Volkswagen Sharan 2.0 TSI (DSG) Review: Vroom to move

What we like:

Ford: Dynamic nature

more affordable than the Volkswagen

genuine legroom in the third row Volkswagen: Well-executed cabin

superbly equipped

strong performance

reasonably sized load space

easy to fold away seats

sheer size of it

What we dislike:

Ford: S-Max looks better

not as easy to fold away rear seats as the VW

access to rear not as easy as in the VW

small load area with all seats in place. Volkswagen: Unimaginative styling

slightly expensive

feels big to drive

Obviously, one of the most important factors for an MPV is in its interior. Is the cabin practical and versatile enough, is there enough room of seven occupants and luggage space, is ingress and egress easy and so on so forth. These are the kind of questions most MPV buyers will ask first and foremost.

The Galaxy’s relatively generous exterior dimensions naturally equates to a large and spacious interior. Up front, the driver is greeted by the same dashboard as the S-Max’s, which is no bad thing as the quality of the materials and switchgear are almost right up there with the best Germany can offer. A nice design touch is the aircraft thrust lever style parking brake below the gear lever. The driving position is commanding and tall but with ample adjustments on the electrically adjustable driver’s seat and the steering wheel, every frame or body size will feel comfortable and snug. The view out of the driver’s seat is nothing short of excellent thanks to the generously sized windscreen and the additional glass area behind the A-pillars. With the facelift, the Galaxy’s interior only received minor detail changes to the trim colours and inserts.

The Sharan’s overall cabin ambience is typical dark grey somber and very German. Thankfully, the high roofline gives the cabin an additional dose of airiness. Up front, the driver is greeted by a logically laid out dashboard with all switches and controls placed where they are supposed to be in a typical no-nonsense Volkswagen kind of way. The instruments might look boring but they are very legible at just a glance while the surfaces and the switchgear speak of quality and tactility that even Ford’s best efforts can’t match. Just like the Ford, the driver’s seating position is hard to fault thanks to the variety of adjustments for the seat and steering column. The stereo head unit not only looks better than the Ford’s aftermarket looking Sony item but also offers touch screen function, Bluetooth handsfree telephone, sat nav and an internal hard disk among other features.

The Galaxy cabin features what Ford calls a Fold Flat System while Volkswagen calls the Sharan’s seating system EasyFold. Both models feature second rows that consist of three individual seats that can slide and tilt separately so you can easily vary legroom between the third and second rows. With the second row seats slide to their most aft positions, the Galaxy offers a tad more knee room than the Sharan in the third row. The Ford also offers more shoulder room in the rearmost row. The Sharan fights back with better access to the third row thanks to its wider opening electrically operated sliding doors as well as a wider aperture when the second row seat is tumbled forward to aid access. The Sharan’s electrically operated sliding doors are an obvious benefit for ingress and egress, especially in tight spaces. Moreover, the doors feature an anti-pinch safety mechanism while the doors themselves and the electrically operated tailgate can be remotely operated via buttons on the dashboard or via the key fob.

While the Sharan doesn’t offer as much room in the rearmost row for passengers, it does offer a bigger luggage area than the Ford when all seven seats are in place. Open up the Sharan’s tailgate with the press of a button and you’ll discover a load area that can take much more than just the couple of shopping and overnight bags the Ford’s load area can swallow.

I have always loathed trying to fold down seats whenever I test drive MPVs but I’d have to say that the Sharan’s EasyFold system is well, easy to operate. I managed to fold all five rear seats flat without breaking into a sweat or needing to read up the owner’s manual. The only obstacle I faced trying to convert the Sharan from a people carrier into a load lugger was with the tonneau cover for the boot. The Ford’s seats on the other hand are a tad more fiddly to stow away, especially if one didn’t read the instructions and follow the sequence diligently like we didn’t. You have to pull the right levers and knobs in the right sequence in order to seamlessly convert the Galaxy into a load carrier from a people mover and vice versa. Additional storage spaces are in abundance in both cars – they both offer large door bins, underfloor storage in front of the rear passengers and under the front seats, a big compartment on the dash in the Sharan, overhead storage compartments that run the length of the cabin in the Ford and so on.

Both cars feature air-con vents for both second and third row passengers, with the Volkswagen going one further by offering a 3-zone climate control system with additional controls for second row occupants.

When it comes to standard equipment, the more expensive Sharan has got the Galaxy licked. It is not that the Ford is sparsely equipped but Volkswagen has loaded up the Sharan to meet the demands of today’s families. Standard kit on the Sharan include bi-Xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights, panoramic sunroof, KESSY keyless operation, sat nav, electrically operated tailgate and sliding doors, three-zone climate control, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, leather seats (the Ford’s are wrapped in cloth), roof rails, seven airbags and so on. A cost option that most Sharan owners ought to take up is the Park Assist system. The Sharan’s Park Assist system is similar to the one we recently tried on the Audi A7 Sportback and supports both parallel and perpendicular parking.

The Galaxy might not be as well equipped as the Sharan but it is noticeably more affordable to buy and is more dynamic in character but when it comes to big MPVs, the Sharan’s more practical more versatile interior ultimately comes to the fore. The Sharan’s Germanic efficiency and no-nonsense approach might be a bit uninteresting for the slightly more adventurous type but we’d just have to say that Volkswagen isn’t wrong in touting the Sharan as the ultimate MPV.

Credits: Story and photos by Raymond Lai