It’s time to wave bye-bye to our Crafter. During its sojourn with us it carried everything from potted ornamental shrubs and trees to rotten, disintegrating fence panels and posts and lumps of old concrete destined for disposal.
It even served as a mobile billboard in the local government elections earlier this year.
With 13.6m3 to play with, load cube is its big advantage. It will swallow vast quantities of … er … stuff, and its wide and tall rear and side door apertures make it easy to load and unload.
The fact that our demonstrator is rear-wheel drive, and therefore has a higher loading height than its front-wheel drive stablemates did not turn out to be an obstacle when it came to lifting items on and off the cargo bed – unless they were really heavy. The built-in steps and grab-handles helped.
Payload capacity isn’t quite so impressive, but then again you buy a 3.5-tonner of this size because you need to shift bulky rather than heavy items.
I had no quarrels with the handling or any big issues with the van’s on-the-road performance or the quality of its gear change. A bit more horsepower would have been welcome had I been fully laden all the time, but the Crafter was never called on to carry much weight.
Ride comfort isn’t its strong suit, but the same can be said of any big panel van if you run it lightly laden. In-cab noise levels were a greater concern, and VW needs to take more action to tune them out.
Build quality is, of course, superb, in true VW style, with no squeaks or rattles.
VW quite rightly lays great stress on safety, and the Crafter is no exception. Front assist, which uses an acoustic alert and a red warning light to warn of an imminent collision, proved especially timely when I encountered an ancient Volvo estate driven in an alarmingly wayward fashion along the M50.
Fuel economy improved gradually to around 35mpg – below the official combined figure, but not so far below it as to cause any concern.
The Crafter has tended to be shoved into the shadows somewhat by Mercedes-Benz’s Sprinter and Ford’s all-conquering Transit. On the basis of my experience I think it deserves more prominence. So if you’re in the market for a big-capacity panel van, put it on your shopping list.
End-of-term report
Safety = 5/5
Emphasis on protecting the driver and other road users has to be applauded loud and long. There’s nothing more important.
Options list = 3/5
Business Pack that was fitted gives you some useful extras, but does not include satnav, alas. For that you pay extra.
Driving = 4/5
Handles well with no lack of performance, and a smooth gear change allows you to make the most of what the engine has to offer. Noise levels need to be better controlled though.
Load bay = 4/5
Cavernous, and the big door apertures make it easy to access. Rear-wheel drive and a comparatively high load bed proved no obstacle to easy loading.
Cabin = 4/5
Roomy with bags of storage space, but while the driver and outboard passenger should be comfortable enough, the legroom for the middle passenger is a bit restricted.
Build quality = 5/5
It’s a VW. Need I say more than that?
Overall score = 83%
VW Crafter CR35 LWB Trendline 2.0 TDI 140hp 6-spd manual RWD
Mileage 2,012
Official combined consumption 36.2mpg
Our average consumption 35.0mpg
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
5th Report
Which matters more? A van’s payload capacity or the amount of space it has in its cargo area?
A lot depends on the type of load you are carrying of course, but in most cases it is the space that is available that matters. That is because even quite bulky items weigh comparatively little this days.
Consider how much washing machines, for example, weigh today and how much they weighed 30 years ago and you will understand what I mean.
At 13.6m3 the Crafter has cargo area space in abundance and almost all of it is useable. It has something else that has mattered to me recently though, and that is internal height. We’re talking 1,861mm – a touch over 6ft in other words – which meant that it was easily able to accommodate an assortment of tall, potted, ornamental shrubs and trees I was recently called on to shift. Not the easiest of things to load, but the heavy pots held them in place and I didn’t have to try to lash them down in some way.
That would have been a struggle, but at least the Crafter’s 12 floor-mounted load tie-down points would have given me something to secure them to – although how exactly I would have secured them and with what, I have no idea.
Easing them aboard was made less challenging by the height of the doors, which are not far short of the height of the cargo bay itself, and by their width. So there were no snapped-off branches. However, the weight of those pots made me wish our Crafter was front-wheel drive, with a lower cargo bed.
Transport items like that and you are bound to end up with bits of compost, soil, and gravel scattered across the load floor.
Happily, our demonstrator’s floor is protected by a fitted ply cover, so it is easy to sweep out; just as well given that it is now home to a mouldering fence panel earmarked for disposal. You can live with a van for several weeks without being aware of some of the useful features it offers.
At 35mpg diesel consumption remains steady, and does not seem to vary no matter whether the weather is warm and dry with barely a breath of wind, or cold and wet and blowing a gale. Our VW has encountered all of these conditions, and has coped admirably.
Report Card: Fuel economy = 4/5
Consumption remains consistent whatever the conditions or load.
VW Crafter CR35 LWB Trendline 2.0 TDI 140hp 6-spd manual RWD
Mileage 1,754
Official combined consumption 36.2mpg
Our average consumption 35.0mpg
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
4th Report
How good a motorway cruiser is the Crafter?
It was something I was able to assess when I headed down the M50 and M5 from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire to Taunton in Somerset.
There is no doubt that the Crafter handles remarkably well, offers a slick gearchange or that it provides the driver with a comfortable working environment. Lots of head-, leg- and shoulder room is always welcome, but especially so on a long journey.
It feels solidly planted on the highway too.
Its unladen ride is a touch nervous, but that is a characteristic of all big LCVs when they are asked to tackle Britain’s atrocious highways. Put some weight in the back and the suspension soon calms down.
As it happens I was lightly laden on my M50/M5 trek, and while I am mostly pleased with the Crafter’s on-highway performance, I found I was having to drop down a gear – sometimes two – whenever I encountered even a modest motorway incline in order to keep pace with the surrounding traffic. Normal service resumed when I got back onto a flat section of highway, and the Crafter was soon back up to the motorway speed limit. Nor was I entirely happy with the level of in-cab noise. Travelling on the motorway at speed in a big van is never going to be an entirely silent experience, but engine, wind and tyre noise were all a tad too high for my liking.
Answer? Turn the radio up – and the Crafter is happily blessed with a quality radio and a touchscreen that makes it easy to change stations.
I’m not a huge fan of cruise control, but our Crafter is equipped with it so I thought I’d try it on some of the M5’s quieter stretches. The controls are mounted on the steering wheel, are simple to operate, and the system works fine if you feel you need it and its use is justified by the prevailing traffic conditions.
Although I was wide awake, well-rested, sticking to the speed limit and not veering out of lane, the Driver Alert System triggered regularly, accompanied by a beep and the symbol of a cup of coffee on the instrument cluster display.
After a while I found this irritating but have subsequently discovered you can switch it off.
Looking in the handbook to find which buttons to press I found that the system does not always work on poor roads, roads with bends, in bad weather, if the driver is distracted or if the Crafter is hauling a long, heavy trailer. It will struggle if the vehicle is loaded unevenly too.
A long run at a steady, legal speed on a still, dry day plus the use of cruise control meant that at around 35mpg I got closer to the official, combined fuel consumption figure of 36.2mpg than I have previously. I remained a little bit short of the 38.7mpg official extra-urban mileage figure, but diesel usage seems to be heading in the right direction.
It’s a thumbs up for the touchscreen and radio
Report Card: Build quality = 5/5
Volkswagen’s light commercial vehicles are famously well put together and the big Crafter is no exception to the rule.
VW Crafter CR35 LWB Trendline 2.0 TDI 140hp 6-spd manual RWD
Mileage 1,642
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
3rd Report
With a prop shaft to accommodate, rear-wheel drive vans such as our long-term-test Volkswagen Crafter have a higher loading height than their front-wheel drive counterparts.
That can make loading and unloading more onerous, especially if you are manoeuvring heavy items on board, or if you are on multi-drop work and constantly need to climb in and out of the cargo area.
In our case Volkswagen has made the task as simple as possible.
Both the side and rear door apertures feature steps and grab handles to make it easier for drivers to climb in and out.
That was something that I welcomed as I set about loading various domestic items deemed surplus to requirements and earmarked for disposal.
Nor are those apertures a tight squeeze. They are both big – really big – so if you are carrying anything bulky then you’ve got plenty of room to manoeuvre. With a dozen floor-mounted tie-down rings, cargo should be easy enough to strap down.
A full-height, opaque, steel bulkhead should ensure that if something isn’t secured then the occupants of the cab will not end up being walloped by it if it slides forwards. I can testify to how effective that bulkhead is after the elderly driver of an ancient Volvo estate trundling along the inside lane of the M50 suddenly braked for no readily apparent reason.
The Crafter’s front-assist system immediately used an acoustic alert and a red warning light on the dashboard to warn of an imminent collision, so I braked hard and avoided spoiling the gentleman’s (and my) entire day. Had I been daydreaming and slow off the mark, then front assist would have started to decelerate the Crafter for me.
I ‘waved’ to the other driver in time-honoured fashion as I moved smartly into the next lane and whizzed past.
And the bulkhead? It received a number of muted thumps as two old bedside tables and several cartons full of household bric-a-brac bounced off it, but it shrugged them all off without any ill effects.
Report Card: Load area = 4/5
Easy to access with lots of tie-down points and a beefy bulkhead, but needs timbering out.
VW Crafter CR35 LWB Trendline 2.0 TDI 140hp 6-spd manual RWD
Mileage 1,360
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
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.
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
1st Report
Volkswagen has been steadily rolling out all the different versions of the latest Crafter – winner of the 2018 What Van? Light Commercial Vehicle of the Year award – since its UK launch at the Commercial Vehicle Show back in April 2017.
Unlike its predecessor, the current model can be ordered in front- as well as rear-wheel drive guise. A 4Motion 4×4 variant is available too.
The Crafter gross weights run from 3.0t to 5.0t, and you can specify it with either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Van models are marketed in both medium- and long-wheelbase guise with three overall lengths and a low, a high, or a super-high roof.
Load cubes range from 9.3m3 to 17.5m3 while gross payloads run from 735kg to 2,573kg.
All Crafters currently on the market are powered by a 2.0-litre TDI diesel at 102hp, 122hp, 140hp or 177hp. The electric e-Crafter will not appear until next year.
The van is also produced as a chassis cab and as a chassis double-cab and is additionally marketed by truck maker MAN under the TGE banner.
Faced with all this choice, What Van? decided to add a rear-wheel drive long-wheelbase high-roof CR35 3.5t van in Trendline trim to its long-term test fleet. With 340Nm of torque on offer, the 140hp engine is married to the manual gearbox.
The newcomer is graced by an optional Business Pack, which includes an alarm with tow-away protection, aircon, front and rear parking sensors, and shelving above the windscreen.
One of the key reasons why the Crafter won the 2018 What Van? award is the stress VW places on safety.
Our demonstrator boasts Crosswind Assist to prevent it from being blown into an adjacent lane if hit by a sudden gale on the motorway, not to mention a Front Assist emergency braking system with City Emergency Braking.
The latter automatically applies the brakes on urban streets at speeds below 18mph if the driver fails to spot an obstruction.
A 100-mile-plus initial unladen test run on a mixture of motorways and A- and B-roads culminating in a trundle around Bath city centre on a busy Saturday morning revealed a van with remarkably good handling – weaving through the traffic was a doddle, despite the vehicle’s size – and sufficient performance on tap. A slick gear-change allowed me to make the best of what the engine has to offer, but with no weight in the back the suspension struggled with even moderately uneven highway surfaces, and in-cab noise was a little too high.
Build quality is, of course, rock-solid, and while I dislike the dashboard’s somewhat dull styling there is no denying it offers some useful storage space, including a cavernous, lockable glovebox. Other oddment stowage facilities include big bins in the doors and voids beneath the two passenger seats.
Access to the load area with its 12 floor-mounted cargo tie-down points is by means of twin rear doors and a sliding nearside door. Grab-handles aid access through both of the generously proportioned apertures.
A full-height steel bulkhead is installed. So is a fitted ply cargo bed cover, but there is no such protection against damage for the sides.
The load area really needs timbering out and the wheel boxes look particularly vulnerable. Guess I’d better be careful…
Report Card: Handling/performance = 4/5
Both are better than might be expected given the size and weight of the vehicle.
VW Crafter CR35 LWB Trendline 2.0 TDI 140hp 6-spd manual RWD
Mileage 147
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
