2024 Volkswagen Tharu joins local compact crossover slugfest

Volkswagen Philippines has officially launched the 2024 Tharu, a five-seater compact crossover that slots just above the T-Cross in the brand’s local crossover lineup.

The Volkswagen Tharu officially arrives in the Philippines

Competing against the likes of the Ford Territory, Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, and Mazda CX-5 among others, the 2024 Volkswagen Tharu joins the local market with two variants: the base 300 TSI DSG SE and 300 TSI DSG SEL.

Exterior

Exterior-wise, the SE and SEL have similar front fascias but with few differences, including the bumper design. The SE has a black trim that extends to the bottom of the front bumper. It is matched with a fish hook-like silver trim on the upper portion reminiscent of the one in the T-Cross. In contrast, SEL has the same styling cues but inverts the use of silver and black finishes.

Volkswagen Tharu SE

At the rear, the SE gets a similar silver lower bumper trim. However, the SEL uses a faux skid plate that adds a more rugged appeal. Both variants come with an illuminated emblem at the back that lights up along with the full-width LED taillights. 

The top-of-the-line Tharu SEL is equipped with an illuminated grille, matrix LED with dynamic turn signals, hands-free open & close power tailgate, and adaptive front lighting system (AFS). In contrast to the chrome emblems in the SE, the SEL has them blacked out, along with black bumper, roof, and mirrors.

Volkswagen Tharu SEL

Meanwhile, the standard features consist of LED daytime running lights (DRLs), automatic headlights with leaving home and coming home functions, front rain-sensing wipers, 18-inch alloy wheels (SEL gets red accents), rear fog lamps, and a panoramic sunroof.

Volkswagen Philippines offers the Tharu in four exterior colors: Pure White, Mangan Grey, Petroleum Blue, and Polytech Blue.

Interior

The base SE features a deep blue and light gray interior with copper accents, while the top-spec SEL gets a deep blue and light gray interior with red accents. However, the Tharu SEL in Polytech Blue comes with a deep blue and pine green interior with silver accents.

Interior of the Tharu

As standard, the Tharu comes with a five-seater layout with 60:40 rear seats. It offers 455 liters of cargo space with the rear seats up and 1,543 liters of cargo space with them folded down. Further enhancing the cabin is the integration of ambient lighting for the front door handle. But the top-spec variant adds more ambient lighting to the rear door handle and trims.

Prospective buyers who will opt for the flagship model will benefit from variant-exclusive amenities such as 12-way electronically-adjustable front seats with a heater function, and leather seats. The base model has leather with fabric inserts, a 12-way electronically adjustable driver’s seat, and a six-way manually adjustable front passenger seat.

It is a five-seater compact crossover

Other standard bits in the interior are a two-zone air conditioning system, a leather shift knob, and a keyless entry/exit with a push start system.

Tech & Safety

Moving to the tech department, the SEL is installed with a larger 12-inch infotainment touchscreen compared to the eight-inch screen in the SE. Regardless, both systems come standard with Apple CarPlay, as well as six speakers and a wireless charger. The top-spec variant also boasts a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, which is 1.75-inch larger than the one in the base model.

The crossover gets an illuminated emblem

The SEL has two USB Type C ports at the front, while the SE only comes with a Type A port on the infotainment screen. Meanwhile, Volkswagen also added convenient amenities for the rear passengers, including Type A and Type C ports, and rear aircon vents.

The Tharu has a long list of safety features including six airbags, rear traffic alert, electronic stabilization program (ESP), traction control system (TCS), anti slip regulation (ASR), a reverse camera, and a tire pressure monitor. However, only the SEL uses front parking distance control, a PLA 3.0 intelligent parking assist system, and a 360-degree camera.

Engine

As standard, the VW Tharu is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine capable of generating 158 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque. The mill sends power exclusively to the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG transmission, which is the brand’s version of a dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

1.5-liter turbo mill

Only the SEL features a drive mode selection that provides four drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, and Custom.

Price

The Volkswagen Tharu completes the two-crossover lineup with a starting price of Php 1,808,000 for the base SE and Php 1,945,000 for the top-spec SEL.

You won’t miss the latest cars in the market at Philkotse.com.