Volkswagen Sharan

The overall interior cabin of the Volkswagen Sharan lacks the zing and freshness the other new-generation Volkswagen vehicles are getting with sharp and glitzy looking panels. Instead, the Volkswagen Sharan has an old-school cabin, which might look functional for an MPV of this size, but might not appeal to the hearts at first with their drab design.

The only fresh and modern looking bit in this cabin of the Volkswagen Sharan happens to be the three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel, which with its flat bottom design looks new-age.

Apart from that, right from the boring looking instrument console with very simple looking fonts to the wide looking center console with a dated small touchscreen infotainment system and dials for climate control look a bit archaic for today’s times.

The infotainment system is flanked with vertical AC vents on the upper center console, while the lower one houses the controls for climate control and transmission lever, with a split design for the dashboard making the cabin look wide.

The Volkswagen Sharan has ample amount of space for seven passengers with enough room for even the third row, but the cabin doesn’t impress much with it only getting the essential features and not more modern ones.

Despite its age, the Volkswagen Sharan manages to possess a timeless appeal with the smart design it offers. The boxy stance of the Volkswagen Sharan has been tried to look less boring some a sort of sharpness to the design. However, when you compare it to the rest of the Volkswagen models as well as other rival MPVs on sale, the Volkswagen Sharan lacks visual drama, which does reduce its desirability a bit.

At the front, the Volkswagen Sharan wears a previous generation Golf-inspired front fascia, with a sleek trapezoidal grille running in between the sweptback angular headlamps, and has two sleek chrome linings across its width. The headlamps do sport bi-xenon bulbs with decent looking daytime running LEDs below them. 

The side profile of the Volkswagen Sharan tries to break the monotony associated with large MPV, of being boring looking vehicles. The angular design for the front bonnet and slightly flared rounded wheel arches do try to infuse some amount of freshness to the side look of the Sharan. What adds few more attention here are the large roof rails, chrome surrounds for the entire window frame and multi-spoke alloy wheels.

The rear profile of the Volkswagen Sharan makes the most dated angle to look from for this large MPV. The large and almost vertical rear windshield and large split tail lamps with tapered edges make the rear look bulbous.

For a large MPV which is aimed at providing a comfortable drive experience for all the three rows of seats, the Volkswagen Sharan impresses with its softly tuned suspension setup. However, despite it being a premium flagship MPV, it doesn’t get multiple drive modes.

Powering the Volkswagen Sharan is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which is paired to a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox as standard. The engine does pump out a maximum power output of 220 PS, while the peak torque has been capped at 350 Nm.

The Volkswagen Sharan is equipped with decent levels of kit when it comes to safety, with this large van getting front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, electronic stability programme with anti-slip regulator, rain-sensing wipers, park assist, park distance control for front and rear, Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) and Engine Drag Torque Control (EDTC), Advanced Electronic Differential Lock (XDS) and tire pressure monitoring system.

The Volkswagen Sharan is purely for those who are looking for a well-built family vehicle with the sole purpose of transportation from one place to another with utmost comfort with not much focus on the way it looks. The MPV has started to show its age in and out, with a lack of features increasing that feel even more.