Volkswagen Carp
In February 1995, 11 years after the appearance of the first European minivan Renault Espace, its Volkswagen counterpart appeared. It was named Sharan and was created in collaboration with European Ford. It was identical in design to the Ford Galaxy and both models were introduced in parallel at the same time. They were equipped with a choice of engines of the same power: 116, 174 and 90 hp.
Ford and Volkswagen cars had aesthetically designed one-volume bodies with rich glazing and were designed to carry from 5 to 8 people.
In 2000, Sharan was modernized, incl. the style of the front wall of the body was changed and changes were made to the proposed engines. Further changes were made in 2003, with a body facelift and an expanded choice of engines. A year later, cooperation with Ford was terminated and different models appeared under both brands. Only the Seat Alhambra remained, with an identical Sharan design, because the Spanish SEAT belonged and still belongs to the German concern.
The first two generations of the Sharan found over 600 buyers.
During the Geneva Motor Show in March this year. A completely rebuilt VW Sharan model is introduced, named after the third generation. It features many interesting design solutions, mainly in the body and engines.
The hull shape was developed under the guidance of well-known specialists: Walter de Silva, head of the concern's design department, and Klaus Bischoff? Head of Brand Design. Did they develop a body with distinctive Volkswagen design DNA? without extravagance, with a functional style, but not without modern accents, for example, the line surrounding all the side windows is clearly defined. The lower edges of the side windows have also been lowered to improve passenger visibility. The front end resembles that of the Golf, while the V-shaped hood is in harmony with the headlights, each with two light elements. In addition, these lamps (reflectors) are divided horizontally inside, the so-called. ?shutter leaf? for a larger upper section with low and high beams and a narrower lower section with daytime running lights and turn indicators. The headlights have H7 halogen bulbs and optional bi-xenon. These lamps have the AFS (Advanced Frontlighting System) dynamic cornering light function and highway lighting function, and automatically turn on at a speed of 120 km/h. For headlights with H7 and bi-xenon bulbs, there is a Light Assist system, which? based on information about different light sources transmitted by the camera? evaluates the traffic situation and automatically switches from high beam to low beam and vice versa. Another DLA (Dynamic Light Assist) system? Designed for bi-xenon headlights, thanks to a camera, this time integrated in the windshield, the high beam remains constantly active and improves road and shoulder illumination.
New to previous Sharan generations are sliding side doors that provide access to the second and third row of seats. They open and close very easily and are optionally electrically controlled by pressing buttons on the center console next to the gear lever and on the B-pillar next to the door. There is also a safety feature that prevents the right sliding door from opening when the fuel filler flap is open. The door is also equipped with protection against pressing by hand and sliding it along the slope of the road.
The new Sharan is one of the most economical minivans in the world. This is due not only to modified engines, but also to the concern for reducing aerodynamic drag. Significant due to the large frontal area of this type of vehicle. After thorough testing in a wind tunnel, the drag coefficient was reduced to Cx = 0,299, which is 5 percent better than the result. compared to the previous generation car. Not only was the Cx important, but so was the noise from the body airflow, so much attention was paid to the design of the A-pillars to properly direct the airflow from the windshield to the side walls of the body. The shape of the side sills and the shape of the exterior rear-view mirrors have also been improved.
The entire car was built on a new, modular platform, structurally similar to that of the Passat, and the body frame was largely made of high-strength sheets. This was necessary due to the rigidity of the body, which had large openings exposed by the sliding side door and a large trunk opening in the rear wall. As a result, the body structure of the new Sharan is lighter than its predecessor by more than 10 percent due to the use of high-strength steel sheets alone. and is 389 kg. At the same time, Sharon is well prepared in terms of safety, protecting passengers in the event of a collision.
The third generation Sharan has a more spacious interior than its predecessors, and even more functional. For example, to get a large luggage compartment, you no longer need to remove the second and third row seats (as was the case with its predecessors). They stay in the car, fold down to form a flat boot floor with a maximum trunk volume of 2 dm297.3. In the 5-seat version of the car, after folding the second row of seats, this volume, also measured up to the roof, is as much as 2430 dmXNUMX.3. In addition to a large luggage compartment (after folding the second and third row of seats), there is a lot of it in the car, 33 different compartments for improvised things.
The car is offered in three trim levels and with a choice of four engines. Is one of these engines (2.0 TDI? 140 hp) so economical to run that the car running on it sets a new record in its segment? 5,5 dm3/ 100 km. So with a fuel tank with a capacity of 70 dm3, power reserve about 1200 km.
There are two TSI petrol engines and two TDI diesel engines to choose from. All with direct fuel injection and comply with Euro 5 emission standards. The engine with the smallest displacement of 1390 cc.3 is this so-called twin-compressor, charged with a compressor and a turbocharger, developing 150 hp, a second gasoline engine? 2.0 TSI produces 200 hp Diesel engines 2.0 TDI? 140 HP and 2.0 TDI? 170 HP
illustrations: author and Volkswagen
Volkswagen Sharan 2.0 TDI? technical details
- Body: self-supporting, 5-door, 5-7 seater
- Engine: 4-stroke, 4-cylinder In-line, 16-valve common-rail direct injection diesel engine, transverse front, drives the front wheels.
- Bore x stroke / displacement performance: 81 x 95,5 mm / 1968 cm3
- Compression ratio: 16,5: 1
- Maximum power: 103 kW = 140 hp at 4200 rpm.
- Maximum torque: 320 Nm at 1750 rpm
- Gearbox: Manual, 6 forward gears (or DSG Dual Clutch)
- Front Suspension: Wishbones, McPherson struts, anti-roll bar
- Rear suspension: cross member, trailing arms, wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
- Brakes: Hydraulic power steering, dual circuit, ESP with the following systems: ABS anti-lock brakes, ASR anti-skid wheels, EBD brake force control, four wheel discs, electronically controlled parking brake
- Tire size: 205/60 R16 or 225/50 R17
- Vehicle length/width/height: 4854 1904 / 1720 1740 (XNUMX XNUMX with roof rails) mm
- Wheelbase: 2919 mm
- Curb weight: 1744 (1803 with DSG) kg
- Top speed: 194 (191 with DSG) km/h
- Fuel consumption ? urban / suburban / combined cycle: 6,8 / 4,8 / 5,5 (6,9 / 5 / 5,7) dm3/ 100 km
