A series of spy shots out of China offer us very first glimpse at the interior of Volkswagen’s largest-ever SUV. The vehicle you’re looking at is the production-spec version of the VW SMV Concept unveiled back in April in Shanghai. It comes from the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture and is even larger than the VW Atlas.
These interior spy shots of the road-ready version reveal that the SMV, expected to be sold exclusively in China, will come with a familiar flat-bottomed VW steering wheel. The large SUV will also feature a fully-digital instrument cluster and a large secondary touchscreen to handle infotainment functions in the center of the dashboard.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the interior is the floating center console that protrudes out of the dashboard and appears to house a large storage cubby (perhaps with wireless charging) and a small switch that serves as the gear selector, much like the new VW Golf 8. Also found throughout the interior of this prototype is black leather and what looks to be Alcantara or a soft-touch suede material on the dashboard and door panels.
Exterior wise, the VW SMV will look very similar to the concept. Underpinning the seven-seater is the company’s MQB modular architecture. VW’s 2.0-liter TSI will be the entry-level engine on offer while higher-end versions will receive the 2.5-liter TSI VR6 EA390 engine, currently offered exclusively in China. This engine will be coupled with a seven-speed DSG transmission and 4Motion AWD system and will be good for 299 hp and 499 Nm of torque.
