See one coming towards you and you may be forgiven for thinking that a giant runner bean slicer is about to devour your car. Get a glimpse of the Crafter in your rear view mirror and you could well mistake it for a 40-tonne truck.
The Crafter has such a commanding presence on the road that it demands – and invariably gets – attention.
The Crafter comes off the same production line as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter but Volkswagen set out to make it look as different as possible from its twin brother.
So while the rear ends are the same, Volkswagen eschewed the Sprinter’s rather stylish and somewhat delicate front end and substituted a huge conk that looks both brash and brutal.
The Crafter is a replacement for the ageing LT and comes at an exciting time – Volkswagen has just overtaken Citroën to take third place in the UK van sales charts.
It is available as a panel van and a chassis-cab and comes in gross vehicle weights of 3.0 tonnes, 3.5 tonnes and 5.0 tonnes, with three wheelbases, four load lengths and three roof heights.
Four 2.5-litre five-cylinder diesel engines are available with power outputs of 86bhp, 107bhp, 134bhp and 160bhp. Load volumes range from 7.5 cubic metres to 17 cubic metres and standard equipment includes ABS brakes, ESP traction control, driver’s airbag, central locking, electric windows and a CD player.
Maintenance costs are reckoned to be 30% lower than for the old LT and insurance groups are lower than for the equivalent Sprinters, thanks to a better alarm. Prices are maintained or lowered over the LT and range from £15,869 to £28,724, ex-VAT.
Behind the wheel
IT takes some getting used to but you’ve got to admire Volkswagen’s brave styling stance. And, by the way, it looks much better in the metal than in print.
The cab seems huge compared to the old LT. It’s light, airy, comfortable and spacious and has a plethora of new conveniences for the driver.
On the road, I felt immediately at home driving this van. The 107bhp is likely to be the biggest fleet seller and manages to combine enough power without being too silly.
With a half load on board, the Crafter didn’t exactly fly along and on a couple of occasions I found myself praying for a bit of extra oomph, but with that 206lb-ft of torque there was never a suggestion that the engine couldn’t cope, even on steep inclines.
Verdict
A TRIUMPH of design and engineering in my book – and a quantum leap forward over the LT. I’ll be interested to see whether Volkswagen can steal sales from the Sprinter and consolidate that number three position in the market.
Gross vehicle weight (kg): 3,000-5,000
Payload (kg): 986-2,631
Load volume (cu m): 7.5-17
Power (bhp): 86-160
Torque (lb-ft): 162-258
Prices (ex-VAT): £15,869-£28,724
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