Factory code: 7M8 / 7M9
Vans are one of the automotive megatrends of the 1990s. Families discover the innovative body shape of the five-door model as the ideal solution when looking for a versatile family car with five or more seats. On 9 March 1995, the first van in Volkswagen's model portfolio makes its world premiere in Geneva: the Sharan.
The Sharan is the product of a collaboration: in order to keep development and production costs low when entering the large MPV segment, Volkswagen and Ford found a joint venture in Portugal in 1991 – Autoeuropa Automóveis. Volkswagen is responsible for development and design. Together, they shoulder the construction of a new plant in Palmela. Production of the Volkswagen Sharan and its sister model, the Ford Galaxy, begin there in 1995.
Customers quickly come to appreciate the enormous amount of space offered by Volkswagen's large MPV. The VW Sharan requires no more floor space than a VW Passat but is significantly more spacious inside and still drives as agilely as a conventional passenger car. The two front seats can be rotated 180 degrees. A variable seating concept allows for up to five comfortable individual seats in two rows in the rear. If necessary, the seats can be removed in a matter of minutes thanks to a clever folding mechanism. This creates a space with a maximum volume of 2,610 litres that can easily compete with small vans.
The VW Sharan offers a wide range of engines. From the economical 66 kW (90 PS) TDI to the powerful 2.8-litre VR6 (128 kW/174 PS or 150 kW/204 PS), customers can choose from an enormous range of petrol, diesel, and autogas engines. In addition to manual gearboxes with five or six gears, automatic transmissions with four or five gears can also be ordered at extra cost. Not least due to numerous technical components shared with other Volkswagen models, the Sharan is initially designed as a classic front-wheel drive solution.
