VOLKSWAGEN describes its new Crafter panel van as “technically and visually perfected”.
These are fighting words, aimed at improving the Crafter’s position as South Africa’s second-best-selling medium commercial vehicle (MCV) panel.
While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Volkswagen backs its technical promise with a formidably frugal engine — its 2,0-litre TDI engine.
This new four-cylinder replaces the 2,5-litre TDI engine in all previous Crafter and is chipped to render either 80 kW or 120 kW.
Now any vehicle is only as light on diesel as the driver’s foot, but Volks- wagen provides impressive guidelines of what to expect from its Crafter 2,0 BiTDI.
VW claims that the 120 kW version of the engine gives 11,23 km/l (8,9 l/100 km). The 80 kW engine allegedly gives 10,41 km/l (9,6 l/100 km).
Having driven the Crafter’s bi-turbo block in both the Amarok and T5, I am inclined to give VW the benefit of the doubt on these very good consumption claims — especially with the max torque of 400 Nm flattening out like a Karoo koppie from just 1 800 rpm.
In the case of the 80 kW version, the Crafter does even better. Its 300 Nm are continuously available between 1 500 rpm and 2 250 rpm.
A person can save a lot of fuel with a light toe in such a power band.
Effective as the Crafter’s engine is, the Sprinter is, by a nose, still the more efficient engine. Although it generates slightly less pulling power at 330 Nm, it does this at 300 fewer revolutions per minute (1 200 rpm through to 2 400 rpm).
The competing Iveco Daily shows just how low these two Germans delve to get their power. The very reliable Italian 2,3-litre block churns its 270 Nm pulling power between a 3 200 rpm and 3 900 rpm — which is not so good for saving the green stuff.
What else is new in the new Crafter that matters? Well, the smaller engine enables the Crafter to carry up to 44 kg more weight than before. And for all die-hard tuners, the Crafter offers a user-programmable interface to the vehicle electronics.
As the VW presser coyly states: “It enables many customised options for controlling electronic functions.”
Drag race, anyone?
Competing vans
Crafter 2,0-litre BiTDI (120 kW 400 Nm ) 8,9 l/100km
Sprinter 315 CDI (110 kW/330 Nm) 9 l/100km
Sprinter 309 CDI (65 kW/200 Nm ) 9,5 l/100
Crafter 2,0 TDI (80 kW/400 Nm ) 9,6 l/100km
Iveco Daily 2,3 TDI (85 kW/270 Nm ) not available l/100km
