Volkswagen Crafter road test reports and car reviews

Volkswagen Crafter cr35 163 2008

Had my Crafter from new. It has now done 50,000 miles and it has spent more tme in the VW workshop than on road. This van has now developed an engine knock and is breathing from dipstick say VW - they all breath, my arse they do. And for the knock they think it’s the flywheel but I can’t get it through to them to check compression. I will never buy another VW.

Responses to this review

Crafter cr35 109, S**t van. Mine is a 2006 with only 20,000 miles. Warning lights are on and off like Blackpool illuminations!! It's needed a new ECU and now DPF, what next?! - Jim Scroll from England

I had a 2007 Crafter that was all the time in the workshop. After 120000 kms I got rid and bought another new van that had just 11000 kms on it when electronic valve packed in this is without doubt the worst van ever made !!!!!!!!!!!! Tom Lapp from Ireland

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.

Volkswagen Crafter LWB HI Top 158 2006

I work for an event company and we have 2 Crafter’s in the fleet, the 158 is without doubt the best of all our vans, it’s quick point to point and will cruise happily on long distances. The interior is well thought out and very comfortable, with drivers seat being able to be adjusted many ways to get yourself comfortable. The load space is a good size and almost perfect for what we carry. Economy is good on this van (although terrible on the Box van version we also have, the LWB using £36 less fuel on the same return trip from Manchester to London). All in all a good van although warning lights do appear time to time, mainly with ours its the engine management light which is quickly remedied by our local specialist (NOT VW).

Volkswagen Crafter 2006

I have had my Crafter 14 months, it has spent more time in the dealers garage then on the road. The vehicle has now only done 40,000 miles it has had three sets of brake callipers, a gear box out because problem obtaining the gears, the electric steering lock locked on would not come off and had to be recovered. following this it spent three weeks in the dealer trying to find the problem. The wipers stopped working when you put the indicator on. Leaks water in the passenger side. Dealer put new door seal on but it was put on back to front. It cuts out when you brake, causing the steering to lock up and resulting in a few near misses. Clutch pedal very noisy,keep having to grease linkage. Used 8 litres of oil in 11,000. All that aside its a good van!

Volkswagen Crafter 2.5TDi CR30 swb 88bhp 2006

Good large panel van. Good for load space and access. Nice cabin area, very comfortable and fully adjustable drivers position. Comes with ABS and ESP as standard as well as central locking, electric windows, cd player etc. It’s Volkswagen so you know it’s a reliable van. Just about everything you need really and drives very nicely indeed.