Volkswagen
Crafter 2.5 TDI 109 MWB Van - WHICH
CRAFTER?
Volkswagens
don’t get much bigger than the Crafter and it’s as big on technology as
it is in size.
You
only need to spend a few minutes leafing through the glossy brochure
for Volkswagen’s Crafter in order to appreciate how far panel vans have
progressed. Within those pages, the vehicle’s technological arsenal is
showcased and there are options there that would have graced a luxury
saloon spec-sheet just a few years back. Presenting the average van
driver with this document is much like handing him the lunch menu from
the Dorchester. First, his eyes light up as the wonderful possibilities
reveal themselves and everything looks so good until his gaze drifts
across to the right-hand column.
A
sharp palpitation in the wallet region follows and before you know it,
he’s ordered a small glass of tap water and asked if they do egg and
chips.
The
Crafter options list offers buyers the potential to specify a panel van
that’s positively crammed with technology and clever features but in
the real world of cold, hard financial reality - as lived in by the
vast majority of van customers - the options list is where most of
these desirable titbits will stay. The Crafters that we see on the
street will be of far more modest persuasion but does that mean that
their drivers should feel short-changed? We checked out a standard
specification Volkswagen Crafter 2.5 TDI 109 to find out.
OK,
so our van wasn’t exactly a standard spec model: there was a plywood
load floor cover in the back that would have set us back £275, if we
were paying. What the van definitely didn’t have were the front and
rear parking sensors with visual proximity displays in the wing
mirrors, the parking brake with automatic hill hold control, the
satellite navigation system with CD autochanger or the visibility pack
with its rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlamps with washers. It
also didn’t have cruise control, an electric sunroof, alloy wheels,
‘Climatic’ air-conditioning or leatherette upholstery and the reason
why most working Crafters won’t feature many of these items either is
that when you tot them all up, they add around £4,000 to the price.
This is a comparatively small hit if you’re a wealthy private buyer
after a top-end luxobarge but van buying businesses work to tighter
budgets.
"Refinement
in the cabin proved to be first class"
Our
test vehicle was in poverty spec form because that’s exactly how most
Crafters will roll off the production line from the word go.
Nevertheless, it didn’t give the impression that we were missing out.
Anyone familiar with Mercedes-Benz products will smell a rat as soon as
they climb into the Crafter’s cab as the switchgear the stereo with its
chrome ringed dials and even the font on the instrument dials provoke
pangs of déjà vu. This is because the Crafter is part of a
collaboration between VW and Mercedes that has also yielded the latest
Sprinter panel van. The two vehicles are almost identical bar the
badges and the interior design has a flavour that’s definitely more
Mercedes than Volkswagen.
Even
in standard form, you get a CD stereo and height, reach and rake
adjustment on the driver’s seat. The build quality and design sets the
standard in the panel van sector with the simple controls offering a
classy look and a robust feel. Storage has been well thought out with
pockets along the top of the dash to stop items sliding around, a clip
on the centre console for paperwork, big door pockets and plenty of cup
holders. The vast banks of blacked-out buttons hint at the gadgetry
that’s been left on the options list but it isn’t unduly missed.
One
area where the Crafter does differ from its Sprinter sister vehicle is
in the engine bay. Volkswagen have plumbed their own TDI common-rail
injection units into the Crafter and the 109PS version we tried was
well up to the job. There are versions of the engine with 136PS and
164PS power outputs to call upon but just as most operators will leave
the extensive options list alone, most will go for this more modest
engine. The 109PS translates to 108bhp in old money and while this
might sound like a piffling amount to shift a medium wheelbase, high
roof Crafter about, the engine proved very flexible and punchy on our
test. This is largely thanks to the hefty 280lb/ft torque output that’s
being generated at 2,000rpm. It ensures that the van accelerates
briskly up to speed and has the muscle to keep up with traffic
adequately on motorway trips. We were running without a payload on the
back and operators who intend to carry big weights regularly would be
well advised to consider one of the more powerful engines.
Refinement
in the cabin proved to be first class, the engine emitting a breathy
rumble when pressed but otherwise settling into an unobtrusive thrum.
Wind and road noise are very well suppressed and the comfortable
driving experience is also aided by what has to be the smoothest ride
in any large panel van. The front suspension irons out the worst that
the road surface throws up extremely well. The rear was less composed
in out test vehicle but this will improve with some cargo to weigh down
the heavy duty springs. The steering is well resolved, giving an
accurate turn in while remaining light enough for manoeuvring at low
speeds. You soon lose track of the Crafter’s size while you’re driving
as the controls and the van’s responses do much to inspire confidence.
Even
on the basic model, equipment levels are generous, particularly with
regard to safety. Remote central locking is standard as are electric
windows and a driver’s airbag. Then you’ve got an active safety
provision that runs to ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution and a
highly advanced version of the ESP Electronic Stability Control system.
Storage is fairly well catered for with door pockets, an overhead shelf
and a glovebox that can be air-conditioned to keep drinks cool. The
Crafter’s doors automatically lock once you hit 10mph to prevent
undesirables stealing your lunch while you’re stopped at the lights.
Is
there a better quality large panel van out there than the Volkswagen
Crafter? On the evidence of this test drive in the kind of model that
UK operators typically order, you’d have to say not. The frontal
styling will jar with some but panel vans aren’t supposed to be pretty
anyway. The only serious drawback is that cost tends to be the top
priority amongst cash-strapped van buyers and the Crafter is priced at
a premium compared to rivals. You can see and feel where the extra
money goes with this van but in many cases it won’t be the driver who’s
signing the cheque. Residual values will be strong, however, and
Volkswagen should find more than enough willing customers, especially
from the user-chooser sector.
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