Is the Volkswagen Tharu enough to keep local fans of the brand interested?

Volkswagen Philippines hasn’t launched an all-new vehicle since 2021 with the arrival of the Volkswagen T-Cross. While the German automaker also released the Cross Santana, it was just another variant of the station wagon, which doesn’t count.

In the past two years since the T-Cross’s arrival, the German automaker has been quiet lately, with not much going on aside from announcing new colors for the crossover. 

It has been a thorn in the brand’s side as its model lineup has been steadily aging over the past few years, slowly being overtaken by newer and more technologically advanced offerings from other brands, especially from the Chinese. 

However, Volkswagen Philippines is ready to shake things up as the brand has launched the 2024 Volkswagen Tharu as its newest crossover to enter the local market. So, does the new Tharu have what it takes to bring back the spotlight to the German automaker?

Also read: 2024 Volkswagen Tharu price starts at ₱1,850,000; Test drive event on September 30 to October 1, 2023

What the Tharu has to offer

For starters, let's look at what the VW Tharu has to offer based on the specifications available locally. 

Its exterior design is still very much corporate. It looks similar to the Volkswagen T-Cross with its horizontal grille and over all front fascia. However, it does have a bigger dual-layer headlight design that sets it apart from its smaller brother. But It's like a Pro version of the T-Cross with bigger dimensions to help it compete in the compact crossover segment.

The interior of the Tharu is also very neat and clean and gives off a premium vibe. However, it could be more spacious than we thought, especially compared to the T-Cross, which already offers you a decent amount of legroom for the second row. 

Under the hood, the Volkswagen Tharu is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that pushes out 160 PS and 250 Nm of torque, which is decent. Still, it is not groundbreaking as other competitors have more power and torque ready. 

However, it comes with Volkswagen’s 7-speed DSG automatic transmission, which gives you a very dynamic drive with quick shifts and responsiveness to your inputs in manual mode.

However, one thing we have to point out is that the Tharu does not come with advanced driver aids such as adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and automatic emergency braking, which is a bit of a bummer but is fine as there are customers out there that do not want or need these features.

What it means for VW Philippines

Based on the specifications available locally, the Volkswagen Tharu doesn’t initially seem to be the big game changer we and others hoped for the brand, especially after its two-year hiatus of launches. 

However, it's still a step in the right direction, showing that Volkswagen is active in the local market and plans to bring more offerings to keep things interesting in the Philippines. It will keep the brand's fans happy, knowing that it is still active but is just taking its time to release new models locally. 

With electrification becoming popular, we could soon see the Volkswagen ID series of cars coming to the local market if everything pans out.

In the meantime, we hope that German automaker becomes more active with new models to replace many nameplates in the country that need an update or replacement.