Volkswagen SharanJuly 2010

After 15 years loyal service, with just two facial refreshes to keep it from showing its age, Volkswagen has replaced its highly popular people carrier - the Sharan.

While the old car achieved was instantly recognisable because it formed the basis of the Seat Alhambra and the first generation Ford Galaxy, the new one is immediately familiar because it adopts the 'family' nose that is slowly spreading across the Volkswagen range. Inevitably this means the Sharan bears a strong resemblance the Golf and the Polo, but it also makes the people carrier depressingly bland.

But as looks are not top of the list of requirements for MPV buyers, it is inside that sees the most innovations and improvements over what was its worthy predecessor. UK cars come with seven seats as standard, most of which can be folded and slid to accommodate passengers and luggage as required.

The neatest trick is how all five of the rear seats fold flat, creating a cavernous 2,297 litre luggage carrying area. The third row - which is by no means designed just for smaller passengers, it will take two adults, even if only on short to medium journeys - is easily flipped down by tugging on a single handle. The second row folds away just as swiftly, and panels on the back of the rear seats can be flipped over to cover up the crevices that appear.

So far everything can be done one-handed, but the refolding is a little trickier. Not only does it require a little more effort, but the third row can't be put back in place while reaching in through just one door. It has to be pulled back into place from the back door and then secured from the side.

The Sharan's obliging nature is enhanced by the electric gadgets on offer. Both the sliding passenger doors and the bootlid can be electrically opened and closed - all three have an automatic cutoff to prevent stray limbs or fingers getting caught - and there is also a new and improved auto parking system.

Volkswagens have so far offered a park assist that guides the car through a parallel park, but the Sharan is the first that claims to be able to park into a space that is at right angles to the road. It proved to have a few glitches on test though, first cutting a corner and mounting a kerb, and then failing to identify a large space without the reference point of other cars.

The engine range will include the twincharged 1.4-litre petrol that has formed the basis of smaller and zippier Volkswagens. Predictably it struggles slightly in the 1,650kg Sharan, and fuel economy is compromised as a result. The pick of the range is the 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel, which pulls the Sharan's bulk in a much more satisfying manner.