With over 600,000 units sold, Volkswagen Sharan is the favourite vehicle of countless families all over Europe. Coming now, with a world premiere at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show (4th to 14th March), is a completely new generation of this best seller. Equipped for the first time with sliding doors in the back, the new Volkswagen Sharan has been enhanced in every area. There are only two parts that the new and the old VW Sharan have in common: the sun visors. That’s it! Everything else – every screw, every exterior and interior part and all of the technology, including the TDI and TSI engines (103kW / 140PS to 147kW / 200PS) and transmission systems (DSG optional) – is new. Volkswagen Sharan 3.0, as it were, offering world-record performance in fuel efficiency: at 5.5 litres per 100km (51,4 mpg), the 140PS Volkswagen Sharan 2.0 TDI achieves lower fuel consumption than any other MPV in this class.

The hallmark of the new Volkswagen Sharan is a complete design concept that includes the extremely flexible EasyFold seating system (up to seven easily adjustable seats), high-end quality, uncompromising safety (seven airbags, Light Assist automatic main beam control, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running and position light) and numerous clever details. Also new to this generation of Volkswagen Sharan are adaptive chassis control (DCC) and a level regulating system. This comfortable multi-purpose vehicle in the upper B segment of the market has been tailored to families with two or more children and high-mileage business users with a need for extra space.

The new VW Sharan’s drive and handling matches the levels of comfort and dynamic response provided by the excellent Passat. Added convenience and safety is provided by an electronic handbrake and the second-generation parking manoeuvre assistant. This means automatic steering for parking in even smaller spaces, including on pavements, between trees and even on corners, plus now, for the first time on an MPV, for parking at an angle to the traffic. Cutting edge entertainment systems, a huge, electrically operated panoramic sliding roof (with a 300% bigger opening than with a conventional sliding roof) and a powerful 3-zone climate control system guarantee great travelling conditions at any time of the year. Available in Trendline, Comfortline and Highline versions, even the base model of the Volkswagen Sharan is supplied with features such as semi-automatic air-conditioning (’Climatic’) and radio/CD system (’RCD 210′). As the only vehicle of its class to offer this, the third generation of this MPV will again be available with four-wheel drive (Volkswagen Sharan 2.0 TDI 4Motion with 140PS). In the first markets where it is available orders for the new Volkswagen can be placed from as early as the end of March, with the full launch beginning in the summer of 2010.

The Volkswagen Sharan’s four direct injection turbo petrol (TSI) and turbo diesel (TDI) engines are up to 21 percent more fuel-efficient! The two TSI engines deliver 110kW / 150PS and 147kW / 200PS, while the TDIs develop 103kW / 140PS and 125kW / 170PS. With power outputs of up to 170PS the engines use a start-stop system and energy recuperation (recovery of kinetic energy, which gets temporarily stored in the battery). With average consumption of 5.5 litres per 100km (51.4 mpg, 145g/km of CO), the 140PS version of the VW Sharan 2.0 TDI – top speed 194 km/h (119 mph) – sets a new benchmark for fuel efficiency in this segment of the market! The theoretical driving range is correspondingly impressive: 1,273 kilometres (805 miles) from its 70 litre fuel tank. Both TDIs are also fitted with an SCR catalytic converter (SCR = selective catalytic reduction), which specifically eliminates oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and makes the Volkswagen Sharan, even as a turbo diesel, one of the cleanest MPVs in the world.

For the first time, all of these Euro-5 engines will be available in combination with Volkswagen’s agile and efficient direct shift gearbox (DSG) systems – the automatics of the new age! In the case of the 200PS TSI, DSG comes as standard.

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