VW Crafter Wins RAC Award for Best Large Van 2009 - Article

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VW Crafter Wins RAC Award for Best Large Van 2009

VW Crafter range of vans has won the award for Best Large Van in the 2009 Van Fleet World Honours. The trophy was presented at a special ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall on Wednesday 20^th May. The Fleet World Honours are presented annually to those motor manufacturers, service companies and individuals who have, in the opinion of the judges, achieved the highest possible level of excellence in their sector. The judging panel is chaired by industry professional, George Emmerson, who has managed fleets at IBM, NHBC and Black Horse Agencies. Members of the judging panel include Ken Rogers, John Kendall, and Ross Durkin from Fleet World’s editorial team, and fleet manager Jackie Pomfrett. Residual value, maintenance cost and reliability data is also provided by ALD Automotive, Masterlease and ING Car Lease. Market value data is provided by EurotaxGlass, CAP Motor Research and Vehicle Information Publishing. Van Fleet World Editor John Kendall commented: ‘Both Mercedes and Volkswagen models are built in the same factory, distinguished by their individual front end designs. Both models were equipped with standard load-sensing ESP when launched in 2006 and were the first vans to be equipped with this technology. ‘The VW Crafter vans body volume span from 7.5 to 17.0 cubic metres thanks to four body lengths and three roof heights. Gross vehicle weights span 3,000kg to 5,000kg. Chassis and double cab models make up the ranges. Crafter engines are based on VW’s five-cylinder 2.5-litre TDI diesel engine. Power outputs span 88PS to 163PS. The VW Crafter will also get a revised engine range soon and VW claim reduced fuel consumption from the new engines. VW offers its Shiftmatic automated manual gearbox, while the Sprinter is available with Eco-Start, an automatic stop/start system that will turn-off the engine after it has been idling for two seconds. Pressing the clutch re-starts the engine. Despite its size, the van is surprisingly easy and car-like to drive.’ Commenting on the high level of interest in this year’s awards, Fleet World managing editor, Ross Durkin, said: ‘Despite the difficult economic conditions, we had a tremendous number of entries in this year’s Fleet World Honours – a sign not only of the significance of the awards themselves, but also of the tremendous level of service, innovation and competition that exist within the fleet industry today. Those who have won can be justifiably proud of their achievement.’ The rest of Volkswagen’s vans range comprise of the VW California, VW Caravelle, VW Caddy and VW Transporter models.

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