Volkswagen Sharan (2010 – 2021) Review

The Volkswagen Sharan is a brilliant seven-seat large MPV that was launched to widespread acclaim in 2010. Sliding side doors made it easy to use, and the quality was good. There was a SEAT Alhambra version, while the  Citroen Grand C4 Picasso and popular Ford Galaxy were other key rivals. Read on for our full Volkswagen Sharan review.

This Volkswagen Sharan was the first all-new design since 1995. Although the old model had a number of facelifts – some more substantial than others – it was essentially the same design underneath.

For this car, Volkswagen engineers started with a blank piece of paper: all that was carried across from the old model was the name and the blinds fitted to the rear windows.

Everything else was brand new, and it still helps make this a very sound used car choice.

It was well worth the wait for an incredibly competent car. The Volkswagen Sharan may lack pizzazz, but that doesn’t matter as it’s well built and well equipped.

It’s also roomy and extremely flexible – everything that you could want in an MPV.

Initially, there was a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, with the 140PS 2.0-litre TDI hailed as the most efficient engine to be fitted to a car of this size.

It emits just 143g/km of CO2 and returns 52.3mpg, and is a popular choice. 

There were seven seats (with an option of six for business buyers) and the rear five seats fold effortlessly away to create a flat floor and an incredibly useful load area.

Options included an improved Park Assist system that self-parks the car, adaptive chassis settings, keyless entry and a panoramic glass roof.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar’s Volkswagen Sharan review.

The Volkswagen Sharan doesn’t feel stuffy or cramped, even when fully loaded, thanks to big windows and the option of a large sunroof that floods the cabin with light.

Sliding doors are a real bonus as it makes getting into the car so much easier. This is something that many rivals don’t offer. 

Top versions have electric doors, too – one gentle pull of the handle and the doors slide back to reveal a large opening.

The driving position is excellent, with good forward and rear visibility, a highly adjustable seat and a steering wheel that can be adjusted for height and reach.

The buttons and switches are easy to use on the move and a display screen nestled among the instrument dials shows the driver important information – such as sat-nav directions, warning messages and trip stats – without having to look away.

Among the greatest innovations on this Volkswagen Sharan were the seats. You’ll find six of them on business versions of the car, while all others have seven seats. The centre row has three individual seats that can be moved by up to 160mm if needed.

In the previous version of the Volkswagen Sharan, these seats would need to be removed – and they were heavy and awkward. On this car – with the exception of the six-seat version – they tumble and fold effortlessly into the floor for a totally flat load area.

With all the rear seats folded, there’s up to 2430 litres of space, which is more than enough for the needs of most families.

In addition, child seats can be incorporated into the main seats in the third row (you simply pull out the centre cushion of the seat to reveal child straps), eliminating the need for separate items.

This car is 220mm longer than the model it replaced and 92mm wider. Together with a clever use of space, this ensures that legroom is very good throughout and that there’s generous head and shoulder room.

Levels of equipment are good, and the car was one of the first to be offered with DAB digital radio as standard across the board.

The Volkswagen Sharan’s interior was a massive improvement over the model it replaced.

It was different in every way, from the materials used, to the layout and the level of standard equipment.

It looks a lot like the interior of other large cars from the brand of the same era, including the Volkswagen Passat and Volkswagen Touareg.

Key to its appeal are a smart fascia, well-chosen plastics, an excellent sat-nav system (where fitted), and high-quality switches and dials.

The infotainment in the Volkswagen Sharan buyer depends largely on its age. Cars made between 2010 and 2015 have a sat-nav system that now looks dated.

In addition, Bluetooth was not available across the board, although there is an aux-in socket.

The facelift in 2015 brought things more up to date, with better connectivity, better sat-nav and a larger screen.

The infotainment system began to feel as though it was connecting you and your phone to the car, rather than being something to work around.

It’s a simple system to use, with a mixture of side buttons and a clear screen. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth simply and – if you have a car with nav – it works well, with easy-to-understand directions. 

Volkswagen Sharans from 2019 onwards got one of the company’s more advanced sat-nav systems that reads road signs to tell you of upcoming changes to speed limits.

Look for an eight-year-old Volkswagen Sharan with the 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine, and you will pay around £15,500 for one with 60,000 miles on the clock.

Want a newer model? Reckon on spending £25,000 for a two-year-old car with 20,000 miles under its wheels, with either the petrol or diesel engine.

Most Volkswagen Sharans will come with the 2.0-litre diesel engine with one of the various power outputs that were offered during the car’s lifetime.

Most return claimed combined fuel economy around the 50mpg mark, and you can expect about 40mpg in daily driving.

The 1.4 TSI trails the diesel by around 10mpg for its claimed figures and also according to our Real MPG data, which shows you’ll see around 30mpg.

When it comes to road tax, diesel-powered cars registered up to 1 April 2017 will pay £240 for 12 months of Vehicle Excise Duty at the time of writing.

The petrol 1.4 is slightly more costly with a £290 levy for a year’s duty. Cars registered from 1 April 2017 onwards will require the flat rate of £180.

Keeping a Volkswagen Sharan in good fettle with routine servicing will cost much the same as any large SUV or premium saloon.

Insurance will be worked out on groups ranging from 19 to 25, so again it should not be too much of an imposition on your finances.

Out on the open road, the Volkswagen Sharan performs largely as you would expect it to.

On A-roads and B roads, it’s smooth and refined, and has fairly responsive steering. It corners confidently and there’s only a little in the way of body roll.

Take it on to the motorway, and it’s even more at home, with a smooth ride. Volkswagen has also done a decent job in suppressing wind and road noise – the cabin is very quiet on the move.

There was a Sport suspension option, which seems an odd thing to offer on an MPV, and it’s best avoided as it undermines the otherwise smooth progress.

There’s also a version of the Park Assist ‘self-parking’ system that’s familiar from the firm’s other models.

This allows it park itself into small spaces and get out of tight spots when other cars have parked too close. It will also reverse-park into spaces at right angles to the kerb, such as bays at supermarkets.

Engines in the Volkswagen Sharan kick-off with a 1.4-litre TSI petrol. On the face of it, it sounds far too small to be powering a car as bulky as this.

But this is no ordinary 1.4-litre petrol engine, as it’s turbocharged and has enough power to haul around the large body.

However, the most popular engine is the 2.0-litre diesel, which produces between 115PS and 184PS.

Go for the 140PS version and it’s as good as you’ll find on any other full-size MPV. It’s an engine that’s well suited to the car.

It may not be the most powerful, but it does offer a decent amount of pulling power and never appears to be over-awed by the car’s size.

The gears are spaced to aid efficiency, which means that you may find yourself in a lower gear than expected on occasions, but otherwise it’s a fuss-free engine choice. The more powerful diesel versions trade some efficiency for a little more performance.

All engines had the choice between a six-speed manual and smooth dual-clutch DSG gearboxes, with the exception of the rare 2.0-litre petrol with 200PS, which was only offered with the DSG.

The Volkswagen Sharan has a comprehensive list of standard safety features, including curtain airbags, knee airbags, Isofix child seat anchor points (plus built-in child seats and booster seats on some versions) and tyre pressure monitoring.

Options included an ambient traffic monitoring system, Front Assist with integrated City Emergency Braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, third generation Park Assist (for assisted parking and exiting from parking spaces), and Blind Spot Monitor, which warns of vehicles in the blind spot when changing lanes.

These features became standard in 2015.

The Volkswagen Sharan was crash tested by Euro NCAP twice, once when it was originally launched in 2010 and then again in 2019.

First time around, it scored five stars, but the goalposts had moved nine years later, with stricter criteria, and it was awarded only four stars. 

It’s worth noting that the second crash test generated a few headlines as the side door of the Volkswagen Sharan being tested fell off on impact.

Euro NCAP docked the model one point for this flaw and said that although the overall performance of the vehicle was not compromised, there could be, in extreme circumstances, a risk of ejection.

The Volkswagen Sharan is a good bet for towing as it can haul an unbraked trailer of up to 750kg.

With the 1.4-litre engine, you can tow a braked trailer with a maximum weight of 2000kg, while the diesel-powered models up that to 2300kg.

The Volkswagen Sharan S was the entry model in 2010.

It has an alarm with interior monitoring, parking brake with auto hold, electric child locks on the rear doors, front and rear electric windows, driver and front passenger airbags, driver’s knee airbag and a side airbag along all three rows of seats.

There is driver’s seat-height adjustment, front centre armrest, Climatronic air-conditioning front and rear, a CD stereo with eight speakers, connectivity, DAB digital radio receiver and 16-inch alloy wheels. 

The Volkswagen Sharan SE models benefit from a multi-function steering wheel, auto dimming rear-view mirror with rain sensor for the wipers, under-seat drawers for the driver and passenger, height adjustment for both front seats with electric back rest adjustment and a ‘load-through' function for the front passenger seat.

There are also front and rear parking sensors, Bluetooth, chrome trim, and 16-inch ‘Memphis' alloy wheels. 

The Volkswagen Sharan SEL is the range-topping model and adds sport comfort seats with Alcantara upholstery, heated front seats, tinted glass, heated windscreen washer jets, brushed aluminium inserts, cruise control, a CD autochanger, front foglights, panoramic sunroof, chrome roof rails and 17-inch ‘Sydney' alloy wheels.

From 2015, an Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, Bluetooth phone connection and three-zone Climatronic air conditioning became standard across the range

The Volkswagen Sharan SE trim gained chrome roof rails and tinted rear glass, front and rear parking sensors and cruise control among other items

For the range-topping Volkswagen Sharan SEL, the company added Front Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control, a panoramic sunroof, Alcantara upholstery and Discover Navigation with CarNet Guide and Inform. 

The Volkswagen Sharan SE Navigation model joined the range in 2015 based on the mid-range SE trim, but with Discover Navigation with CarNet Guide and Inform for an additional £675.

A further refresh in 2019 brought Discover Navigation as standard across the range, plus a blind spot monitor with rear traffic alert including lane assist, and dynamic road sign display.

Due to the standard fitment of Discover Navigation, SE trim was removed, meaning the Volkswagen Sharan range from this date began with S and moved up to SE Nav, then SEL at the top of the tree.