VW Philippines may put the Teramont in PH waters, but will it sail?

MANILA: The Volkswagen Teramont is one large and luxurious SUV by the German auto giant. The seven-seater SUV is also called the Atlas in the US market and has gone on to become a success in markets like China and the Middle East. Up next on Teramont’s markets to conquer list is the Philippines.

The SUV is underpinned by the German automaker’s MQB platform and is also the biggest vehicle featuring the particular foundation. In terms of size, the Volkswagen Teramont measures 5,037 mm long, 1,979 mm wide, and 1,768 mm tall and stands against the likes of Mazda CX-9, Ford Explorer, and Hyundai Palisade. Depending on the seating setup, the SUV offers a boot space of 409- to 2,415-litre.

Taking into consideration the Chinese Teramont, the SUV is available in the Asian country in three mechanical forms, namely 330 TSI, 380 TSI, and 530 V6. Both the 330 TSI and 380 TSI models are powered by a 2.0-litre EA888 4-cylinder turbocharged motor.

However, the same mill in the two models is in a different state of tune. While the 330 TSI receives 189 PS of maximum power and 320 Nm of peak torque from the four-pot turbocharged motor, the 380 TSI, on the other hand, gains a maximum power of 256 PS and 350 Nm of peak torque from the same engine.

The top-of-the-line 530 V6 gets is juices from a 2.5-litre EA390 turbocharged V6 that produces 304 PS of maximum power and a peak torque of 500 Nm. Irrespective of the model or engine, the three configurations are equipped with the DQ500 wet-type dual clutch transmission unit that works in conjunction with Volkswagen’s 4 Motion intelligent all-wheel-drive system.

Now coming to the variants of the Chinese Volkswagen Teramont, the three models are named as Comfort, Deluxe, and Ultimate. All three models of the Teramont can be had in any of the mechanical configurations. While features like an eight-speaker sound system, 18-inch alloy wheels, powered front seats,

cooled glove box, three-zone climate control, and LED headlights & fog lights bolster the Comfort variant, the other two models are adorned by the likes of a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system, 19- or 20-inch wheels, Nappa leather upholstery, panoramic sunroof, automatic parking, and dynamic cruise control.

In China, the Volkswagen Teramont starts at RMB 300,900 which roughly translates to Php 2,316,229. If Volkswagen Philippines manages to bring the Teramont in the country at around Php 2.5 million, we bet there are tough times ahead for the likes of Ford Explorer, Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Palisade, and other big SUVs which fall in the same price bracket.

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