Volkswagen's Crafter van engine improves performance and fuel economy, while also reducing exhaust emissions.
Volkswagen’s Crafter van is ensuring the goalposts for engine manufacturers stay mobile, in the battle to improve performance and fuel economy, while also reducing exhaust emissions.
The latest version of the Crafter to go on sale in Australia features a range of benchmark technologies, including piezzo injection and a variable geometry turbine wheel.
The 2.5 litre five-cylinder TDI engine is characterised by using the latest third-generation Common Rail injection engineering.
The seven-bore injection nozzles using ultra-accurate piezo control inject the fuel into the combustion chamber, and thanks to pre- and post-injection in up to five cycles per injection procedure.
In normal operation, three cycles are used, with post-injection serving to assist in regeneration of the particulate filter which is fitted as standard.
All in all, this produces a perfect vortex in the fuel-air mix in the combustion chamber, even pressure build-up in the cylinder, with a corresponding high level of smooth operation in the power unit, which works economically and produces low levels of pollutants.
The engine comes with VTG (variable turbine geometry) turbocharger and delivers a high power boost and corresponding good tractive power even at low rpm.
The cooling circuit in the cast iron engine block and the aluminium cylinder head has been completely overhauled as the flow now runs longitudinally rather than laterally through cylinder head.
The aim of the measures is to achieve better cooling for a lower volume flow, and thus as low an output as possible from the water pump, in turn meaning lower loss of performance from the engine.
The engine is not just powerful, with a long lifetime, it also runs cleanly, conforming to Euro 4 (truck licensing) and EU4 (passenger car licensing).
Behind this lies a comprehensive concept for cleaning the exhaust gas: the engine comes as standard with a particulate filter mounted close to the engine, directly on the exhaust manifold.
Given the prevailing high exhaust gas temperatures at that point, it works without additives and is self-regenerating and maintenance-free.
Regeneration takes place as required, by burning off the particle residues in the filter, so should the exhaust gas temperature for this not be hot enough during normal driving, the temperature is increased for a short while by one or two post-injections of fuel.