Fast Facts

Verdict:
Need to move seven people around in a hurry? The Touran’s your car

Capable, roomy and utilitarian coupled with exciting performance

Still looks a bit boring, slightly smaller than rivals

VW’s people-mover moves in more ways than one

By Derryn Wong

THERE ARE QUITE a few things to like about the Touran, although not many people would say that this multi-purpose vehicle’s looks number amongst those bonus points. It’s not ugly but anonymous and van-like; ask most people about the car and you’d get, “A Tou-what?” in response. But staid looks belie the MPVs capabilities, and not for nothing was this one of the best-selling cars of its class in Germany even before the latest face-lift.

The new Touran gets a very slight facial redecoration with a chrome grille, new bumper and slightly more shapely headlamps. You’d have to be a Touran fanatic, or just very anal, to spot those differences. It sounds unlikely (the existence of Touran fans, not anal people) but spend some time with the car as we did and you just might be converted.

As with the exterior, the interior of the Touran is business as usual in MPV land once again, this time with a Volkswagen twist, which means some good, clever design and sturdy build quality albeit slightly on the clinical side, as opposed to say a Citroen’s more funky cabin design. A minus if you like that sort of thing, but it won’t bother you unless you’re fussy.

The high roof and big windscreen give the classic MPV ‘wide-angle’ front view with both front seats being leather sport ones with height and lumbar twiddling inbuilt, although not electrically. New in the cabin is the “RCD 300” Radio system, now with much-welcome support for mp3 playback although it still lacks a auxillary input for audio players. Eight speakers coupled with the boxy dimensions mean you get better sound clarity than in a lower-slung cousin like the Golf.

Also new in this model is cruise control, useful on longer jaunts, adding to the already considerable equipment list of the car: dual-zone air-conditioning, folding tables for the second row, fold-flat front seat, parking sensors, speed-sensitive steering, air-bags all round except for the last row.

Being slightly smaller in size than other seven-seaters doesn’t hurt the Touran much when everything is cleverly packaged as it is: we didn’t even know the third row existed until we pulled it up, it looked just like a regular boot. The typical back-row concerns in all MPVs persist though, so put only midgets or people you dislike there for long journeys.

But perhaps the best party trick the Touran has isn’t in the cabin but under the hood. The brilliant twincharged engine from the Golf GT has found its way into the engine bay with surprising results. Despite the weight hike (1,522kg up from 1,271 for the Golf) there’s no arguing with 170bhp at 6,500rpm or the very-usable and generous torque figure of 240Nm at just 3,500rpm. For the unsavvy, the TSI engine uses a supercharger at low revs and turbocharger at higher ones to produced blown power covering the weaknesses of each form of forced induction.

For the less technically inclined this means the Touran Sport hits 100km/h in just 8.5 seconds, faster than a MPV has any right to, although it feels a lot quicker. The tall MPV rolls slightly into corners, but steering is tight and precise enough for sporting drivers to enjoy, while ride quality is firm without being harsh.
Easing your rapid forward progress is the standard six-speed double-clutch Direct Shift Gearbox which is brilliant as always. In the Touran though, some slight weaknesses show in the form of tricky low-speed maneuvering. More than likely the gearbox has been optimised for heavier loads so the supercharger kicks in rather fast resulting in slightly jerky off-the-line starts. Reverse parking on a hill also requires a light touch on the gas. But that’s all worth it, considering travelling with the family is now made much easier. All you have to do to shut everyone up is get on the gas.

NEED TO KNOW

Volkswagen Touran Sport 1.4 TSI (A)
ENGINE TYPE 1,390cc, 16V turbocharged/supercharged in-line four
MAX POWER 170bhp at 6,500rpm
MAX TORQUE 240Nm at 3,500rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed automatic
TOP SPEED 212 km/h (limited)
0-100KM/H 8.5 seconds
PRICE $95,800 with COE
WARRANTY 3 years / 100,00km
CONTACT Volkswagen Group Singapore
TELEPHONE 6474-8288