Volkswagen debuted a new 5-seater SUV in the People’s Republic.

Calle the Tavendor or Lan Xun in Chinese, it's built on the MQB platform and the midsize SUV is expected to launch by the end of 2022. The new vehicle will be offered in two variants, the regular version, and the R-Line kitted version. 

The Tavendor comes in the following dimensions, it will measure 4,936 mm in length, 2,015 mm in width, and 1,756 mm tall. It will sport a wheelbase of 2,980 millimeters and will feature a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Mated to a 7-speed wet dual-clutch gearbox, the SUV will churn out 219 PS and will come in two-wheel or four-wheel drive options.  

To say the Tavendor has a massive grille will be an understatement as the front of the car is filled up with through-type air intakes. The projector LED headlights and even the VW logo are housed at the topmost part of the grille while the plate holder and fog lights are also part of another. 

The rear look is kept clean with most of the rear lights and the VW logo on top of a light bar that stretches from left to right and is designed to reflect its fire theme. Dual exhaust ports are chromed out and you also have low reflectors on the rear bumper area. The top part of the rear along with the pillars is blacked out to clean up the look.  

The new VW SUV will be the very first model from the German carmaker to feature full-body exterior ambient lighting. Aside from the luminous logos in the front and back, the vehicle also has fender light strips, luggage rack lamps, and door handle lamps all around to reinforce the design. Additionally, there are floor lamps and front face-through-type lamps as well. 

Inside the vehicle, the cabin is simple and has clean lines all around. There are floating dual-screen panels, a 10.25-inch LCD instrument panel, and a 12-inch infotainment touch screen in the middle. You'll also find air-conditioning vents and some more buttons below the screen. There is also a three-spoke multifunction steering wheel, a push-button electronic shift mechanism, and touch-sensitive air-conditioning control functions on the central touchscreen as well.   

For now, the Tavendor seems like a China-only release through the VW-FAW joint-venture, we can only dream of it coming over to do battle with the likes of the RAV4 or Forester. Ayala's AC Motors sources its lineup from the VW-SAIC partnership. Still, the Tavendor would look good on Philippine roads.