Volkswagen TOURAN
The Touran Packs All Of Volkswagens Values Into A
Mini-MPV For The Customer Who Appreciates Quality. Vanessa Hinkley Reports
There seems nothing to stop the inexorable rise in popularity of the mini-MPV. These rather ungainly little cars appear to have knocked sales of small estates on the head and are now going about putting a big dent in the popularity of conventional family hatchbacks. Its easy to see why when confronted with a car as practical as Volkswagens Touran. It betters something like a Golf in a number of key criteria and doesnt actually cost that much more.
Even if you havent got a huge family to cart around with you, the sheer space and versatility of the Touran make it a very handy companion. Its just a shame its not a little slinkier looking.
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The styling isnt too much to get excited about, being exactly what youd imagine a
Volkswagen mini-MPV to look like. Its neat, understated, but ultimately a little safe. This is probably a good idea in a market where conservative design sells.
Fiat Multipla, anyone? The Touran campaigns in the upper sector of the mini-MPV market, unsurprising given its evidently superior fit and finish.
When
Vauxhall and
Citroen are putting a lick on everyone sales-wise, there has to be a niche for something with a decently screwed together interior. But what of the seats? You cant bring a mini-MPV to market these days without having some sort of new seating stunt for shiny-suited salesmen to demonstrate. The Touran has more than one up its sleeve, offering the most practical interior seen since the launch of the groundbreaking Zafira. Available in five or seven
seat guise, the Tourans seating system is certainly flexible.
The rearmost pair of seats, whilst only really suitable for kiddies, can fold flat into the floor which means that for most of the time youll have an easily accessible and spacious luggage bay. You can even fold the middle seat of the middle row, making a four seater that can transport long items like skis with supreme ease. All three of the middle seats slide backwards and forwards on separate runners. Quick release levers take care of seat removal and its good to see seats that dont weigh a tonne.
With 39 separate storage areas around the cabin, you may need to make a mental checklist of what you left where. Included in that number are under seat trays to keep valuables out of sight, three fold-down roof mounted cubbies, a rear under floor bin and more cup holders than the Real Madrid trophy room. Pockets in all four doors can accept a litre bottle and there are the usual MPV accoutrements such as seat backs that double as tables and aircraft style fold down trays. Access to the rearmost set of seats is refreshingly easy due to the thoughtful way the middle row flips and slides forward.
One of the things that makes the Touran so unintimidating is the fact that it feel utterly car like to drive. The dashboard is familiar Volkswagen fare and youre not greeted by a huge steering wheel, ponderous handling or a lumbering engine. Six engines are available, three of them familiar fare. The first is the 100bhp 1.
6-litre petrol unit that represents the entry-level option. A 115bhp direct-injection 1.6-litre FSI engine slips below the 2.0 FSi petrol unit that represents the rather modest pinnacle of the petrol powered bunch although many buyers will be tempted by the diesel alternatives.
Offering a decent slug of mid range power, 159g/km CO2 emissions and fuel economy that nudges 48mpg, the TDI 100 unit is likely to be the favourite of private and corporate buyers alike. Although, the less powerful TDI 90 offers similar economy and emissions, it should also win friends with its low price tag. Should you be tempted by a little more clout when you acquaint pedal with metal, Volkswagen can offer an all-new TDI 136 2.0-litre turbodiesel.
Its certainly a good deal quicker than the 100bhp engine, reaching 60mph in 10.4 seconds. The Touran looks to change all that. Slip inside and it has the same quiet feel good factor of all contemporary Volkswagen products.
The build quality is superb and the ergonomics first rate. Three trim levels are available, S, SE and Sport, and every version gets a six-speed gearbox with the option of a six-speed automatic. The diesels are also available with the revolutionary twin-clutch DSG gearbox, as seen in the
Audi TT 3.2 V6.
If you want the Volkswagen badge and the feel-good factor of all that heavyweight quality youll need to pay for it. The Touran weighs in towards the upper reaches of the mini-MPV scale with even the entry-level version costing a pricey £14,495. Get a little more ambitious with engine and trim choices and you can easily spend as much as you would on a bigger Volkswagen Sharan.
The Volkswagen Touran is one of the easiest cars to live with imaginable. If anything its almost too blandly competent for my personal tastes. I prefer something a little edgier and despite its multitude of good ideas and obvious depth of engineering, the Touran comes off as a little antiseptic compared to cars like the
Ford Focus C-MAX and the
Honda Stream. If you dont mind the mild charisma bypass, the Touran comes strongly recommended.
The ability to choose whether you want or need five or seven seats is a welcome touch of pragmatism, encapsulating the Tourans all-round sensible nature.
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