Subtle changes have been applied to the Crafter that went on-sale in 2017. Image: Volkswagen
Showcased in a series of sketch drawings at the end of last year, Volkswagen now revealed actual images and more details of the facelift Crafter van.
Penned-in for an official market unveiling in Europe next month, the Crafter’s visual tweaks are minor and consistent of a redesigned front bumper, noticeably slimmer headlights and a new grille with two as opposed to three slats.
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While the rear has not been altered significantly, the interior has undergone an extensive overhaul by featuring a new steering wheel with physical buttons, a 10-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster display as standard, and restyled air vents.
Also new is the 10.3-inch infotainment system from the electric ID.Buzz, or as an option, the bigger 12.9-inch. Integrated into both is an improved voice recognition system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as ChatGPT.
Furthering the restyling are touch-sensitive controls with illuminated sliders for the climate control at the base of the infotainment screen, type-C USB ports, an electronic and, on automatic variants, relocation of the gear lever from the base of the dashboard to the steering column.
On the safety front, Volkswagen has also made similar changes by making Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Keep Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking and rear parking sensors standard across the Crafter range.
Available as options is Emergency Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and for the first time, the semi-autonomous Travel Assist system.
Initially only offered as either a high-roof minibus or a panel van in standard and what Volkswagen calls super roof configurations, the Crafter will be offered at a later stage with a heavy-duty package comprising dual rear wheels with gross weight mass of 5 500 kg, plus a single or double chassis cab and two additional roof types.
Mechanically, the pre-facelift model’s solitary 2.0 TDI engine has been kept with the same power outputs; 103 kW, 120 kW and 130 kW in bi-turbo form.
Depending on the model, the amount of twist goes to the front, rear or all four wheels through either a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional eight-speed Tiptronic.
Already listed by Volkswagen Germany priced from €53 068 (R1 089 755), the facelift Volkswagen Crafter will again be built at the dedicated commercial vehicle plant in Września, Poland with availability for South Africa confirmed, albeit without a date of market arrival announced so far.
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