Sharan/Touran - could it mark the end of the current VW grille?

Please, let it be so. The current chromed snout on VWs offerings is not only beastly to look at, it doesn't help Audi's cars stand apart, either. We suppose that cuts both ways -- VW probably benefits by a familial resemblance to their cousins. However, the front end on the upcoming Sharan/Touran twins looks to hint at the future face of Volkswagen, we hope.
There's a bumper crop of spiffy van-lets over on the Continent right now, and the Touran/Sharan are latecomers to the party. The vans won't drop until 2010, due to styling tweaks that Martin Winterkorn has reportedly requested.

The Sharan will likely be available with sliding doors, while the Touran will make do with conventional front-hinged points of entry. A healthy selection of powertrain options is expected to be available, from the turbocharged FSI 2.0 liter four cylinder to a 3.2 liter FSI VR6, along with the requesite TDI powerplants. 4Motion will be available, which we'd love to sample hooked up to the gruntiest of the diesels (which will surpass the VR6 in torque output). Being based on the Passat's underpinnings yields a van that's easy to wield while offering great space-efficiency. We like the look of these boxy family haulers, with their crisp edges and large glass areas, but alas, we'll have to take up intercontinental jet-setting if we wish to drive them.

[Source: Autobild via German Car Blog]

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