Volkswagen Sharan test drive since 2000 Minivan

The evolution of the internal space

VW Sharan refers to that small category of cars that no one needs to represent. The only question that all arises at the sight of this car is what is this minivan or all the same UPV? And what, in principle, the difference is the main thing, that the merits of several different classes of cars were embodied in the car, for which it is appreciated by buyers around the world, including with us. The advertising slogan flashing in the press a few years ago: when Passat is already small, and Caravella is still too large, perfectly reflects the whole essence of the VW Sharan. The car, developed jointly with Ford, appeared on sale in 1995, and we must pay tribute to the concern marketers, they got, as they say, in the apple. For four (!) In a row, Sharan won the title of a car of the year in Germany in the category of universals of increased capacity, and in 1999, only 126 votes were not enough to obtain this title again - this one already says that the car really turned out to be extraordinary . With us, he is also popular, which can not be said about his twin brother Ford Galaxy. In the modeling range of the SHARAN concern, it occupies an intermediate position between Passat and Caravella, which led to its popularity among customers. True, at the level of sales of traditional models, this did not affect in any way. We have the main buyers of VW Sharan, we have become firms and various organizations, although private individuals look with interest in his direction.
 
In the past, 2000, Sharan underwent a little modernization, and therefore ended up on our test. Perhaps you can not talk much about appearance, they will tell me more eloquently about her, but I would like to tell you more about internal changes. And earlier, the Sharan salon that did not cause claustrophobia, after modernization, became even larger both in width and in height, at least in the press release. And we did not find any reason not to believe this: in any, so to speak, the direction of the space of space is more than enough even for very fat passengers. And despite the fact that the seats on the SHANAN road occupies a little more than the usual middle -class car, its interior space can not compare with the passenger compartment of the passenger model. If it is written that the car is five- or seven-seater, then it is, without any but. Passengers do not even have to sit sideways or take off their outer clothing in order to be comfortable with the whole composition. By the way, about clothes, in the new Sharan as an option you can even order clothes for clothes, which are very conveniently located on the backs of the front seats. And they are convenient not only because they allow you to use the internal space more efficiently and not to close the passengers with jackets hanging on the ceiling handles: for example, this location of hangers allows you to quickly and without unnecessary fussy movements to get documents from the breast pocket of a hanging jacket.
 
As expected, the family model is supposed to be in the Sharan’s salon full of all kinds of messes and clothing boxes, and their total working volume is able to satisfy the requests of the most demanding and neat car owner. For ease of use, they are, as it were, divided into two conditional groups: for daily use and just in case. Two containers on the front panel are very convenient for storing papers and any constantly necessary small things, and the glove compartment located from below on the driver's door is more useful for storing the tool, since access to it can only be obtained with an open door. The doors, by the way, are equipped with a children's lock, which is now entering serial equipment. There are all sorts of secret places in the trunk, and even about the trunk itself, more precisely, there is no need to talk about its useful volume. Although on the tested copy there were additional (sixth and seventh) seats, there would be more than enough space for three or four bags. If you remove all the chairs, except for the driver’s, it turns out so much free space that, if desired, probably, LuPo crumbs can be taken away.
 
On the tested copy there was a 110-horsepower 1.9-liter turbodiesel, with direct fuel injection, with now traditional Volkswagen engines traditional for all models. In the range there is also a 90-horsepower version of the same engine, and I must say that in their characteristics they do not differ much, at least on paper. In any case, turbodiesel is exactly what you need for such a car. If desired, Sharan can be ordered with a gasoline unit, even with the famous 174-horsepower VR6, but diesel is still preferable. And the dynamics is quite worthy, and fuel consumption is also important, remains within normal limits. The turbodiesel shows itself especially profitable in the city cycle, especially since the maximum indicator of the torque, and it is almost two and a half hundred newtonometers, falls on 1900 rpm, that is, the engine pulls the maximum with idle speed. In real life, this leads to the fact that only the third gear is constantly used in the city, the speed range is very wide, and only increased engine noise can be forced to switch you after the tachometer arrow reaches 4000 rpm. Although before that you can’t call his work too quiet, the engine's voice dominates all other sounds, but not so much as to focus on it. This does not mean that there are any problems with sound insulation, rather the opposite - everything works so quietly that against their background the engine turns out to be a soloist.
 
The fact that Sharan is a great traveler, you will understand as soon as you leave for the track. In the sixth gear with 90 km/h permitted engine, the engine is just operating in optimal mode, so all overtaking and other maneuvers associated with a sharp increase in speed can be done without switching. True, if you are six in the car, and even the trunk is clogged to the eyeballs, you still have to switch. But in the sixth gear, fuel consumption is in such a way that another owner of a used low -iority will envy. We almost got the catalog 5.2 l/100 kilometers, but the track ended, and further, thanks to my driving style, fuel consumption immediately increased sharply. In fairness, it is worth noting that for a car that will spend most of his life in the city, Sharan has too small mirrors, especially the right. In the city crowd with such chubby sides, one can also lose sight of someone on the right.
 
And as for the drivership’s ambitions, then, in my opinion, homegrown to Schumachers should find something more appropriate. No, Sharan, too, can something, but only the most desperate can drive on a minivan with seven passengers on board. Shang weighs a lot, and the relatively high center of gravity somehow does not have a fan of turn, although with a special desire you can try. On Borovoy, we traveled a little in active mode, but not to say that it brought pleasure. If Sharan, due to the presence of repetitive stability stabilizers on both axles, is in the bend very well, almost without rolls, then the driver, due to the absence of completely inappropriate side support on the driver's seat, constantly moves in the direction opposite to the turn. And even if you lower the armrests that are on every chair and indirectly can play this role, the driver’s landing still does not help raise the level of adrenaline in the blood. By the way, the driver’s chair, if you are uncomfortable to go out, can be turned ninety degrees, which is very convenient for drivers of dense complexion.
 
The general impression of VW Sharan - I liked it, even very much. And not even excellent assembly quality or excellent interior decoration, but just like a car. Let there are no peppercorn in his character, but everything is very reliable and understandable, without unnecessary emotions. In my opinion, this is exactly what a good car should be - beautiful, but at the same time strict, quiet and reliable, meekly carrying his service.
 
Pavel Kozlovsky
 

Source: Autogazet / N 2 (305) dated 31.01.01