The updated 2025 Volkswagen Crafter will arrive in local showrooms during the second half of this year, the company has confirmed, which will bring significant advancements in technology.
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Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia recently confirmed at the launch of the Crafter Kampervan by Jayco that the upgraded model will arrive in the coming months, complete with an overhauled cabin that will bring its largest van in line with much of Volkswagen's range of passenger vehicles.
Revealed in March, the updated Crafter looks very much like the vehicle currently on sale from the outside, but inside it has been upgraded with the brand's new infotainment interface seen in the Golf Hatch as well as upcoming products like the next Tiguan and the ID. electric vehicle family.
In the centre of the dashboard is a free-standing infotainment touchscreen. The standard unit measures 10.3 inches diagonally, while top-spec models have a 12.9-inch touchscreen. The infotainment system includes natural language recognition, and a digital voice assistant with ChatGPT artificial intelligence integration.
Ahead of the driver is the brand's latest steering wheel design, which includes traditional buttons on the steering wheel spokes, behind which is a standard digital instrumentation display.
VW Commercial Vehicles Australia has also confirmed the new Crafter will offer an enhanced range of driver assistance systems again in line with the passenger lineup, including semi-autonomous highway driving courtesy of a new Travel Assist function – which combines adaptive cruise, lane centring and Traffic Jam Assist features.
In Europe the following safety features are now standard: autonomous emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian monitoring, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, speed limiter, and rear parking sensors.
Optional in VW's home region is Emergency Assist, which can apply automatic braking and pull the car safely over to the side of the road.
Updated Crafter models have an electronic parking brake with controls situated next to the instrument cluster. Current models have a traditional handbrake next to the driver's seat – the change, Volkswagen says, makes it easier to step through to the rear, as well as rotate the driver's seat 180 degrees.
Among the changes made to the dashboard to accommodate the larger touchscreen options is a cubby large enough to hold a smartphone. The central pair of air vents has been relocated to underneath the screen. Models with a manual transmission still have a gear shifter sticking out of the bottom of the dashboard.
In automatic variants, this space hosts another open-air storage cubby as there's now a wand-style shifter behind the steering wheel rather than an old-school stick. Other upgrades include USB-C ports in the dashboard in place of the old Type-A outlets, as well as a new USB-C port at the top of the windscreen.
The Crafter is currently offered in Australia with a choice of two 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engines, one making 103kW and 340Nm, and the other producing 130kW and 410Nm. Volkswagen says these will carry over unchanged for the updated model locally.
It's understood these changes will filter into the locally converted Kampervan by Jayco in 2025.
Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au
