VW Volkswagen Touran New Car Review - Car Reviews

Volkswagen Touran

VERDICT:

Recently facelifted, the VW Volkswagen Touran is a sensible choice for moving people, but it comes with a catch...

Performance

There's a choice of a 1.4- TSI, 1.6- and two-litre petrol and a 1.9- and a two- litre diesel with either 140 or 170bhp when buying the Volkswagen Touran. The 1.6 offers little torque, so on any hill you need to keep changing down and down, while on the motorway it can become loud and thrashy. The 1.4 TSI with 140bhp is a real gem of an engine from VW - it's very powerful, torquey and flexible, equally at home on small roads or for longer journeys. The 1.9 diesel is pretty sluggish, so it's best to stick with the 2.0 TDI, the 170bhp especially.

Driving

On the move, it's a mixed bag. The ride really isn't great despite the much- vaunted multilink rear axle from the MkV Golf. The Touran's greater size and weight has diminished the advantages of that system, and the car seems more brittle and prone to picking up imperfections in the road than the nimble hatchback with which it shares so many mechanical gubbins. But general levels of refinement are still excellent, particularly on the motorway where the Touran settles into a smoother stride, devoid of excessive wind or tyre noise. The steering is very light - too much for slower stuff, but it finds a happier balance at speed.

Space

Plenty of head and legroom for everyone, and the Touran has the added advantage of being a seven seater. When not in use, the third row folds flat into the floor, leaving a huge 695 litres of space. And even with one rear seat in use, it's still big enough for an industrial-sized pushchair to fit in sideways. And unlike many seven-seat compact MPVs, when the third row of seats are in use there's still a useful 121 litres of space for the shopping.

Build quality

It's all exactly as you'd expect, with vast stretches of dull black plastic and the odd token glimmer of metal. Pretty solid it may be, but you could nod off in there.

Equipment

Volkswagen has been very generous with the equipment, so in each Touran you'll find electric windows, a CD player, air conditioning and cruise control. Only the entry level S misses the alloys, and the Sport receives climate control. No automatic transmission, but it is an option on some of the engines such as the 1.4 TSI and 2.0 litre TDI.

Safety

Every car has six airbags, anti-lock brakes and traction control. It also scored an excellent five stars in EuroNCAP's crash tests.

Owning

The Touran boasts a set of cheap running figures since the fuel economy is high and the insurance groups are low. Company car drivers won't be shelling out on huge bills since all the engines are in lowish tax brackets.

Value

One of the most expensive MPVs on the market, with each engine variant being a couple of grand more expensive than the Zafira and Scenic's comparable model.

Verdict