The forerunner of the new cross – the concept of the Powerful Family SUV – Volkswagen showed in March of this year in Beijing.
In May, the manufacturer distributed images of a production model intended for the Middle Kingdom, and announced its name – Tharu. For China, the release of the crossover is adjusted at the local joint venture plant of the VW and SAIC concerns, but the model will not become an “exclusive”. So, in the spring of Volkswagen’s head Herbert Diss said that in 2020 the “SUV” will begin to be produced in Mexico (from there it will be supplied to the USA) and Argentina (for the South American market). In China, the same sale of VW Tharu will start this fall, the Chinese media have already got acquainted with the new product, Autohome publication shared its “live” photos.
The closest relative of the Volkswagen crossover is the Skoda Karoq cross, both models are based on the MQB platform. The local Tharu was based on a local Karok, which is 50 mm longer than the European version: the length of the new VW is 4453 mm, the wheelbase is 2680 mm (in the Chinese Karoq, 4432 and 2688 mm, respectively). The “German” and “Czech” profiles are almost identical, except that the Tharu slightly changed the rear windows, plus the VW model received mirrors on separate “legs”, and plastic lining appeared on the wheel arches.
Salon at VW Tharu your. At the rear couch of the German-made cross-country, there are asymmetrical folding backs instead of a three-section backrest from Karoq, the longitudinal adjustment of the Tharu chairs also did not go. The trunk volume of the Volskvagen is the same as that of the Chinese version of the Skoda Karoq: from 455 to 1543 liters (from the European “short” Karoq – from 521 to 1630 liters). In the list of equipment Tharu appear: a virtual dashboard, dual-zone climate control, all-round cameras, adaptive cruise control, panoramic roof.
It was assumed that Volkswagen cross-country engines would get from the local Karoq, but Tharu inherited only one motor from the Skoda model – 1.4 TSI of the EA211 family (150 hp, 250 Nm), which is paired with a seven-speed DQ200 box with two “dry” clutches . With this cross engine, VW has only front wheel drive. The top-end Tharu will be offered with a 2.0 TSI EA888 Gen3 family (186 hp, 320 Nm) and a seven-speed DQ381 box with wet clutches. For cross-country VW with a two-liter engine provides four-wheel drive with a rear axle coupling. The Chinese Skoda Karoq has neither a 2.0 engine, nor a 4 × 4 version: in addition to the 1.4 TSI engine, this model is also equipped with 1.2 TSI with a return of 116 hp (200 Nm).
The price of Volkswagen Tharu has not yet been announced, but it is known that the cross will cost much less than the second-generation Tiguan. The latest model in China is presented only in the “stretched” version with the letter L, its price list starts from 223,800 yuan. Obviously, at the price of Tharu it will be comparable to the Skoda Karoq crossover – for a model of the Czech brand in the China, they ask for at least 139,900 yuan.
