Volkswagen updates second generation Crafter with electric brake

Volkswagen has updated its second generation Crafter, giving the vehicle an electric brake for the first time, thus making it easier to swivel the cab seats.

Some 354,000 of the new second-generation vehicle had already been sold by the end of 2022, with a significant number forming the base vehicles for a wide range of models, including VW’s own Grand California.

The updated vans, which will first go on sale in Europe in April this year, will now come with a new cockpit landscape, including a new standard 10.3-inch or 12.9-inch infotainment display, with a graphic interface that was originally unveiled in the ID. Buzz.

The gear lever will remain in the central console with manual transmission vehicles, while in automatic models, there will be a drinks holder in its place.

There are new standard safety features, in particular for models weighing over 3.5 tonnes (the full range goes up to 5.5 tonnes). This includes a blind spot warning about any pedestrians or cyclists in the blind spot to the side of the van, and automatic braking if necessary when you are turning and suddenly face oncoming traffic.

Both of these features are cost options in lighter vans. Travel assist will also be available as an option for the first time. This brings adaptive cruise control and lane assist into
one combined function.

The base vehicle can make a big difference when choosing the best campervan, and Volkswagen has certainly proved popular, coming out on top in the Best New Base Vehicle category at the recent Owner Satisfaction Awards.

Another base vehicle manufacturer, Renault, has unveiled its all-new Master van recently too, which comes with a new profile and can be adapted for hydrogen power, while Citroen is set to launch its own campervan.

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PeterBaber

Peter Baber is Reviews Editor of both Practical Motorhome and Practical Caravan. He has been reviewing motorhomes for the best part of a decade now. His first caravan reviews date back to the early 1990s when he first worked on Practical Caravan, before he embarked on a 20-year career in business journalism which saw him edit a wide variety of magazines, and launch a few too, including one that won an award. Although he enjoyed that, he always knew he wanted to come back. Peter reports on all the new models that make it to dealer forecourts each season, giving his judgement online and in magazine reviews. He has twice been shortlisted for a Caravan Writers Guild award. When he is not working, apart from going on motorhome trips himself (mostly local to where he lives in West Yorkshire, but also last year right across France) he likes trying to write novels, cooking, throwing the odd pot, and has just taken up tennis.