Lamando Bravado

Those looking for a well-built, value-driven compact sedan might find the Volkswagen Lamando a good choice.

The Volkswagen Lamando is the German brand’s 4-door coupe and is part of Volkswagen Philippines’ line up of vehicles built in China together with four other nameplates including the Santana MT, Santana GTS, Tiguan and Lavida.

The 1.4 liter 280 TSI Engine with BlueMotion is not only lighter but thanks to its turbocharger, it is more fuel efficient with enough power on the tap when you want more performance. Its BlueMotion technology not only improved fuel efficiency but also reduced CO2 emissions significantly. Despite its displacement size, it is rated at 150Ps or about 148Hp, it cranks about 250Nm of torque which is more than what you need for some spirited driving around the city or when overtaking in the highway.  Perfectly mated to its engine is a 7-speed DSG transmission, which combines the fuel efficiency of a manual transmission and the convenience of an automatic, giving optimal power with every gear change.

In terms of power, it is somewhere similar to the Toyota Altis and all-new Mazda 3 but the torque is much higher, unlike the other two, which is rated at 187Nm and 200Nm respectively. This gives the Lamando better acceleration specially in stop-and-go traffic.  It also uses the same engine platform as its more premium cousins the Audi A3 and A4 and has similar outputs.

There are two variants of the Lamando, the 280 TSI DSG SE and the more premium SEL variant, priced at P1.569 million and P1.703 million respectively. Although either variants are not the lowest in price in this segment, it is still a good choice if you are shopping for a compact sedan with a premium feel.

Outside, its coupe silhouette makes it look more compact than it actually is, but the legroom in front and back is quite good and roomy. The panoramic sunroof offers a lot of sunshine and its screen protection and tinted glass keeps away unwanted UV rays inside the cabin. The sunroof also takes away the claustrophobic cabin feel common in sedan-coupes. The beautiful coupe profile is reminiscent of VW’s beautiful CC 4-door coupe and the Lamando still retains much of VW’s design language of its current line up. Even if closing the sunroof shade is a bit tricky and sometimes it takes a bit of effort to properly secure the shade to make sure it is fully closed, the panoramic sunroof feature adds a lot of premium feel for the vehicle.

The Lamando’s connectivity is spot on, which is a must for choosing cars these days. Its 9.2 inch touchscreen display (8 inches for the SE line) contains everything you need to set you up for music streaming, hands-free telephony and access to other features of the car.  With today’s traffic, it is an essential companion even to non-tech savvy drivers.  The Lamando’s modern cockpit offers a high resolution color display and has all the essential driver aids and information at your fingertips.

Its 2-zone Climatronic air-con system gives individual settings for the driver and front passenger for optimal room temperature controls and air quality is enhanced thanks to a built-in pollen filter to clean up unwanted particles in the air.

Other neat and practical features include “Keyless Go” so the driver doesn’t have to fumble on the keys to make a quick getaway, driving aids and safety like Park Distance Control, Adaptive Cruise Control and ESP gives everyone peace of mind and hassle free parking.

Overall, its German engineering and badge gives it some premium and you somewhat get the same solid build and feel as its more expensive badges in the higher tier luxury European car brands, making it a practical choice for car buyers. The Lamando is simple, elegant and very German.