Few people would consider a large people carrier as being a particularly ‘green’ method of transport writes Brian Vertigan.

But when the new VW seven-seat Sharan launches in the UK in November the firm claims it will be ‘greener’ seat for seat than the hybrid Toyota Prius.

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The Sharan first appeared in 1995 when its Portuguese factory also produced virtually identical models for SEAT and Ford.

Apart from a few facelift changes the vehicle has remained unchanged, making it probably the longest living model on the roads today. The old VW model sold 607,000 examples.

But now the Wolfsburg firm has come along with an entirely new model – only the sunblind has made it from the old vehicle to the new.

The new car will initially feature four new engines for the UK market: two petrol (1.4 and 2.0 litre), and two TDI diesel engines, both 2.0 litre, one pushing out 140PS and the other 170PS.

Green machine

It is when fitted with the 140PS diesel engine that it becomes a really ‘green machine’. Not only does it average more than 50mpg it only emits 143g/km of CO2, making vehicle excise duty a pleasant £125 a year.

So, if the vehicle has all seven seats occupied, this equals 20g/km of CO2 per person, whereas the hybrid Prius with four seats equates to 22g/km of CO2 per person.

At 4,854mm in length the new Sharan is 220mm longer, 92mm wider and 12mm lower than the model it replaces. And despite being loaded with lots of new technology and gadgets it is 30kg lighter.

There’s a choice of two transmission systems – the standard six speed manual and VW’s ‘automatic’ DSG system, which really works well on this vehicle.

All models except the 200PS petrol version have BlueMotion technology and feature Start/Stop and battery regeneration systems as standard.

Design

VW’s designers have really gone out of their way to make this vehicle user friendly and accessible for all passengers. In the UK all models will have seven seats in three rows, with a 2-3-2 configuration.

The centre row features three individual seats that can be moved by up to 160mm back and forth.

When not in use they can be folded to create a flat load space, as can the third row of seats creating around 2,297 litres of luggage space – large enough for a washing machine, or any item up to almost three metres in length.

Both these rows of seats are exceptionally easy to fold up and down and can be done effortlessly with one hand. The third row of seats can be used by adults but will be more comfortable for children.

The new Sharan has one new exciting innovation – a pair of large sliding doors that along with the rear tailgate can be specified with electric motors to make life even easier. They can be operated from the key-fob or inside the vehicle.

My only surprise was that it is possible to drive the vehicle with the sliding doors open with no warning light or buzzer.

Park assist

The really ‘clever’ gadget on the vehicle and one that is bound to appeal to many owners, both male and female is the new Park Assist.

This new system is capable of guiding the vehicle into parking spaces either at right angles with the direction of traffic as well as parallel spaces.

The system takes over the job of parking completely, and can get the Sharan into a space only 50cms longer than the vehicle. This will cost around an extra £400 – well worth it, in my opinion.

My two days test drive of the vehicle in Germany featured the two diesel models, both fitted with DSG gearboxes.

The official mpg for the 140PS version is 52mpg. I easily managed 48mpg driving in busy urban traffic as well as some high speed motorway use. The more powerful version is credited with achieving 49mpg. Surprisingly on a 60-mile route I achieved 53mpg according to the car’s computer.

The two petrol models are listed as returning 38 and 33mpg respectively.

Inside, the car is well constructed, with plenty of leg, arm and headroom. There are lots of little cubby holes to store things in – a necessity with a vehicle that will be used by the family.

It was also exceptionally quiet, even at speed on the German autobahns, and handled very much like a family saloon rather than an MPV

The Sharan will be offered in four equipment levels in the UK with the 2.0 litre 140PS diesel version likely to be the best seller in the basic ‘S’ equipment level.

Prices have yet to be fixed but are likely to range from £21,500 up to £31,500 with the diesel versions starting at around £23,000.