Volkswagen Teramont

The cabin layout of the Volkswagen Teramont is quite familiar, for it has a high resemblance with other Volkswagen SUVs like Tiguan. In fact, the dashboard theme and seven-seater layout of the Teramont are quite similar to the three-row Tiguan Allspace sold in other countries. The cabin of the Teramont is available in multiple upholstery options across variants, including Titan Black (cloth), Titan Black, Shetland White and Mauro Brown (V-Tex leatherette) and dual-tone leather upholsteries like Titan Black with Quartz, Shetland White with Quartz and Mauro Brown with Quartz.

The driver’s cockpit of the Volkswagen Teramont consists of a flat-bottom, multi-functional, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel and a 10-inch full-TFT instrument console (8-inch units in lower and mid-spec variants). The centre console has a subtle design with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system flanked by vertical AC vents, all of which are surrounded by contrast silver accents. The dashboard also gets a faux wood trim across its length towards the passenger side and door trims. The lower centre console has buttons for climate control and other functions.

The cabin of the Volkswagen Teramont is well-equipped with premium features like a panoramic sunroof, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, three-zone automatic climate control with rear AC vents, ambient lighting, wireless charger and a 480W Fender premium audio system. While the space in front and second rows is appreciable, the same cannot be said about the third row of seats.

For a premium midsize three-row SUV, the Volkswagen Teramont has got the right dimensions and proportions, which give it a commanding road presence. However, given the fact that the Teramont is a bit too long in the tooth, the design has started to show its age, which needs a nip-and-tuck to be more relevant to the current trends.

The Volkswagen Teramont looks quite subtle when viewed from the front, with the SUV having a bold-looking front grille stretched horizontally with three long chrome slats spread across its width. The large headlamps with tapered edges are placed adjacent to the grille and accommodate dual LED projectors and dual L-shaped daytime running LEDs. The front bumper is different for Highline and the rest of the variants, with the former getting large air dams in the corners compared to the slimmer air curtains in the remaining other variants.

From the side, the Volkswagen Teramont showcases the best of what it gets – a raised ride height, high-running bonnet line, large-sized door panels and windows, all of which accentuate its size and make it look commanding. There is a subtle use of chrome for the window frame, which along with the 20-inch alloy wheels (21 inches in the Highline) make the Teramont look upmarket.

At the back, the Volkswagen Teramont looks very premium with its large combination LED tail lamp clusters and a thick-looking chrome strip running between the tail lamp from end to end. The crisp-looking creases on the boot lid, slightly-tapered windscreen, roof-mounted spoiler and chrome accents around the exhaust ports round off the look of the Teramont at the rear.

For an SUV which measures more than five metres in length, the Volkswagen Teramont might require skilled hands to get control over it at first. However, once you get the gist, the Teramont is a nice handler which can make you forget that you are driving such a large-sized SUV. With 4Motion all-wheel drive with Active Control and drive mode selector, you can control the driving behaviour of the SUV depending on the surface underneath.

There are two petrol engine options which are offered across the lineup of Volkswagen Teramont in the UAE. There is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine on offer, which is available only in the base-spec Trendline variant and produces 220 PS of maximum power and 350 Nm of maximum power. A larger 3.5-litre naturally-aspirated V6 petrol engine is offered as standard across the range, which claims 280 PS of power and 360 Nm of torque. Volkswagen offers an 8-speed automatic transmission and 4Motion all-wheel drive system as standard across the entire lineup of Teramont.

The Volkswagen Teramont is heavily kitted with premium safety features, with the list including multi-collision brake, front, side and curtain airbags, collision warning ’Front Assist’ and city emergency braking system, blind spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert ’Side Assist', rearview camera ’Rear Assist’, area view with a rearview camera, front and rear parking sensors, Park Assist, adaptive cruise control Liftgate, tyre pressure monitoring system, Lane Assist and electronic parking brake with Auto Hold function.

The sober and understated design of the Volkswagen Teramont might not appeal to those who are after the latest trends and dramatism in automotive design. However, the sharp lines and dimensions give the Teramont a purposeful look, which goes well with the practicality of the rest of the package.