New Volkswagen Crafter grafter crafted as innovative large panel van

Crafter grafter crafted

Being innovative in the panel van segment takes some doing.  For a commercial vehicle doing a job, not much can change once you have the panel van recipe sorted.  A large panel van is just a grafter, collecting and delivering stuff.  Yet Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles set itself the challenge to re-do their large Crafter panel van.

Help courier-drivers in inner-city traffic, make muddy/concrety construction sites easier to drive in, avoid tired long-distance drivers causing accidents… these are the questions and challenges presented to VW Commercial when it accompanied customers during their commercial-vehicle rounds, to get a better hands-on understanding of how they can find room for improvement in the new Crafter.

The aim is to make the new Volkswagen Crafter more practical, more economical, and more innovative than the previous Crafter.  With customer-focused transport solutions offering the highest degree of economy as its objective, the new Crafter was crafted.

Choices, choices

There are 4 base models, 3 lengths and 3 heights to choose from, as well as front, rear-wheel-drive or 4Motion, and a manual or automatic gearbox.  The TDI diesel engines are offered in 4 output levels, giving a choice of 75, 90 or 103kW, or the biturbo TDI engine with 130kW.  VW says such variety has never been seen before in this segment.  Choose your combination of engine, gearbox, drive, length and roof.

Driver assistance systems

VW also – with safety in mind – created driver assistance systems which it says sets new standards for the large van segment.  The objective is to optimise driver and occupant protectionm through active and passive safety systems, and all payload scenarios.

Thanks to an electro-mechanical steering system used for the first time in this vehicle class, the new Crafter comes equipped with a large number of active driver assistance systems, such as ESP stability control with trailer stabilisation, trailer manoeuvring system, ACC adaptive cruise control (keeping a following distance behind traffic ahead), post-collision braking system (keeping brakes applied after a collision occurred, to prevent the vehicle from rolling further), and optional side-wind compensation system.

Warning assistance systems include a reverse camera with parking distance monitor and a rear traffic alert system (alerting the driver, when reversing, if traffic is detected approaching the rear of the vehicle).

LED headlights and cornering lights ensure a well-lit view ahead at night-time van driving.

Design should function

It was clear in the design idea that is is important in this commercial vehicle sector, in particular, to have a design that should “function” for various customer groups.  Both the exterior and well laid-out simple practical interior (with good visibility, comfort, storage space including overhead shelves) were designed in line with this brief.

“The design of the new Crafter is also heavily based on the idea that the Transporter (currently in T6 generation) which forms the heart of the commercial vehicle portfolio, be given a big brother that displays never before seen quality in terms of exterior and interior surfaces, robustness and sophistication.”

The current Crafter is available from VW Commercial dealers in South Africa, so the new Crafter should be reporting for duty in the coming months.