Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan 2024 Review

Volkswagen Australia has again partnered up with big-selling RV manufacturer Jayco to deliver the new and improved GEN2 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan, only available at VW dealerships and sharply priced from $157,990 plus on-road costs.

It’s based on the high-roof, long-wheelbase, all-wheel drive Crafter delivery van and is aimed at adventurous types who are after a relatively compact but still comfortably equipped ‘home away from home’ that’s also set up for some off-the-grid camping. Volkswagen is hoping to build on the success of the first sell-out, locally-modified Crafter Kampervan with just over 60 GEN2 Kampervans expected to be produced in 2024, with more to come based on the upgraded Crafter in 2025.

The 2024 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan GEN2 is priced from $157,990 plus on-road costs – around $7000 more than the original Jayco-converted Kampervan launched in 2022.

However, it arguably offers better value for money than the original, with a number of improvements based on customer feedback including more internal storage thanks partly to a new fixed rear bed, and the fitment of a larger 12V lithium battery system for running more electrical appliances for longer, away from caravan parks.

Two Crafter Kampervan variants will be offered by select Volkswagen dealers: the entry-level Kampervan Style, which gets 17-inch alloy wheels with highway tyres, priced from $157,990 plus on-road costs; and the more off-road-focused Kampervan All-Terrain fitted with Seikel underbody protective guards, a 50mm lift kit, snorkel and 16-inch black steel wheels with all-terrain tyres, from $165,490 plus ORCs.

Both variants come standard with solid white paint, with the option of silver or grey metallic paint ($2385) or white/blue, white/red, white/beige metallic or silver/grey two-tone paint ($4065).

All GEN2 Crafter Kampervan models are based on the Volkswagen Crafter TDI410 4MOTION delivery van, measuring 6.8 metres long, 2.0m wide and up to 2.9m high.

The Crafter base vehicle gets a 4300kg GVM upgrade and a second vehicle battery and 250A alternator fitted under the bonnet, before heading to the Jayco factory in Dandenong, Victoria, for the full turn-key campervan conversion.

Volkswagen Australia executives said the company had worked more closely with Jayco this time to ensure an uplift in automotive OEM levels of fit and finish for the Kampervan GEN2.

Like the original batch of Kampervans, the plan is to offer around 60 examples of the Kampervan GEN2 in 2024, with more planned for production in 2025, based on an upgraded Crafter van due to arrive in Australia soon.

Sold through select VW dealerships, the Kampervan is backed by Volkswagen’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty and five-year roadside assist package, with a comprehensive nationwide support network provided by Volkswagen and Jayco outlets.

The 2024 Volkswagen Crafter TDI410 4MOTION base vehicle for the GEN2 Kampervan comes well-equipped, including a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel that allows drivers to control audio, call management, cruise control and trip computer display options.

It also benefits from swivelling and well-cushioned cloth-upholstered front seats with folding arm rests, along with electric-folding mirrors, power windows and LED headlights and daytime running lights.

The centre of the dash is dominated by the 8.0-inch multimedia system, with integrated satellite navigation and voice commands, Bluetooth, VW’s App Connect platform and (wireless) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, along with four speakers.

Together with an upgraded 400Ah 12V lithium battery system, the camping fit-out includes a Fiamma wind-out awning, 9kg gas bottle and gas bayonet, an internal shower and cassette toilet along with an external shower, a kitchen with 240V microwave, Dometic twin gas burner cooktop with glass lid, sink with mixer tap, a 90-litre 12V compressor Thetford fridge/freezer, and a queen-size bed with pillow-top inner-spring mattress.

Other standard camping features include a Dometic Harrier Lite air-conditioner, Eberspacher diesel space heater, on-demand gas hot water, twin 12V fans, Furrion 24-inch TV/DVD and Bluetooth stereo with internal/external speakers, and a Winegard Wi-Fi extender and digital TV aerial.

To sweeten the deal, the Kampervan also comes with a Volkswagen Genuine camping table and two chairs, along with other camping essentials like a blanket and duvet, chopping board, electrical leads and water hoses.

The 2024 Volkswagen Crafter base vehicle has not been assessed under the ANCAP framework, although the independent crash-test authority has previously ranked it highly against its competitors in terms of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) performance.

The model you see here includes a substantial safety suite for a commercial vehicle of its type including front, side and curtain airbags for both the driver and front passenger, along with stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and a driver fatigue monitor.

The top-spec Crafter Kampervan van also boasts other driver aids like front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, hill hold assist and an electronic differential lock.

Automatic LED headlights, auto wipers, LED daytime running lights and front fog lights with cornering function are also included, as are other driver assistant aids like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, rear traffic alert and blind spot monitoring.

One of the big selling points of the Jayco-built 2024 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan GEN2 is its uprated and fully integrated 12V/240V power set-up designed for today’s power-hungry off-grid campers.

This includes a Projecta 400Ah lithium battery with 240V 30A DC charger, 60A DC-DC charger and a 3000W inverter, all neatly packaged in a compartment under the bed and largely controlled by a Lippert touch-screen panel conveniently located above the dinette.

Also mounted on the roof alongside the TV aerial and Wi-Fi extender is a 200W solar panel, with the option of adding a solar blanket on the windscreen that plugs into a vehicle-mounted Anderson plug.

Volkswagen says the on-board battery and inverter will be enough to run the rooftop air-conditioner for up to seven hours at a time when not plugged in to mains power, or up to three days or more running less power-hungry appliances like the microwave or perhaps a portable coffee machine that you bring from home.

Under the bonnet of the 2024 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan is VW’s TDI410 BlueMotion 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel, which feeds maximum outputs of 130kW at 3600rpm and 410Nm at 2000rpm to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The BlueMotion refers to the inclusion of an automatic engine idle-stop system plus energy recuperation via regenerative braking (said to boost alternator output when braking, thereby reducing the load on the engine when accelerating).

The Kampervan comes with a 75-litre fuel tank and also requires AdBlue.

We drove both variants of the 2024 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan – Style and All-Terrain – over a mix of semi-urban tarmac and faster motorways, carrying only a limited amount of gear in both.

After each driving stint over different routes, the vehicles returned an average fuel economy of 10.2/100km (Style) and 12.1L/100km (All-Terrain), which equates to a driving range of at least 625km – although this would be reduced with a full load on board.

The 2024 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan offers a commanding and comfortable view from the driver’s seat, with good visibility through the large windscreen and enough room for longer legs to stretch out on a long-distance drive.

There’s space for two additional passengers on the bench seat behind, with two seat belts as well as top tether strap points for child seats, although with only the queen bed they may need to sleep outside in a tent.

The 130kW/410Nm twin-turbo diesel engine in conjunction with the eight-speed auto delivers smooth, punchy performance in most driving conditions, with just some wind noise and a few rattles from loose items in the rear of the camper to spoil the serenity.

The slick transmission does a good job of keeping engine revs to around 2000rpm at most times, with fuel economy ranging between 10-12L/100km on the two vehicles we tested, both with a 75-litre fuel tank.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the somewhat sporty handling, decent steering and braking of the 3500kg-odd unladen camper, with the All-Terrain Kampervan cornering with enough confidence to keep up with other vehicles on a twisty mountain pass without any squealing tyres or losing our lunch.

Some of the driver electronics like lane keep assist can be intrusive on twisty country roads with solid white lines, although they are easily switched off. The rear-view camera and parking sensors are a blessing when backing into tighter camping spots.

We also found the Kampervan All-Terrain with its jacked-up suspension and off-road rubber not only the better option for travelling along light off-road tracks like graded gravel, but also delivers a nicer ride on rougher patches of bitumen, with less crashing and thumping over potholes than experienced in the lower-slung Kampervan Style.

Setting up the 2024 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan for an overnight camp is super-easy, as is accessing and using the camping features.

A flat floor provides unhindered access from the front seats straight into the internal living area, or you can enter via the passenger side manual sliding door with a powered entry step to help out if you need it.

If you’re feeling energetic you can also jump straight onto the high-mounted bed at the rear after opening the twin, 270-degree barn doors.

Some of the switches including the master kill switch and various displays are located on a panel above the dinette, including the Lippert ‘smart’ touch-screen and gauges for monitoring solar, battery and water usage – the camper has 120 litres of fresh water storage and an 80-litre grey water tank that will allow you to camp in remote areas including national parks.

The permanent rear sleeping area is queen-bed width (1.8m) and comprises two single coil-spring mattresses with pillow tops. Taller types may run out of legroom when stretching out, while anyone over 1.85m tall may also need to stoop a bit when moving around the motorhome due to the AWD platform raising the floor and cutting into available headroom.

Not surprisingly, the enclosed bathroom cubicle is also a tight fit, however it’s got just about everything you need including a flexible shower hose, sink and tap, toilet roll holder, cassette toilet and exhaust fan, plus a full-length mirror and towel hooks on the outside.

The kitchen is also well fitted-out, including a larger sink with mixer tap, twin gas burner cooktop, a microwave and a new slide-out fridge/freezer that’s easier to grab a coldie from, although there’s no rangehood so you’ll need to open some windows to let out the cooking smells.

If the weather’s good you can also take a hot/cold shower outside, with a separate outlet and hose at the rear, not far from the gas bayonet for hooking up a gas BBQ if you decide to bring one.

The removeable table top with height-adjustable leg that’s normally located up front to create a four-person dinette can also be slotted into the side of the van near the sliding door, near another slot for the TV if you want to watch the footy outside.

When not in use, the VW camping table and chairs fold up and slot neatly into holders on the inside of the barn doors.

While dedicated interior storage is still at a premium, there are more options than before to make the most of the 700kg-plus payload, including a large slot under the bed accessed at the rear, which includes a slide-out trundle tray big enough for a second portable fridge, with a plug-in socket and LED light nearby.

There’s also more storage space under the front bench seat, along with side compartments alongside and above the bed, some pull-out clothes drawers, and cutlery and pot drawers in the kitchen.

When it comes to night-time privacy, generating a through-breeze or just keeping the bugs out, there are inbuilt, drop-down flyscreens and block-out blinds for the main rear and side openings, suction-cupped solar screens for the windscreen and front side windows, plus a couple of fixed, side-sliding windows on both sides with built-in blinds and screens.

An outside light is complemented by internal LED strip lights and some reading lights with USB sockets not far from the 12V fans over the bed, to go with external and internal 12V and 240V sockets and a mains power inlet on the driver’s side.

There’s a lot to like about the 2024 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan GEN2, especially if you’re in the market for a compact, ready-to-go motorhome.

It’s certainly a good looker as far as mid-size, Australian-built campervans go, with its ‘limo-tint’ black side glass panels and optional retro Kombi-style two-tone paint and matte-black All Terrain extras making it stand out from the pack.

It’s also compact enough to not make it too intimidating to drive or park, while the extra $7500 for the All-Terrain pack is money well spent for heading off on some dirt road adventures, or even the occasional beach run.

It’s also competitively priced compared to other local AWD off-grid-style campervan conversions, with only a few issues like the restricted headroom and bed length, and the removal of the larger internal dinette area, being potential deal-breakers for some buyers.

One thing’s for sure, if it’s as popular as the first one, you’ll want to get your order in quick before the 2024-2025 production slots are all snapped up.

2024 Volkswagen Crafter Kampervan at a glance:
Price: From $157,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel
Output: 130kW/410Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.1L/100km (as tested, Kampervan All-Terrain)
CO2: To be confirmed
Safety rating: Not tested