Should Volkswagen PH Bring In The All-New 2022 Lamando L?

An all-new 2022 Volkswagen Lamando L has just made its debut in China. However, as the “L” denotes, this is a completely separate model from the Lamando that’s already on sale here in the Philippines. The Lamando L is, unsurprisingly, the result of the SAIC-VW joint venture, and it rides on the latest MQB Evo platform that’s shared with the eighth-generation Golf.

Design-wise, the Lamando L shares various design cues from the Arteon “four-door coupe” with its sleek profile and clamshell hood, while the lower air intake draws inspiration from the ID line of electric vehicles such as the ID.4. The LED bar connecting the adaptive matrix LED headlights also are a design trait of newer Volkswagens. Moving towards the side and rear, we can see the car’s sleek roofline that’s complemented by wide shoulders and full-width LED taillights.

As for the interior of the Lamando L, it adopts the twin-screen layout from the eighth-generation Golf, and it consists of a 10-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12-inch touch screen. The dashboard itself also looks very similar to the Golf, which can be both a good and a bad thing due to its minimalist design, but the lack of any physical controls. Some of its other features include a small electronic gear selector, a Beats sound system, ambient LED lighting, a color windshield-projected head-up display just to name a few.

For now, only one powertrain option is being offered for the Lamando L, and that’s a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 148 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. This is them mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, driving the front wheels. If these figures sound familiar to you, it’s because it’s the exact same engine powering the Philippine-market Lamando.

Safety features are also comprehensive for the 2022 Volkswagen Lamando as it comes with the brand’s IQ.Drive L2. This is Volkswagen’s latest suite of advanced driver-assistance tech with Level 2 autonomy. As such, it comes with lane tracing, full-speed radar cruise control, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, just to name a few.

The 2022 Volkswagen Lamando L will be going on sale in China this year. It is still unknown whether Volkswagen Philippines has any plans to offer this midsize passenger car to the Philippine market.