Volkswagen Philippines finally comes out with a new crossover. Slotted above the T-Cross, the Tharu officially lands in the country, signaling the brand’s direction for its products in the future.
Ever since Volkswagen Philippines renewed its entire lineup, axing the Tiguan and bringing in a new crop of vehicles, it took a while for the country to see another crossover. The T-Cross was launched to much acclaim, making a sizeable splash in the Philippine market with its relatively affordable price tag and its characterful looks.
Closing out 2023, VW is looking to expand its selection of crossovers. Thus, we get the 2024 Volkswagen Tharu, a compact crossover, bigger than the T-Cross but with a more substantial engine and overall package.
Bigger, better, more powerful, and more premium than the T-Cross, the Tharu comes in at 4,458mm by 1,841mm by 1,632mm in length, width, and height respectively—on a wheelbase of 2,680mm. The Tharu is more or less the same in terms of its width compared to the T-Cross, but it comes a bit taller and wider, but a good bit longer than its smaller brother. You also get more overhang in the rear which bodes well for additional cargo space and the Tharu has 455 liters with the rear seats up, and up to 1,543 liters with the rear seats folded.
Apart from the size, the Tharu also comes with two-wheel options, one being in an alloy finish, and the other with a hubcap for the wheels. Other equipment includes disc brakes all around, and LED lights for all variants, but with a few upgrades for the SEL over the SE variants.
As standard, the SE variant carries a good amount of modern features which include LED lights, alloy wheels, color-keyed accents, combination leather and fabric seats, motor adjustable seats for the driver, digital displays for info and infotainment, tire pressure monitoring, rear parking sensors, and a reverse camera. Other features as standard include a blind-spot monitoring system along with six airbags.
At the top, the SEL brings a bunch of advanced features for all the standards that the SE presented. The SEL’s kit is upgraded and noticeably better equipped compared to the standard. The Matrix LED headlights, the additional accents, the all-leather interior that’s keyed to the exterior color of the car, leather seats, motorized seats for the driver and passenger, bigger digital displays for the info and infotainment display, parking sensors, and an area view camera.
Another standard for the lineup includes a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 158 hp and 250 Nm of torque mated to a seven-speed DSG. The driven wheels are in the front, and the SEL also features drive modes which include Eco, Sport, Custom, and of course Normal.
The Tharu is also sprung on a MacPherson strut in the front, and a multi-link suspension in the rear, making it one of the more comfortable crossovers at least on paper. Following that, you have 18-inch alloy wheels as standard all throughout the lineup with a set of 225/50R18 tires. Two-wheel styles are available with the SE getting no accents and the SEL getting red accents for both.
As for the price, Volkswagen is moving up in the brackets away from the entry-level and into a more premium price level.
- Volkswagen Tharu 300 TSI DSG SE - P1,808,000
- Volkswagen Tharu 300 TSI DSG SEL - P1,945,000
Volkswagen is bringing a new level of premium to its lineup with the Tharu. The German brand is looking to break into a new price bracket and mid-trim segment. On top of that, Volkswagen Philippines under AC Motors will commit new technologies and new support systems for the brand, pushing the brand into a new age, and preparing it for new models, electric vehicles included.
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