Volkswagen Sharan review

Sliding doors mean you don’t have to worry about grandma battering someone else’s car with one in a car park, which is nice. The first two rows get limo-like space, yet the rearmost seats aren’t quite as adult friendly as you’d hope for, so save those for children, or teenager punishment. All the seats fold flat in a two-stage operation that’s easy enough but bettered slightly by other MPVs, like the Ford Galaxy. Still, we applaud VW for eschewing electric folding complications and simply going for big spring-loaded pull-handles that release the seats to do their flippy thing. 

What begins as a reasonable 375-litre boot becomes a 2,297-litre removal van. The tailgate is a huge panel and the vertically challenged may find it tricky to pull shut, especially if it's windy, so look out for electrical operation on the options list if you're short and live near the sea. (Don't say Top Gear doesn't think of every eventuality.) 

The layout and material use is clinical in its user-friendliness. All of the switchgear is ageing now, but it's solid and fit-for-purpose stuff from the outgoing Passat and Scirocco mostly, that's dead easy to use on the move without taking your eyes off the road, or the children. That said, Ford's idea of a convex mirror up top to keep a beady eye on naughty rear passengers ought to be copied here. 

You'll find a decent stowage cubby atop the dash, but besides that cavern, the door pockets and armrest are your only storage areas, which is a bit mean. Sliding rear doors mean their pockets are only big enough for a cup of takeaway coffee.