The Volkswagen Transporter and modern derivatives may get most of the camper van love, but another VW van platform makes for an even roomier camper. The new second-generation Crafter will launch next month, but the first camper vans based on the latest VW have already started arriving, at least in show van form. The Saint & Sinner design study from Germany's Knaus Tabbert combines retro flair with modern amenities, showing what the new Crafter could look like all decked out for road trips and camping holidays.
With the dawn of its latest generation, the Crafter no longer rides as a Mercedes Sprinter-based build by Daimler. Rather, VW is now doing its own manufacturing at a new plant in Poland. And Knaus makes its Crafter concept every bit as distinctly Volkswagen as the van itself.
Just as Volkswagen did when it introduced the sixth-gen Transporter in 2015, Knaus brushes its van with a heritage-inspired red-and-white paint split inspired by the classic Transporter T1. The exterior teases its dichotomous "saint and sinner" nature with angel/devil badging.
A striking, two-tone exterior is great for trade show floors, but out on the road, it'll be all about the interior. And though the Crafter Saint & Sinner is just a show-floor concept for now, Knaus doesn't skimp on camping comfort.
The interior takes care of campers' needs with a central open bathroom with toilet, a kitchen with dual-burner stove and 90-L refrigerator, and a transverse, 4.7-ft-wide (1.44-m-wide) rear double bed. The expandable dual-seat bench in front of the bathroom combines with the extendable table and swivel driver and front passenger seats to create a dining area for four.
The interior has a "wicked-good" personality thanks to the deep red and black throughout and prominent angel/devil logos. There's no pop-up roof, but the Crafter's 8.5-ft (2.58-m) roof height isn't exactly begging for an upward expansion.
An e-Crafter camper van would make a fun concept, but this one is based on the front-wheel-drive Crafter 35 powered by a 140-hp diesel four-cylinder.
The Saint & Sinner debuted as a design study last month at CMT Stuttgart, but it was also "a glimpse into the not-so-distant future of Knaus Tabbert GmbH, which will offer the modern Crafter in additional extension and model versions." We reckon we'll be seeing a real Knaus Crafter camper van in the near future – perhaps later this year at the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon.
In the meantime, Knaus is offering the colorful, angelically devilish Saint & Sinner conversion for the popular Fiat Ducato (pictured above) in two different floor plans. The van wears the same red-and-white paint and has an even more prominent "saint/sinner" tattoo on its side. Features and options include leather upholstery, a red, black and white interior, interior LED lighting, fixed and open bathroom options, and available front and rear lifting beds. Deliveries will begin in summer.
Source: Knaus Tabbert