Best Volkswagen Vans

By far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Bought a T4 1997 2.5 Petrol automatic camper conversion (Trakka) with 88,000 kms. Consistent service… Read more

history, owner changed oils every 10K and had receipts of parts being replaced such as tyres. Only it wasn't driven much, perhaps on a couple trips a year. The camper conversion was fantastic! Even fridge and plumbing still fine after 28 years. Sadly, that's about the best I can say about the vehicle.

Within two months and less than 1,000 kms of driving, I already had to replace these components as they were malfunctioning or irreparably faulty:

Refrigerant, Alternator, Battery, Drive belt, Fuel pump, Fuel filter, MAF sensor, O2 sensor, Catalytic converter (!), Transmission fluid and filter, Transmission had a leak - why?, Timing belt (and water pump with it)

And now, it still isn't fully driveable, because the torque converter seems to be on the way out! So after spending over $5K (that was meant to be for fuel) on diagnostics, parts and labour, it sounds like I have to have a whole new transmission. And the air-con compressor may be on the way out. After all the above, I could live with that in comparison.

Positives: it is comfortable to drive. Lots of space in the cabin, comfortable seats, armrest, steers well, turns well. It has that good 'driving experience' which is perhaps VW's best asset. It's hard to enjoy your drive when you're constantly worrying if that sound you're starting to hear is yet another $2,000 part breaking down.

In comparison, I've had an 'unreliable' 2007 Ford Focus for three years and have had done nothing to it other than CV joints, battery and tyres! What a world of difference. After this experience I would never recommend a German car to anyone unless you are just after the prestige. But even then you should get Audi or Mercedes. VW has none of the prestige but all of the cost after you factor in the constant expensive repairs you will be doing.

Still going strong, at approx. 230000kms, we will have this for hopefully another 100,000kms, converted for wheelchair van access and has outlasted… Read more

many other models that people I know have i.e. Kia, it's excellent on diesel fuel as well, very important given the current fuel prices

Beware warranty not worth paper it is on – Had issues with new SWB caddy. Injectors and then Catalytic converter. It was new, filled with correct fuel and despite this had to get it towed.… Read more

Dealer claimed it was my fault. Not covered under warranty. Total crap. Despite paying, not fixed. Asked Volkswagen Aust for help with dealer, they just ignored the issue despite shoddy repair and claims of what the issue was. All other warranty issues now invalidated due to this being blamed if anything occurs. Well practiced behavior by Dealer .... and Volkswagen

There are pros and cons to these vans. Overall in my experience, I would never buy a VW again. I purchased this van (RWD, LWB) to replace my 2020… Read more

Mercedes Benz Sprinter as I change vehicles approx every 4 years.

What attracted me to the VW was the fact it was over $20,000 cheaper than a new merc. It didn’t take me long to realise why…

Cons: - worst turning circle of any vehicle I’ve ever driven - noticeably worse fuel economy compared to the merc despite the same size engine - Apple car play doesn’t work properly & half your callers can’t hear you at all. - worst reverse camera I’ve ever seen - much lower undercarriage clearance than the merc - 8 speed auto transmission can’t work out what gear it wants - service intervals are twice that of merc

Besides that and compared to the merc, they aren’t as comfortable to drive and the engine is noisier. The last merc sprinter I owned (516 LWB, 2020 model) had 200,000km on it and it was still more comfortable and enjoyable to drive than the brand new VW.

Expect to be doing 3 point turns at roundabouts if you own one of these vans. To think a vehicle manufacturer that has been around as long as VW still don’t know how to make a van with a proper turning circle makes no sense to me. It becomes obvious when approaching some of the smaller roundabouts that I won’t make it.. I then have to dangerously hold up traffic as I attempt a 3 point turn to get around it - something I’ve never had to experience on any van before of any brand. Can you imagine doing this with a trailer attached?

I have been told the Renault Master is also bad in terms of turning circle, but I can’t speak from experience as to whether it’s better or worse than the VW. Just know that this is a real and extremely frustrating thing with the VW. I constantly misjudge reversing into driveways even though I drive the van most days - the turning circle is just so bad I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.

One of the first things I noticed with this van was the fuel gauge going down noticeably faster than the merc. After looking into it, I realised that the main cause is the fact it revs between 100-300RPM more than the merc at any given speed. Over time, this adds up significantly with fuel consumption.

Facts: - At 80km/h, VW sits @ 1800+rpm while the merc sprinter sits comfortably @ 1700rpm. - At 100km/h, VW sits @ 2200rpm while the merc is @ 2000rpm. - At 110km/h, VW sits @ 2500rpm while the merc sits @ 2250rpm. - At 115km/h, VW sits @ 2600rpm while the merc sits at 2300rpm.

Another extremely frustrating thing with these vans is the Apple car play system. Every second caller can’t hear me at all - it’s got to the point where I have to answer the phone asking “hello can you hear me”?. Once I realise they can’t, I’m forced to use the phones loud speaker to take the call. You can imagine how annoying this is. After speaking with other VW owners and VW dealership themselves, I’m told it’s a common problem and they are too dumb to know how to fix it. The mercs apple car play was faultless.

The reverse camera displays a very low quality image. Very unclear. The worst I’ve seen in any branded vehicle. Useless cr#p pops up on the screen every time I use reverse making it even more annoying.

Expect the towbar to scrape people’s driveways or the undercarriage to get stuck on a driveway with a small hump. This causes damage to the van and the driveway. Another problem I never encountered with the merc even when it was loaded heavier than the VW. You also can't open the rear barn doors when a trailer is attached - it hits the hitch handle! Some of the dumb things VW have done in the making of these vans is laughable.

You’d think the 8 speed auto would be more state of the art than the 7 speed the merc has to offer. The VW’s is cr#p. Can’t decide what gear it wants up hills and keeps changing trying to work out what it wants. If I compare this to the Merc, night & day difference. The mercs gear changes are very precise and quick. Knows what gear it needs and wastes no time in getting there.

VW crafter service intervals are 20,000km. Merc sprinters are 40,000km.

I quickly realised the $20,000+ saving I thought I was getting when buying the VW was not a saving at all. By the time I minus the extra fuel consumption & service intervals over the next 4 years, I’m probably worse off.

As for the pros of this van, I can say that mechanically it is better/more reliable than the Merc so far. In each of the 3 sprinters i owned, I had engine issues before the 15,000km point. As I write this, the VW has 21,000km on it and I have experienced no engine issues at all. I prefer the VW dash as it is more simple without all the annoying buttons when all you want is a simple feature.

The VW also has 12v sockets in the cargo area where the merc doesnt.

That’s about it. I will edit & add more to this over the next few years with updated info specifically on the engine & reliability. If I get a lengthy amount of kilometres out of the engine trouble-free, I’ll upgrade my rating to 3 stars max. Due to the major inconveniences mentioned above, the bad outweighs the good in all other areas.

UPDATE FEB 2026 Surprisingly, it's just hit 60,000km and the engine hasn't missed a beat. The only benefit i have found with this van over the Sprinter is the fact it's more reliable. Having said that, i've just ordered another Sprinter i am done with VW. The turning circle & Apple car play is enough for me to get rid of this after just over a year of ownership. The reverse camera too.