VW Crafter long-term test

VW Crafter long-term test - Final Report

Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019 | Author: Steve Banner

Crafter Cab Storage1

2nd Report

Guys who drive light commercials are getting bigger and podgier, according to figures compiled a while back by a well-known supplier of food supplements.

Fifty years ago the average male van driver was just over 5ft 7in high, weighed 11st 8lbs and had a 34in waist. His modern counterpart is 5ft 10in high, weighs 13st 3lbs and has a 37in waist.

So it is perhaps just as well that VW’s Crafter has such a spacious cab.

Although this long-term test Crafter seats three abreast, it offers decent shoulder room for all concerned and the driver’s seat in particular is big enough and supportive enough to accommodate quite a bulky occupant. There is more than enough headroom too.

The only area that is slightly compromised is legroom. While there is sufficient for the outboard passenger and the driver, the middle passenger faces some restrictions, although they are not as severe as the limitations inflicted on piggy-in-the-middle in some of the more poorly designed vans I have encountered.

While I still view the styling of Crafter’s dashboard as an exercise in dullness, I cannot help but be impressed by the amount of storage space it offers; and the volume of storage space elsewhere in the cab.

Especially useful is the ability to pull up the passenger seat cushions and stow tablets, mobile phones, power tools and other items you would rather not lose underneath. It makes a lot more sense than leaving them around on show and running the risk that somebody will break in and steal them while the van is unattended.

Crafter Rear Drs2

It’s a minor point perhaps, but a feature I really like about this van is the ability to swing the back doors though 270° and latch them against the sides. Admittedly, it is a facility that is not always useable because everything from parked cars to street furniture can get in the way.

It can be invaluable, however, if you are having to spend a long time loading or unloading the vehicle, and would prefer the doors to be stowed in such a way that they do not cause an obstruction.

Always bear in mind that a van with a 13.6m³ load bay is big, and significantly bigger than the 8.0m³ or 10.0m³ van you might have been more used to driving. The former cannot always easily get in and out of parking spaces that are a doddle for the latter.

Fortunately, What Van?’s Crafter has been fitted with an optional Business Pack that includes front and rear parking sensors, and a dashboard display shows clearly how close you are to obstacles.

Complete with a lower wide-angle section, the exterior mirrors are big and deliver a clear view down the van’s flanks. So make sure you use them, and when you are manoeuvring in a confined space, just keep an eye on what is happening to the van’s vulnerable back end.

Reversing aids are without doubt invaluable, but you still have to watch what you are doing.
As for those two male drivers from different eras I referred to earlier, although he was slimmer, back in 1969 a light commercial vehicle driver had an average life expectancy of 68 years; his modern equivalent can expect to live for 81 years. One reason for the difference? The former was far more likely to smoke than the latter, which explains why the Volkswagen Crafter has neither an ashtray nor a cigarette lighter.

Report Card: Cab = 4/5
Roomy and comfortable with plenty of storage space.

VW Crafter CR35 LWB Trendline 2.0 TDI 140hp 6-spd manual RWD

Mileage    1,255
Official combined consumption    36.2mpg
Our average consumption    33.0mpg
Price (ex VAT)    £33,280
Price range (ex VAT) £23,920-£33,655
Warranty 3yrs/unlimited mileage
Service intervals       2yrs/30,000mls
Load length       4,300mm
Load width (min/max) 1,380/1,832mm
Load bay height       1,861mm
Gross payload    1,267kg
Load volume    13.6m³
Engine size/power    1,968cc/140hp
Gearbox   6-spd manual
CO2   203g/km

Options

Business Pack £1,265

Click below to see previous report

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