[Updated with High-res photos and additional details ] We weren't supposed to see the all-new VW Sharan before the opening of the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow, but the first official pictures of the German firm's seven-seater MPV were leaked onto the internet today.
On the outside, the new Sharan adopts Volkswagen's new design language with crisper lines and a wide, horizontal front grille.
The interior has been thoroughly updated and looks far more upscale and modern that the outgoing model, but that shouldn't come as a surprise as the first-generation of the Sharan (redesigned in 2000) was introduced way back in 1995...
Volkswagen has expanded the Sharan by a whopping 220 mm in length (now 4,850 mm) and 92 mm in width (now 1,902 mm) while the wheelbase has also grown by 75mm to 2,920mm improving interior space, both for passengers and luggage.
In the new model, access to the rear seats is granted through a pair of large sliding doors that can, along with the tailgate, be specified with electric motors to operate automatically.
The center row features three individual seats that can be moved by up to 160 mm back and forth if required and, when not in use, can be folded to create a flat loadspace.
The automaker said that as a result of the longer wheelbase, the third row of seats is large enough to accommodate adults as well as children. As with the second row of seats, they can also be folded flat into the floor when not required.
The boot is said to offer a minimum capacity of to 711 liters and a maximum of 2,297 liters with the last two rows of seats folded.
The engine range has been completely overhauled and now includes the firm's latest turbocharged gasoline and petrol units including the 1.4-liter and 2.0-liter TSI petrols with 140HP and 200HP as well as the 2.0-liter TDI with 140 and 170 HP.
