Volkswagen Crafter Road Test Reports and Car Reviews

Volkswagen Crafter mwb hi top 109 2008

I work for a maintenance firm and we have 5 Crafter’s. I drive a 58 reg 109 ps mwb hi top crafter.The van is a good size for my work and is nice to drive. The interior is comfortable and is well equipped as standard. The engine size of mine being 109 ps is what lets it down; it does not like hills and feels very gutless. It reminds me of the old Escort vans we used to drive; but in the performance stakes it does not seem to matter what gear it’s in going up hill it will only do 65 and if you change down a gear nothing happens - the noise from the engine just gets louder. The van has used 1 litre of oil every 6500 miles - apparently this is normal according to VW. This costs around £20 from the dealer as its special oil. The van has traction control which works well and it can be turned off but as soon as the wheel slips it just turns its self back on - not useful when you are trying to drive in snowy conditions as it just makes horrible noises and wont go anywhere! Having said all this, it has not gone wrong yet and is comfortable to drive. It has a 6 speed gearbox although this seems to be a bit stiff when cold. The build quality feels solid but it is a little flimsy; this can be seen when opening the back doors and the side of the van flexes quite a lot. I had the misfortune of lightly tapping a post with the front wing and it completely crumbled and the whole wing needed replacing.