A promising year for Volkswagen South Africa, the local arm of the German marque has announced a raft of new models — and derivatives of existing line-ups — will be introduced to South Africa in the coming 12 months. Among these are the highly anticipated Golf 8.5, Tayron, base T-Cross models and, from the Wolfsburg-based automaker’s Commercial Vehicles arm, the seventh-generation (T7) Transporter and the car you see here, the updated Crafter.
When will the updated Volkswagen Crafter launch in South Africa?
The updated Volkswagen Crafter is penned in to launch in South Africa in the first half of 2025.
Updated Volkswagen Crafter engines and transmissions
The updated Crafter model range will be available with the choice of three new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine options, available in 103 kW, 120 kW and 130 kW states of tune, respectively. A duo of transmission options — an eight-speed automatic cog swapper and six-speed manual gearbox — and a trio of drivetrains will be on offer. The latter includes front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and 4Motion all-wheel drive.
Updated Volkswagen Crafter specifications
As standard, all Crafter derivatives ship with a digital instrument binnacle; 10.3-inch, touch-enabled infotainment display, replete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto screen mirroring; a multifunction steering wheel; wireless smartphone charging; manual air conditioning; keyless start; and fore and aft park distance sensors.
In a bid to offer customers “maximum flexibility”, the updated Crafter is available in three body lengths. Depending on the model, the fresh-faced Crafter measures 5 900 mm, 6 840 mm or 7 390 mm, front to rear. In addition, the panel-van variants can be had with one of three roof heights — 2 350 mm, 2 590 mm or 2 790 mm. According to Volkswagen, depending on the derivative, the facelifted Crafter’s maximum gross vehicle weight ranges from 3.5 tonnes to five tonnes.
Drawing on the design of the sixth-generation (T6.1) Transporter, Volkswagen says the updated Crafter offers the greatest possible payload capacity. In addition, the revised range offers a maximum cargo capacity of 17.5 m3.The argo space’s height measures 2 096 mm.
