It believes the virtues of the latest Crafter should prompt some of the big retailers to place it on their shopping lists, and the availability of a fully automatic eight-speed gearbox as an option for the first time should help VW makes its case, as the supermarkets are increasingly favouring auto ’boxes for home delivery work.
Not that there is much wrong with the new Crafter’s standard six-speed manual gearbox, and both ’boxes mesh well with the newcomer’s 2.0-litre common-rail diesel, the only engine fitted to the vehicle.
Grossing at from 3.0 to 5.5 tonnes, and produced in van, chassis cab and chassis double-cab guise, the new Crafter is on offer with either front- or rear-wheel drive. Its predecessor was produced solely with the latter.
Also listed is a 4Motion four-wheel drive model, the first time the Crafter has been made available with a factory-sourced four-wheel drive system. A prototype electric Crafter has been exhibited too, but as yet there is no firm indication as to when it will appear in the UK.
Opt for front drive and the power options are 102hp, 140hp or 177hp, while rear drive gives you the choice of 122hp, 140hp, 163hp or 177hp. The most powerful engine in both line-ups boasts twin turbochargers.
Van load cubes are 9.9m3, 11.3m3, 14.4m3, 16.1m3, 16.4m3 and 18.4m3. Three different lengths and three different heights are up for grabs.
Front-wheel drive vans grossing at either 3.0 or 3.5 tonnes are the first to appear on this side of the Channel – the rest of the range will be rolled out during the course of this year – with gross payloads ranging from 735kg to 1,301kg. Customers can pick from Startline, Trendline or top-of-the-range Highline specification levels.
While previous Crafters shared certain key components with the Mercedes Sprinter, the latest offering is Volkswagen through and through. It is assembled in a dedicated plant at Wrzesnia in Poland, which can produce up to 100,000 units annually, up to 20% of which will be badged as MANs and sold as TGEs. Some €800m have been pumped into the 540-acre site, which suggests that VW means business.
We tackled a CR35 3.5t front-wheel drive medium-wheelbase (3,640mm) high-roof van in Trendline trim with a manual gearbox and 140hp on tap. We were not disappointed.
Load bay
Access to the cargo area is by means of a sliding nearside door plus twin rear doors that can be swung through 270° and latched against the van’s sides. Both door apertures feature big yellow grab handles to aid access.
It’s good to see that the full-height steel bulkhead looks strong enough to stop a charging rhino. As a consequence, anything that breaks loose is more likely to damage itself than damage the occupants of the cab, so providing 10 floor-mounted tie-down points to which wayward cargo can be secured still makes sense.
It’s also good to see two lights. Van load areas are so often badly lit. A tailored cover protects the cargo bed and half-height panels protect the doors to half their height, but the rest of the interior will need timbering out.
Interior and equipment
While nobody would describe the Crafter’s dashboard as stylish – except, perhaps, the designer – it is certainly practical, and after a day or two we began to quite like its looks. We certainly liked the good-quality plastic that was used throughout the roomy three-seater cab’s interior.
Storage facilities include shelves and cubbyholes on top of the dashboard with cupholders at each extremity, a roomy, lockable glovebox with a narrow shelf above it, and three shelves/bins in each of the doors.
Pull up the passenger seat cushions and you will find storage underneath. Pull down the middle seat’s back and it turns into a desk complete with pen trays, a couple of cupholders and an elasticated band to keep paperwork in place. Legroom for the passenger in the centre isn’t generous, but it is better than in other three-seater cabs we have encountered.
Both the steering wheel and the driver’s seat are height-adjustable with the latter featuring lumbar adjustment too. The wheel can be altered for reach.
A driver’s airbag, cruise control with a speed limiter, electric windows and electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors are included in the deal. The mirrors have a lower wide-angle section. An eight-inch touch screen for the DAB radio and optional satellite navigation sits in the middle of the fascia as part of a Bluetooth-enabled package, with USB/iPod connections on top of the dashboard. The two 12V power sockets are useful features.
Putting a destination postcode into the satnav proved to be such a fiddle that we gave up and resorted to sticking our trusty Garmin to the windscreen instead. At least the optional air-conditioning allowed us to keep a cool head while doing so.
Disc brakes are installed all round and the Volkswagen Crafter comes with a comprehensive safety package that includes ABS, electronic stability programme, electronic brake assist and hill hold. Also fitted is crosswind assist, which reacts if a sudden, powerful, gust of wind threatens to blow the van out of its lane and into the next one, and potentially into the path of traffic travelling at high speed.
Automatic Post-Collision Braking is a standard fixture as well. It immediately initiates braking after a smash in order to prevent any secondary impacts if the driver is incapacitated. A Front Assist emergency braking system is fitted in conjunction with City Emergency Braking. The former alerts the driver if there is the risk of a front-end collision, gives a jolt to the brakes if the warning is ignored, then ensures full braking power is immediately available if the driver then wakes up and hits the brake pedal.
City Emergency Braking automatically applies the brakes at speeds of up to 18mph on city streets if the driver fails to spot an obstruction. This package is now standard on all models. which makes Volkswagen the first manufacturer to fit autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to its entire light commercial line-up.
If all these safety devices are not enough for you then you can add a few more – if you are willing to pay for them. Options include lane keeping assist, to help prevent you drifting out of your lane on the motorway, and Rear Traffic Alert, which warns you if you are about to back into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Rear parking sensors are an option on Trendline models too and should really be included in the deal.
Engine and gearbox
The Volkswagen Crafter’s turbocharged four-cylinder 16-valve in-line common-rail diesel is mounted transversely and angled forward by 8° to create a bit more room for the cab and cargo area. AdBlue has to be poured into an 18-litre reservoir to help the newcomer meet the Euro6 exhaust emission regulations.
Our engine’s maximum power output kicked in across a narrow 3,500-3,600pm plateau. Top torque of 340Nm bites across a rather wider 1,600-2,250rpm.
Chassis and steering
McPherson strut-type suspension and an anti-roll bar are installed at the front while parabolic springs plus another anti-roll bar are to be found at the back.
Our Crafter’s 16-inch steel wheels were shod with Continental Conti Van Contact 200 235/65 R16C tyres.
Electromechanical power-assisted steering delivers a 13.6m turning circle.
Driving
Our Crafter was not short on performance.
Even with the equivalent of more than half its maximum permitted payload onboard it accelerated through the gears as if it was empty and maintained the maximum-permitted speed on the M5 and M6 motorways without breaking sweat.
A smooth, slick, gear change helped us make progress quickly, and VW’s latest offering handled well, zipping through our favourite twisty section of the A40 without showing the least inclination to break away.
The steering tightens up nicely at speed.
In-cab noise levels were well under control, aside from an intermittent rattle from the passenger door – most unusual in a Volkswagen – and the good level of manoeuvrability should help if you happen to be making deliveries in city centres.
VW might wish to take another look at the way the Crafter’s suspension is set up, however, and see if the ride can be made more compliant.
As things stand – and bearing in mind the shortcomings of British road surfaces – it is a touch too firm for our taste.
The Crafter also seemed a mite thirsty, but with 1,268 miles recorded it had not covered much ground and it was being driven quite hard on occasions.
We were averaging around 33mpg to 34mpg – below the 38.2mpg official combined fuel economy figure.
One cause for concern was the AEB’s sensitivity: it alerted the driver to an emergency twice, but on both occasions it was triggered by a car passing Crafter on the motorway. However, AEB systems on other vehicles have triggered similar false alarms.
Operating
The Crafter is protected by a three-year/100,000-mile warranty with roadside assistance for the duration.
A three-year paintwork warranty is provided too, plus a 12-year anti-perforation corrosion warranty.
Service intervals are set at two years/30,000 miles and the new Volkswagen Crafter was being marketed with two complimentary services at the time of writing.
Deep side rubbing strips should provide plenty of protection from minor bumps and scrapes.
Volkswagen Crafter Trendline CR35 MWB 2.0 TDI 140hp FWD
| Price (ex VAT) | £29,200 | ||||
| Price range (ex VAT) | £23,920-£33,655* | ||||
| Gross payload | 1,244kg | ||||
| Load length | 3,450mm | ||||
| Load width (min/max) | 1,380/1,832mm | ||||
| Load bay height | 1,961mm | ||||
| Load volume | 1,3m3 | ||||
| Loading height | 570mm | ||||
| Rear door aperture | 1,840×1,552mm | ||||
| Side door aperture | 1,822×1,311mm | ||||
| Gross vehicle weight | 3,500kg | ||||
| Braked trailer towing weight | 3,000kg | ||||
| Residual value | 21.0%** | ||||
| Cost per mile | 55.3p** | ||||
| Torque | 340Nm @ 1,600-2,250rpm | ||||
| Gearbox | 6-speed manual | ||||
| Fuel economy | 38.2mpg (combined) | ||||
| Fuel tank | 75 litres | ||||
| CO2 | 193g/km | ||||
| Warranty | 3yrs/100,000mls | ||||
| Service intervals | 2yrs/30,000mls | ||||
| Insurance group | 41A | ||||
| Price as tested | £31,615 | ||||
*models launched to date
** Over 4 years/20,000 miles p.a.
Source: Kwikcarcost
Added Extras In-cab overhead storage compartment with reading light (£1,774), Climatic air-conditioning (£1,375), Discover Media Navigation system (£700), Front fog lights with
cornering function (£210)
Rivals
Ford Transit
- Price (ex VAT)£23,120-£39,270
- Load volume 9.5-15.1m3
- Gross payload 8 72-2,169kg
- Engine 105hp, 130hp, 170hp 2.0 diesel
It is hard for rival manufacturers to combat an icon, which is what the Transit still is so far as UK customers are concerned. And its status is justified: for your money you get responsive engines, a crisp gear change, a well-designed cab, and healthy residual values when disposal time rolls round.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- Price (ex VAT) £22,860-£46,930
- Load volume 7.5-17.0m3
- Gross payload 714-2,510kg
- Engine 112hp, 140hp, 163hp 2.1 diesel, 190hp 3.0 diesel, 156hp 1.8 petrol/cng
Order your groceries online and the odds are that they’ll turn up in a Sprinter. That’s because fleets know that the Mercedes is one of the few vans that can stand up to the battering home-delivery work dishes out without falling apart. Safety standards are exemplary and the engines are top-notch.
Vauxhall Movano
- Price (ex VAT)£23,345-£38,765
- Load volume 7.8-17.0m3
- Gross payload920 -2,200kg
- Engine 110hp, 130hp, 145hp, 163hp, 170hp 2.3 diesel
While the Movano remains deep in the Transit’s always-looming shadow it is worth a second look. Decent engines plus plenty of payload capacity and cargo space depending on the version you pick are among its advantages. It shares the same basic design as Renault’s Master and Nissan’s NV400.
