IT'S more than 20 years since Volkswagen hit the ground running with its seven-seat Sharan MPV and now the third generation model is ready to roll.

Since 1995 more than 800,000 Sharans have hit the road, with 67,000 of them ending up in the UK, making it one of the most popular fleet and family motors in its class.

This third generation Sharan hasn't had a major body shape change, except for a sharper nose, new LED lights at the back and attractive new alloys.

Most improvement have been made under the bonnet and the addition of more useful safety kit and communications gear.

Sold in the UK as a seven-seater only, the Sharan for 2015 continues to benefit from the EasyFold seating concept with sliding side doors which featured on the previous model.

The roomy interior has been smartened up with soft-touch panels, new upholstery and a new steering wheel and the SUV retains the same amount of space as before which makes it a good choice for those needing lots of passenger or load space.

Four trim levels are available: S, SE, SE Navigation and SEL and there is a touchscreen infotainment system is now standard as are Automatic Post-collision Braking System, Bluetooth phone connection and three-zone climatic air-con.

The biggest change to the Sharan is the engine line-up. Four units are available, one petrol and three diesels, and these new engines are around 15 per cent more fuel efficient than the ones they replace plus have reduced CO2 emissions.

The majority of sales will be for diesel power and the entry level is a 2.0-litre TDI with 115bhp which comes with a six-speed gearbox only.

The most popular choice in the UK is likely to be the 2.0-litre TDI 150bhp with a choice of manual or six-speed DSG automatic. If you want more power the top dog is the 2.0-litre TDI with 184bhp.

All engines have BlueMotion Technology systems including fuel-saving stop/start and battery regeneration capability.

I had a decent run in the TDI 150bhp version in SE trim and I think this will be a wise choice. There's more than enough power to haul the big MPV along at a fair rate on the motorway.

It is a very low-revving motor and even at 70mph revs were just hovering around the 2,000 mark which means it wasn't burning up the fuel.

On country roads it corners well with just a little roll if pushed too hard and it's probably one of the quietest MPVs I've driven with hardly any engine, road or wind noise, which makes it ideal if you are on a particularly long journey.

The 150bhp Sharan TDI we tried was a six-speed manual andit exhibited plenty of pulling power with 340Nm of torque.

VW claims it will return around 54.3mpg on a combined run producing just 136g/km ofCO2 - not at all bad for a seven-seat MPV.

Despite its size, around town it's very easy to handle thanks to light steering, good all-round vision and quick response from the auto box.

It's no slouch with a claimed top speed of 123mph and acceleration from 0-62mph in just 10.6 seconds.

The new Sharan is ready to order now with first deliveries scheduled for October and prices for the vehicle, which is built in Portugal, start at £26,300 and rise to £36,280.

For those who need something with stacks of space, built to the high standards of Volkswagen and is easy and comfortable to drive then the new Sharan is well worth a look.