Volkswagen Crafter 2019 review: TDI410 LWB High Roof

I have to admit I was shocked when I showed up to collect this VW Crafter and it was finished in Deep Ocean Blue. I mean, I don’t think of vans this size coming in anything other than white or maybe black, which are of course also available. But with other colours available like Cherry Red, Luminous Orange, Reflex Silver or Indium Grey, there’s a Crafter to suit different business needs. These could essentially be billboards on wheels. 

There’s a typically Teutonic approach to the exterior styling of the Crafter. It is boxy, yes, and it probably isn’t as attractive as some of the other big vans out there, even if the subtle chrome trim line across the grille is a welcome flourish. You can option a Trendline Styling Package which adds more chrome inside and out, too, but the large halogen headlights and simple 16-inch steel wheels combine to scream ‘work-focused’. 

Of course, being a commercial van, there are options aplenty in terms of customisation. This tester was almost as it comes from the factory - fitted with one sliding side door only, and the rear barn doors which come as standard, too. 

If it were me, I’d be considering a second side door, and - if possible - probably some side glazing because it’s a bit hard to see over your shoulder. That said, the split side mirrors with a lower wide-angle lens help to see what’s lurking in your blind spots, and the high-mount reverse camera is very helpful.

The dimensions of our test vehicle are 6836mm long on a 4490mm wheelbase, 2590mm tall (that jumps to 2798mm with the super-high roof), and 2040mm wide (the mirrors are big, though, pushing width to 2427mm). 

Inside the cabin of the Crafter, things are impressive - there’s a nice small steering wheel (the same as you’d get in a base model Golf, if VW sold one without leather wrapping), and the controls are all very logically positioned. It feels like a car from the driver’s seat, and there’s excellent adjustment on offer to find your perfect driving position, which is important to professional drivers.

The VW Crafter range starts at $48,490 plus on-road costs, and ranges up to $71,490 at the top of the range. There are 59 versions available!

In the spec you see here, the list price is $58,990 plus on-road costs. Now, you will probably find better drive away deals if you shop around, and vehicles in stock might already have some of the options from VW’s extensive list ticked for you. 

In terms of competitors, there is no FWD LWB Sprinter, and all the rear-wheel-drive versions are more expensive, plus feature higher cargo floor areas. But there is a long wheelbase front-drive Ford Transit available, with an auto transmission, for $51,990 - a full seven grand cheaper than this spec Crafter.

The VW Crafter range starts at $48,490 plus on-road costs, and ranges up to $71,490 at the top of the range.

Standard equipment offered here includes air conditioning (single-zone), an 8.0-inch media screen with all the connectivity touchpoints covered, rubber floor mats, cruise control, heated electric side mirrors, power lumbar adjustment for the driver, and power windows. 

You don’t get auto headlights (but they are auto-off, so you don’t need to worry about leaving them on) or auto wipers, and LED headlights are available at extra cost. 

Where is the VW Crafter built? Poland. So if you choose to build to order, you can expect a wait time of a few months. 

It’s hard to make something this big feel like it shrinks around you when you’re driving it, but the Crafter is surprisingly simple to drive and easier to pilot than you might expect.

You have to be aware that its as long as one-and-a-half VW Golfs, but it turns with such ease thanks to the accurate and nicely weighted steering that you could forget the size of it… provided you can handle that it has a huge 16.2-metre turning circle, which makes urban driving, and particularly reversing, a bit of a task.

The sheer size of this box on wheels is something you need to consider, because underpasses might be out of the question, garages almost always are, and branches that look oh so high up in the air from human height are likely to give the paint a hard time if you’re not careful. But you know that if you’re considering a van this large.

The suspension does a spectacular job of things. Admittedly the enormous wheelbase helps keep the body under control quite well, but there’s less of a top heavy feel to the Crafter than you might expect. There are anti-roll bars front and rear to help reduce twist, and even exiting steep offset driveways it handle its size really well. 

the Crafter is surprisingly simple to drive and easier to pilot than you might expect.

Over speed humps and rough sections of city streets you might notice some thumping from the rear suspension (leaf spring rigid axle with load adaptive dampers) when unladen, but the front suspension (MacPherson strut double wishbone) is really well sorted in all situations.

The engine mightn’t have the biggest grunt numbers, but the way its power and torque are used by the eight-speed auto is excellent. It isn’t fast, but its strong enough in its response, and it never felt short of torque in any situation - even with about a tonne of household goods packed into the back. 

The only thing that could deter you is that the front wheels can spin or scramble for traction under hard acceleration, particularly in the wet. 

My only other issue was the hill-start assist system - from my time behind the wheel, it seemed to only work in forward gears; when I reversed up a hill it didn’t hold and started to roll away on me, which was somewhat disconcerting. 

Volkswagen now offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty on all of its models, which pushes it to the front of the pack alongside Ford. The warranty is a class standard-setter, with Mercedes offering a shorter three-year/200,000km plan, while Renault offers three years/unlimited mileage.

There’s a capped-price servicing campaign for the Crafter, with maintenance due every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever occurs first. That cover extends to five years/100,000km, though if you’re a courier / delivery driver you might exceed that level a bit sooner. A Sprinter can do with maintenance every 24 months or 40,000km - but would you really want to let it go that long?

The servicing costs are on the high side, though. Volkswagen’s public site doesn’t stipulate exact pricing for this model, but you can bank on needing to budget (on average) $700 per visit.