Far from being a delivery vehicle, it also works as a family vacationer, which makes an expensive performance model seem like it's needed.
The GTI may be a fun hatch, but it's always been practical, endowed with the ability to cover large distances comfortably. Somehow, the styling of the Golf 8 GTI also ended up looking a lot like the Caddy, with both cars having some kind of mesh pattern drawing your eye to the lower bumper.
Would a Caddy GTI be possible? Yes, the new model is based on the MQB platform, not that platforms limit engine swaps anyway. The Internet is full of Caddy builds, even ones with RS3 components.
Of course, we're not dealing with a real car here, only a rendering by X-Tomi Design that adds the 2021 GTI bumper plus some accent lights. The GTI wheels and black trim are also a nice touch.
The GTI 2.0-liter TSI turbo engine would give this car about double its normal power output at 245 hp. It's not like gasoline engines are that rare in passenger vans, as several versions of the T6/T6.1 have them.
Of course, Volkswagen won't offer a GTI van. Even though the Caddy is also one of its oldest nameplates, such a product would supposedly dilute the brand. We honestly don't see how, since everybody in the GTI community loves this model as well.
But if we want the Caddy to be the fast GT of vans, a GTD-type powertrain would probably be better. The new one for the 2021 model year packs 200 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque, still going to the front wheels via a 7-speed DSG. That's almost as much power with presumably better fuel economy numbers (VW hasn't released them yet).
