Compact MPV (VW Touran 1.9 S TDI)

Member Name: Ali72

Product:	VW Touran 1.9 S TDI
Date:	21/10/05 (3440 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Handles like a car, not a bus (unlike some full-size MPVs)

Disadvantages: Can't carry 7 people AND luggage

The “on the road” retail price of this model is £16,335. I purchased my car through an online broker site (broker4cars.co.uk) for £14,463, having taken a test drive with my local VW dealership who informed me that they could not match the online price. I opted for two “extras”: metallic paint, £320, and an alarm, £250, so the overall cost was £15,033. It seems odd that an alarm is not fitted as standard, as this is essentially an estate car and therefore does not have a secure boot, so I felt that I needed to have one fitted. As a result, I did have to wait for around 4 weeks for the car to be manufactured to my specifications; it was shipped to Parkway Volkswagon in Derby (who handled all the paperwork) and delivered to my door. I was very happy with the service – it arrived exactly on time and the delivery person spent a long time showing me around the car and demonstrating all the functions.

I bought this car when pregnant with my second child and it has proved an excellent choice for my family. It is a “mini-MPV” – it looks like a tall estate car (sits on a Golf chassis) but the boot contains two additional seats that can be very easily pulled up when needed. With these 3rd row seats folded flat, the boot is very spacious and easily accommodates all the paraphernalia of family life, for example: two suitcases, a 3-wheeled all-terain buggy, a stroller, a travel cot and a baby-swing on a recent trip to visit the grandparents! The drawback, in comparision with a full-size MPV, is that in order to accommodate the additional people, you do have to empty the boot, but this fits in OK with the afore-mentioned trips to visit grandparents. However, with both of the additional seats raised, there is only a very small amount of luggage space left – enough to just squeeze in a stroller, or a couple of carrier bags. If, like my family, you have two small children, then you still need to have one of the additional seats flat to accommodate more than one stroller. However, this is not a problem, because the middle row of seats is roomy enough to accommodate two child seats and an adult seated between them. The advantages in comparison to a full-sized MPV, in addition to being less expensive to buy and to run (no petrol/diesel guzzling here, at a very respectable 47+mpg for the diesel model on the combined fuel cycle) are that this car handles like a car, and not like a bus! The ride is a little firm, but comfortable. The driving position is good, since the driver’s seat height is adjustable, as is the steering column.

Talking of buses, the diesel is remarkably quiet, with the cabin being well-insultated. The only slightly annoying feature is a “useful” cubby hole mounted in the middle of the dashboard, which I just knew would rattle with time and use, and sure enough it is now jammed shut with a piece of card – this is the something VW should have just left out. The other storage however, is practical, and well thought-out. The extra 12V socket in the middle row is handy to plug in the kiddy entertainment for long rides. It also comes with a radio/CD player as standard for the adults. And, as you would expect, the Touran has plenty of safety equipment. There are head and side airbags for the front passengers, as well as curtain airbags for side protection.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase, and I have noticed increasing numbers of Tourans on the road, so evidently I am not the only person to think that it’s a sensible choice.

Summary: Versatile family car

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