Volkswagen has announced the all-wheel drive version of its new Crafter large van, the Crafter 4MOTION, is now on sale in Australia.
Priced from $57,590 plus on-roads, Volkswagen says the on-demand 4MOTION driveline adds a $4500 premium to the otherwise front-drive Crafter.
Related reading:
2019 Volkswagen Crafter 4MOTION: review
2019 Volkswagen Crafter: review
Volkswagen unveils new Crafter
The Volkswagen Crafter 4MOTION is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder 'TDI410 BlueMotion' turbo-diesel, which delivers a claimed maximum output of 130kW at 3600rpm and 410Nm at 2000rpm via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
As with front-drive Crafter models, the Crafter 4MOTION comes standard with a 3550 kilogram gross vehicle mass (GVM), but can be upgraded to 4000 kilograms for heavier applications if required.
The Volkswagen Crafter 4MOTION is available in both van and cab/chassis variants, with the former in medium and long wheelbases and the latter in long wheelbases in both single- and dual-cab formats.
Formerly twinned with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter platform, the all-new Crafter is now a purely Volkswagen affair, produced by the German automotive giant in its dedicated Crafter production facility in Wrzesnia, Poland.
Volkswagen says the Crafter boasts "best-in-class" active and passive safety features, including front and side airbags, collision warning with autonomous emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, driver fatigue detection and crosswind mitigation as standard.
In addition, the Crafter 4MOTION can be optioned with further assistance features including parking assist, rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, sensor-based side assist and adaptive cruise control.
A mechanical differential lock can also be specified, as can hill descent control, while for fleet use Volkswagen says the Crafter 4MOTION can be configured for integration with fleet telematics systems.
The new Volkswagen Crafter 4MOTION is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty and an optional Volkswagen Care Plan. This caps servicing costs to $1400 for three years or $2300 for five years and includes complimentary roadside assistance, provided the vehicle is maintained by authorised Volkswagen dealers in accordance to the factory service schedule.
A total of 442 new Volkswagen Crafters have been sold in Australia over the first half of 2019 (VFACTS data). This places the Crafter at number five on the large van sales chart behind the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (1571 units), Renault Master (701), Iveco Daily (681) and Ford Transit (544), but just ahead of the Fiat Ducato (432 units).