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Volkswagen Sharan Pricing Announced in Germany
Volkswagen will sell the new Volkswagen Sharan at a discounted price versus the previous model. The base level MPV will hit the German market at €28,875, €2,475 less than its last retail price. Starting tomrrow the Sharan is available for order.
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 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.
The Sharan range will also include two superior equipment levels, Comfortline and Highline, feature rear sliding doors and offer a 5, 6 or 7 seating layout. Both vehicles come in 5 -, 6 – or 7-seating arrangements with rear sliding doors, start/stop, and a kinetic energy recovery system, the latter two as standard.
Everything else – every screw, every exterior and interior part and all of the technology 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 new VW Sharan’s drive and handling matches the levels of comfort and dynamic response provided by the excellent Passat. 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′).
Volkswagen Touareg (2011)
Volkswagen Touareg 2011 has been unveiled – a car which is sharper, cleaner and yet, in Hybrid form, able to out-accelerate many hot hatches while returning 34 mpg on the combined cycle. The Volkswagen Touareg will also be the first and only off-roader in Europe by a German car maker to be available in a hybrid version too. It sets standards among fully off-road capable SUVs with petrol engines that have a fuel consumption value of just 8.2 litres fuel per 100 kilometres.
While the new Touareg will grow in size (it is expected to offer three rows of seats), it will be lighter and more street focused than its processor.
Power will come from a variety of engines including a 3.6-liter V6, a 4.2-liter V8, and a hybridized 3.0-liter V6. The hybrid combines a supercharged 3.0-liter V6.
Volkswagen has not only made the new VW Touareg lighter, more fuel efficient and an agile performer; it has also made it into an even more versatile, all-round vehicle. The new interior was made more functional, the seats more comfortable and leg room in the rear is larger. Now the rear bench seat has 160 millimetres in longitudinal adjustment, and the backrest angle can be adjusted. Already standard equipment in the base version is a radio-CD and info system, which is intuitively controlled over a 6.5-inch touch-screen.
The parking brake is now activated by pushbutton. The engine (V6 versions) automatically shuts off at traffic lights and restarts as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal (Stop-Start system).
The dual headlights with their complex, technically styled inner lives are both visual and technical highlights. They are available in three versions: as halogen headlights, bi-xenon headlights and for the first time in the world as bi-xenon headlights with Dynamic Light Assist (continuous main beam).
Volkswagen Touareg 2011
Volkswagen today gave a first look at the next-generation 2011 Volkswagen Touareg, well ahead of its official Geneva auto show preview later this month, and one of the most important pieces of news is that, straight off, the Touareg has lost a lot of weight and Volkswagen looks interested in earning the crossover crowd back.
The new Touareg is 450 pounds lighter and 20-percent more fuel-efficient. Volkswagen will also offer the new Touareg in a hybrid model, which the automaker says will be able to move on electric power alone at speeds of up to 31 mph. VW claims nearly 29 mpg (European combined) for the new Touareg Hybrid, while the Touareg TDI manages nearly 32 mpg. These combined-cycle numbers typically correspond, roughly, to EPA Highway figures. To compare, the current Touareg TDI gets 25 mpg on the highway, while the base Touareg V-6 is rated at just 14 mpg city, 20 highway.
Helping with those fuel economy figures, along with weight, are reduced aerodynamic drag and a new eight-speed automatic transmission that’s standard across the 2011 VW Touareg line.
Even considering these improvements, the 2011 Touareg won’t be a lightweight on the trail. It has improved torsional rigidity than the outgoing model and maintains its off-road toughness. On standard Touareg models the ruggedness has been toned down a little bit; a more fuel-efficient all-wheel drive system has a Torsen limited-slip differential and off-road driving mode that recalibrates the vehicle electronics for more slip. Hill Descent Assist is also included. A Terrain Tech package will be available, including center and rear locking diffs, to bring performance on the level of the outgoing Touareg, with a rotary switch enabling a Low range or automatic control of the diff locks.
Inside, Volkswagen introduces new-design seats and more front legroom, and it’s given the rear bench seat more than six inches of fore/aft travel plus a power-folding arrangement to access a completely flat loading floor. The new Touareg is roughly the same size as the outgoing one, gaining about an inch in wheelbase and overall length.
The outgoing 2010 Touareg has also been a high-achiever in safety, with straight five-star results from the federal government and a very impressive list of features. VW promises nine airbags onboard the new Touareg, with options including an Area View monitor with four cameras; Lane Assist and Side Assist; adaptive cruise control; and bi-xenon headlamps with Dynamic Light Assist. There’s also adaptive roll compensation, though we’re not sure yet if it’s the equivalent of the currently optional (on the 2010 and earlier) air suspension with Continuous Damping Control.
The base sound system includes a 6.5-inch touch screen, while other available features include a panoramic sunroof that’s claimed to be the largest of any SUV, A two-tone burgundy/black or beige/black interior in Nappa leather is optional, as is real wood trim.
