What they said when the Volkswagen Touran was new… (Jul 30 2003)
THE COMPACT people carrier car park is getting very crowded indeed, but, perhaps surprisingly, there are still a few spaces left.
With Ford's Focus C-Max about to take a season ticket on a spot alongside Renault, Citroen, Vauxhall and a posse of Far Eastern makers, you could be forgiven for thinking it was time for the barriers to come down and for the 'no more spaces' sign to be lit up.
But there may well be just one more slot available ... and Volkswagen is hoping to squeeze its new Touran into it.
The compact MPV market is one sector of the market which has not, so far, caught the attention of prestige car makers like BMW, Audi and Mercedes.
And clearly Volkswagen sees a niche here for, if prices are anything to go by, it is intent on marketing the Touran as an up-market, prestige alternative to the likes of the latest Renault Scenic and the new C-Max as well as the Citroen Picasso and Vauxhall Zafira.
Like the Zafira, the new Touran is available with seven seats - although not as standard, but as a £500 option.
But other than that - and a stonking new top of the range two litre diesel engine - it's not easy to see what the Touran has to offer which makes it worth the premium prices VW has set.
While prices start at £14,535, the cheapest seven seater goes up to over £15k. Of the test cars available at VW's press launch, two cost in excess of £17,500 and the other, a top of the range two litre diesel, almost £20,500.
That's an awful lot of money when you consider that the brand new Renault Scenic starts at £12,850 and the flagship Vauxhall Zafira diesel sells for £17,720. Ford has yet to announce prices for the C-Max, but you can bet your bottom dollar they'll be matched against the Vauxhall rather than the VW.
So for VW to justify the differential it must be something special then?
Unfortunately, not that special. The Touran is, it must be said, tremendously competent, drives well, has a fabulous range of engines and comes extremely well packaged and equipped - but, hand on heart, I just couldn't justify the extra money over and above the cost of a bunch of very competetent rivals.
Built on the same platform as the next Golf, the Touran drives and handles like a family car, but in spite of multiple seat adjustment and a height adjustable wheel, the driving position is still more van-like than most competitors thanks to an oddly angled steering wheel.
Neither are noise levels particularly low. The new two litre PD diesel was the quietest of the three cars we drove while the new 1.6FSi petrol engine was noisy under acceleration and the 1.9 diesel suffered from excessive mechanical decibels both under initial acceleration and when cruising at the motorway limit. Wind noise from around the mirrors was also noticeable on all three at cruising speeds.
As a minimum, better soundproofing between the engine compartment and passenger compartment would appear to be called for.
From the foregoing you could be forgiven for thinking I've got a down on the Touran. Not a bit of it - I'm trying to be objective about a car which is being sold at a premium price.
And while the interior trim and fittings are up to the usual high Volkswagen quality standards I wonder if "quality" car buyers will appreciate the swathe of plain grey plastic which runs the width of the car between fascia and windscreen and whether, indeed, the entire interior might just be a little too bland for a car which sets out to be further up-market than its competitors.
For the rest of it, there's little on which to fault the Touran.
Ride and handling are of the highest order, with minimal body roll from a well-sorted suspension system.
VW is at the forefront of engine technology these days and the three available engines in the Touran do not disappoint. All are new to the VW brand and all meet impending Euro 4 legislation, meaning that buyers of the diesels will not be subject to the extra three per cent benefit in kind taxation levied against current oil burning power units.
The new 1.6 litre, FSi direct injection petrol engine is a tremendous, if at times raucous, performer and more than capable of pulling this heavy car around at respectable pace. It offers lower emissions and higher economy than traditional petrol engines too.
The 1.9 litre diesel is a more than adequate performer, but the new two litre oil burner is the real ace in the Touran pack. Quiet, refined and smooth it has effortless mid-range acceleration and will cover the 0-60 sprint in around 10 seconds while giving average fuel economy in excess of 46mpg.
As you'd expect from a 21st century MPV, interior flexibility is of the highest order.
The standard set of three rear seats are multi adjustable and, while the extra pair of back seats can't be remove or hidden away as they can in the Zafira, they do form a completely flat floor when folded, albeit with some loss of storage space. They are really best regarded as occasional child seats and it's worth remembering that when they're in use, rear storage space is little more than shopping bag sized.
There are lots of clever storage spaces, however - so many cubby holes, in fact, that you'll probably run out of things to put in them. In addition the Touran has its full compliment of cup and bottle holders and fold down trays in the seat backs.
In all, VW's new midi-MPV fulfils everything that the modern family lifestyle would demand of such a vehicle.
But then so do a host of cheaper rivals. Whether the VW does it that much better to justify the higher cost is really down to how much value you put on the badge ... not to mention the width of your wallet.
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