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Let's Take a Better Look at the Widest Car Without a Widebody Kit – The VW Lamando 5XL

At first glance, your mind might want to refuse that this very wide sedan exists. However, the Volkswagen Lamando 5XL is as real as it gets. It’s not a series production vehicle but the result of a Canadian-based Chinese influencer’s ambition to show the Germans that cars don’t have to be an SUV to comfortably accommodate more than five or six people. Here’s an in-depth look at an absurd creation.
VW Lamando 5XL 8 photos
Photo: Wheelsboy on YouTube
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The VW Lamando L is the real deal. This vehicle is in production and is meant only for the Chinese market. In the Asian country, the car is being marketed as a generous sedan that can be used for families or other various activities with friends. VW even insists on calling the Lamando L a “large and wide” car.

This did not sit well with Justin He. The young man took it upon himself to deal with the automaker’s claims. We told you about it last week when the influencer’s videos started popping around Instagram and TikTok. Over two million people watched the guy’s widebody project on social networks, and we’re not even counting other dedicated Chinese social media channels.

People were properly intrigued by this vehicle because everything about it seemed wrong or doctored. But it is real, and now we get the chance to have a proper look at it and discover how it was made.

A YouTuber made sure to get his hands on the Volkswagen Lamando 5XL. He explains how the car got so wide without having any exaggerated parts installed on it and reveals a bunch of unknown aspects that slowly start to make sense.

For example, the three-meter (ten-feet) wide Lamando 5XL has been created after a base-spec Lamando L was cut in half, and more metal pieces have been added in the middle to create this weird-looking project car. The VW badge is gone, but the identity remains.

The creators of this vehicle tried to keep its appearance by using similar materials, but they did not want to spend more than what was necessary. So, after a closer look, we discover all kinds of creative inserts. Unfortunately, even an untrained eye will easily spot that they are not within spec.

The Lamando 5XL gained impressive road presence but lost the front LED light strip, its glass windshield, sunroof, and rear windscreen. Instead of ordering expensive glass parts, the “widebody tuners” installed acrylic components that are cheaper to custom order.

Similarly, for the rear LED light strip, they just added a plastic cover over the portion that was cut in half and extended. To make the rear bumper look normal, spray paint was used.

Lifting the trunk’s lid becomes a three-man job since there’s no power liftgate, and the weight has considerably increased.

Finally, the VW Lamando 5XL also goes on a short trip around a track and you can see what the YouTuber had to say about it in the video down below. It’s worth a watch.

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About the author: Florin Amariei
Florin Amariei profile photo

Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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