Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2010/January 2011 | Page 105
motoring
Island Life - December 2010
considering as an option.
Safety, naturally, is paramount.
Get on the main highway and it is like
driving on velvet. Sure-footed, the
Sharan allows you to use every inch
of the road, however tight the turns,
and despite the car’s considerable size
you are aware exactly where the edges
are. With masterful ease it consumes
the miles, and if you plug your iPod
into the dock on the central armrest or
tune in to the touch-screen radio you
are insulated from outside to such an
extent that you forget the mechanics of
driving and enjoy the scenery.
The navigation/radio system, which
is optional, is easy to negotiate, and
the rear-view camera is also worth
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cubby-holes and the concealed ‘safes’,
Airbags are everywhere, not
cupboards for valuables under the front
just at front and sides: curtain
seats.
airbags protect passengers in
manoeuvring action more of a glide.
the handy cup holders, the sizeable
Nice touches are the hands-free
every row. Unexpected hazards
handbrake which you don’t actually
are prepared for by a system
need to touch. And the planet-saving
which controls the speed of individual
engine cut out is an attractive addition
wheels to regain lost control.
too. So quiet is the engine noise that
Inside there are no flashy gizmos, just
you won’t necessarily notice that it isn’t
the parking sensors, reverse gear sound
turning over when stationary, until,
and gear indicator, all of which are now
as you get into gear, it starts again. It
standard in most cars worth having.
is just as if the Sharan is clearing its
Electric seat adjustments, available in
throat to gently remind you it is here.
some models, enable you to be just as
It’s VW’s gentle giant.
comfortable as you can be.
We drove the 2.0 litre six-speed
You don’t need flash though, when
manual diesel VW Sharan. On the road
the drive