Family cars are great. I especially give the thumbs up to MPVs and Estates when it comes to chauffeuring my children. Families need space - and plenty of it. It’s amazing how much stuff these little guys have. A vast area is needed for books, cuddly toys, dinky cars, buggies, travel cots, change bags, food, drink, blankies, walkers, child seats, booster seats, and don’t forget the little nippers themselves! Yesterday I attended the launch of the new Volkswagen Touran.
Since the Touran first launched in 2003 it has proven to be a popular machine. According to Piotra Mitka, Product Manager of the latest Touran, 1.9 million of these have sold to date worldwide. Volkswagen Ireland reckons that 2016 could see up to 400 of these vehicles on our roads. Although prices for the Irish market haven’t been 100% confirmed yet, we’ve been told that it’s likely to be available from in and around €29,500.
Three engines will be available in Ireland - one petrol and two diesel. Volkswagen assumes that the big seller will be the 1.6 TDI with 110PS in Trendline trim. This particular model is available with a 6-speed manual (the model I tested) or a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox. Volkswagen’s fuel economy figures say that this engine offers 4.4l/100km and 4.2l/100km respectively. The other available diesel engine is a 2.0 litre TDI with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed DSG gearbox. The one petrol engine available to the Irish market will be a 1.2 TSI with 110PS. The new Touran is now 62kg lighter, 13mm longer and offers up to 47 different storage solutions, making it versatile, spacious, and according to the manufacturer - 19% more fuel efficient than before.
Three trims will be available starting with Trendline, then Comfortline and Highline. Highline, being the highest specification, is where you will find extras like; Adaptive Cruise Control, 17” alloy wheels, and 3-zone Climatronic climate control.
As I’ve mentioned already, the manufacturer thinks the 1.6 diesel with Trendline trim will be their biggest seller and prices for these look likely to begin at €31,500. This trim includes; Front Assist and City Emergency Brake, air conditioning, 16” steel wheels and Bluetooth. Comfortline includes; Cruise Control with Fatigue Detection, Park Distance Control, leather multi-function wheel and everything that comes with Trendline.
Although the models at the launch included five-seaters, the Irish market will only have access to the seven-seat option. The driver’s row is spacious and comfortable – one minor problem that I’d have here is that there is only one USB port for charging and connecting to the infotainment system in the whole car – other manufacturers are offering more versatility in this area.
Row two benefits from a little bit more space. All three seats sit alone and are on rails and I could envisage three adults sitting contently in there. The space in row three is definitely more suited to children – with that said, I have sat in there and asked a fellow journalist to manoeuvre the seat in front of me to a position that was comfortable for him. I won’t say that the space is large, but I could actually see two adults fitting in there for shorter journeys.
As should be expected the load area is not great when seats 6 and 7 are in use. The good news is that these seats can lie flat, and when they do the cargo load can be up to 663 litres. If you need even more space, the second row also lies flat, and this can bring the luggage capacity to nearly 1,860 litres.
At the launch I managed to drive the Touran for circa 50km. It’s smooth on the road and the steering seems precise. On corners we encountered a small bit of body roll, but it's not drastic. I didn’t have enough of a spin to test the 1.6TDI engine on overtaking, but it was a solid enough motorway cruiser.
Of the 400 sales that Volkswagen predicts, they reckon that the bulk of their buyers will be; “young families”, people who are “loyal to Touran” and families who have two Volkswagens in their driveway. Volkswagen appears to also be aiming their Touran towards the safety conscious families out there, the car is available with a myriad of assist programmes and nine airbags throughout the vehicle. Each of the five seats in row two and three are also ISOFIX-ready.
Overall the new Touran seems to be a better equipped package than what was before it. This machine has been brought in line with Volkswagen’s current direction and has been built from the ground up using Volkswagen’s MQB platform. I look forward to giving this machine a full test when it lands in Ireland in and around November of this year.
