Volkswagen Crafter - delivered from Poland
Its production is located only in Poland. From here he will go to the farthest corners of the globe. By the way, it brings a lot of innovations to the segment of the largest vans on the market. This is a brand new Crafter.
Work in Wrzesna is still ongoing, with a few weeks left before mass production starts, and the official opening of the plant will take place on 24 October. Pre-assembly is already underway, but it's time for engineers to make the necessary adjustments before the line is up and running. The factory is nearing completion, but the tape is still far away. The to-do list includes cleaning up the area around the plant or completing a railway line. Perhaps that is why the official presentation of the latest generation of Crafter took place in Frankfurt.
Marriages are common in the commercial vehicle industry, with manufacturers allying with competitors to jointly create a new model to compete in this challenging market. The previous generation Crafter had a twin in the form of the Sprinter because Volkswagen partnered with Mercedes for this purpose. This time, the new Crafter has no relatives among other brands, as it is Volkswagen's own development.
Such an ambitious goal comes with ambitious sales assumptions. True, last year Volkswagen sold about 50 2018 cars worldwide. Craft stuff. There are much higher hopes for the new model. Next year is the time for the implementation of new car options and the time to reach full production capacity, provided that the plant will operate in three shifts. Once it reaches 100, cars will roll off the assembly line. Craftsmen. How is this possible? September will be the only plant producing this model, and it is from here that the cars will be shipped to countries as far away as Argentina, South Africa and Australia.
Style Volkswagen
Stylists have a hard job with vans. The rear part of the body is, as it were, combined with the cab. On the other hand, the car should resemble other models of the brand. In the case of the Crafter, this was done brilliantly, helped by Volkswagen's current styling philosophy of lots of straight lines and sharp cutouts. This is the style that the delivery van fits in perfectly. Therefore, the brand is easy to guess not only by the rather characteristic shape of the elements of the rear lights, but also by the front apron characteristic of Wolfsburg. This is especially noticeable on higher-priced versions equipped with optional LED headlights for daytime running lights. Despite the rather "angular" appearance, the drag coefficient is only 0,33, which is the best in its class.
The new Crafter is similar in style primarily to the smaller sixth generation Transporter. This is important because together they create a cohesive look when standing next to each other, which is not the case with most competitor cars.
Vertigo variant
There is no compromise version for everyone in this class of vans. That is why Crafter can be ordered in one of almost seventy variants. The box-type body can be one of three lengths (5,99 m, 6,84 m, 7,39 m). The first was based on a shorter wheelbase (3,64 m), the other two - on a longer one (4,49 m). Three roof heights are also provided, which in total allow you to order one of six varieties for the front-wheel drive version from 9,9 to 18,4 m3 of cargo.
If the customer primarily cares about space, he should choose the front-wheel drive version. The absence of a rear axle allowed the floor to be lowered by 10 cm, resulting in a loading threshold at a height of approximately 57 cm. The disadvantage of this solution for customers transporting heavy loads is the limited load capacity, the maximum permissible weight reaches 4 tons in the most robust versions.
The front-wheel drive will work on normal roads, but construction companies, for example, may need something to handle dirt. For such customers, a 4Motion drive is provided. It uses a system known from smaller Volkswagen models, equipped with a Haldex viscous coupling. Also in this case, the permissible total weight is up to 4 tons.
Looking for record-breaking payloads will have to wait until mid-2017. The Wrzesna plant will then begin production of the rear-wheel drive version. In this case, the cargo volume will be reduced, as in the 4Motion versions, but the payload will be increased. This will depend, among other things, on whether the rear axle will be equipped with single or dual wheels. The permissible gross weight of the latest Crafters will be 5,5 tons.
Vans of this class are best sold in Poland, but the offer of this model does not end there. From the start of production, the Crafter with a flat hold will also be available. It comes in two wheelbases with two body lengths (6,2 and 7,0 m), each with a single cab and a double cab. The latter can even accommodate a crew of seven in a 3+4 configuration.
The interior, like the exterior, is typical Volkswagen style. The steering wheel, dashboard or dashboard panels are elements associated with only one brand, and it is difficult to confuse the Crafter with any other model. While retaining a resemblance to the smaller models, it has also been possible to give the interior a typically functional character. The dashboard is divided into two levels. Thanks to this, it was possible to find a lot of space for various kinds of small items. On the shaft there are two notches for cups, on the left is a USB connector, on the right is a 12V connector. At the bottom there are two more 12V sockets. The lockable glove box in front of the passenger seat is large enough to fit even a large binder.
The power of one heart
Under the Crafter's hood, you'll find an engine with the factory code "EA 288 Commercial", commonly known as the 2.0 TDI CR. It will be supplied to European markets, including Poland, in three versions that comply with the Euro 6 standard. The first reaches 102 hp, the second - 140 hp, all thanks to one turbine. The most powerful biturbo version boasts 177 hp. Front-wheel drive and 4Motion versions will have transverse engines, while rear-wheel drive versions will have longitudinal engines. Regardless of which drive is selected, the engines work with a six-speed manual transmission, or an optional eight-speed automatic.
Front suspension - McPherson struts, rear - driven axle with coil springs or leaf springs. For the first time in the Crafter, an electromechanical power steering was used, which made it possible to add many modern assistance systems to the list of equipment, such as Lane Keeping Assist, Parking Assist, Trailer Assist. Of course, this is not the end, because the new Crafter, as befits a modern car, can also be equipped with adaptive cruise control with a stop function, a collision avoidance system with automatic braking, a reversing assistant or a collision brake.
Just like in cars, Crafter can also be equipped with modern multimedia systems that allow you to connect mobile devices through various inputs, as well as support Mirror Link, Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. This is for driver convenience, and Crafter fleet operators will appreciate the FMS Fleet Management interface, a first for this class of vehicle, which gives access to telematics features.
If the basic offer is not enough, the Września plant has its own department where vehicles will be tailored to the specific needs of customers. The market debut of Volkswagen's largest commercial vehicle will take place shortly after the official opening of the plant.
