VOLKSWAGEN CRAFTER Van Lease

Now making more sense than ever before on the balance sheet, this is a contender better placed than most to take in its stride whatever your company can throw at it.

Once you settle into driving a large van like this, it’s a very commanding experience. You sit high up in quite a car-like position thanks to the upright steering wheel, enjoying a supportive seat that’s equipped with an armrest to prop a weary elbow on over longer trips.

As usual with any van, handling depends upon the weight you’re carrying – more weight equalling greater composure. That’s down to the way that the front axle is equipped with an anti-roll bar – a heavier duty fitment in more powerful models – that keeps bodyroll more in check than is the case with some of this vehicle’s rivals. As you might expect, it’s rear-wheel driven for extra traction.

You get a reasonably slick six-speed gearbox manual gearbox, or the full torque converter automatic transmission also developed for this model. In uban areas, the large windows afford good visibility and the large mirrors (which will be expensive to replace with their integral indicators) have a wide-angle mirror built-in at the bottom.

Volkswagen’s designers clearly felt that they could let the mid-term model update pass without some kind of mid-life styling nip and tuck. So there’s a slightly smarter front end intended to bring the design more into line with the stylistic look of company’s smaller van models. As before, the emphasis is on practicality. Take, for example, the non-slip step you’ll find on the central section of the bumper beneath the grille, useful whenyou want to step up and clean the windscreen. Along the side, tough rubbing strips that can be easily unclipped and replaced guard against minor knocks and scratches. And there are the usual impressively small panel gaps that emphasise the build quality advantage the Volkswagen enjoys over many of its rivals.

Moving inside is easy, thanks to a low step and a large door opening. And once in the cab, well, it’s much as before. There is a smarter, higher quality feel about the interior these days, thanks to a modified instrument cluster with cool white illumination and darker, more practical upholstery that’ll show less dirt and marks. As you’d expect, two or three people can comfortably travel side by side in the front, but if you’re not using the middle seat, you can pull down its centre section and turn it into a table complete with two upholders and a pen-holder – ideal if you’ve paperwork to complete or if you’re stopping somewhere to have a bite of lunch.

There’s plenty of space for all your odds and ends, with storage spaces aplenty. You get a large bin in each of the doors big enough to store a large road atlas and a 1. 5-litre drinks bottle. Then there are large shelves above the windscreen and more shelves (one of which is big enough for an A4-sized clipboard) on top of the fascia. There are no fewer than five cupholders and a handy dash-mounted clip to deal with stray paperwork. You also get a large glovebox that can be air-conditioned to keep drinks cool. And useful jacket hooks on the B-pillars.

As for equipment, all Crafter models come with a sliding side door, an MP3-compatible CD stereo, electric windows, a 12v power socket, a Thatcham Category 1 alarm, electric windows and heat-reflective glass. There’s also a remote central locking system that helpfully activates automatically when you go over 10mph, to stop undesirables trying the doors and getting in when you stop at the lights. The locking system can also individually lock the cab or the load bay for greater security when you’re loading or unloading.

Perhaps the most important development safety-wise is the adoption of a cleverer ESP stability control system, standard across the range, that can adjust itself based on the prevailing weight of the vehicle and adapt itself to acceleration, speed and brake pressure. There’s TCS traction control and the ABS braking system is made more effective by EBD Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and helped by a Brake Assist system in emergency stops advertised to following motorists by automatically activating hazard warning lights.

The only issue this vehicle used to have centred upon its running costs, but these are now amongst the most efficient in the class thanks to the adoption of a far cleaner and more frugal set of 2. 0 TDI diesel engines.

The vehicle feels – and is – built to last and will still be going strong at a point when most of its rivals will be falling to pieces. Enough said.