi eHybrid, both including VAT. Volkswagen has not announced a Caddy California eHybrid, making Reimo the first to offer the plug-in powertrain on a camper van.
Sources: Reimo, VW Commercial Vehicles