Volkswagen has pulled the curtain off its latest 7 seater at Geneva - The all new Sharan. It is a timely replacement as the existing model is looking like an antique, and the replacement sports the new VW corporate 'face'.

This third-generation variant of the model is the biggest one yet, measuring 4.85 metres long, 1.9m wide but 1.72m lower, together with a wheelbase is 2.92m long. A new feature of the Sharan is the rear sliding door, aimed at making rear access easier. The individual seats of the second and third row can be folded down to create a flat floor for the convenience of transporting huge items. The second row can be adjusted laterally within a range of 160mm and can be tilted by 20 degrees.

Consumer will have the option of four direct injection turbo petrol (TSI) and turbo diesel (TDI) engines at launch. The entry level petrol motor generates 150PS, followed by a 200PS version. VW claims that the 140PS TDI model is able to complete 100km with just 5.3L of fuel on the combined cycle. As expected, VW's famed DSG transmission is available for all engine options.

In Singapore, the Sharan will compete head on in the large MPV market dominated by the Honda Odyssey, Ford Galaxy, Toyota Previa etc.