VW Touran 1.6 TDI: review

It’s frankly on the dull side, but worthy too. It delivers steady amounts of torque and power but isn’t terribly responsive or smooth in its delivery. The six-speed manual gearbox works slickly enough though and ensures the gearing is high enough for relaxed motorway cruising.

Handling too is pretty competent, with body roll kept under control and a nicely settled and comfortable ride as standard, meaning the optional adaptive dampers aren’t really worth the expense of £770.

But few will buy a seven-seater to explore their inner racing driver. And it’s in the cabin where the Touran really scores high. So far, we’ve seen that it’s very competent, but somewhat dull, but that’s not the theme that continues inside. Here we find a cabin that feels really solid and well equipped with a more top-end feel than the competitors.

It feels bigger than it actually is thanks to intelligent design. All seven seats have decent headroom, and the third row pair even have armrest and cupholder practicality. The second row is made up of three seats which are necessarily a touch narrower, but they’re all comfortable and can be slid and reclined individually. Front row are similarly comfortably seated and the rear seating is hugely flexible in terms of folding and stowing to make a massive space for bulky items.

Not only that but all five seats behind the front pair are fitted with Isofix child seat security, which is pretty rare and welcome to have. Equipment levels aren’t bad at all, although we’d spend the £230 for the automatic city emergency braking system since that also gives you cruise control. Otherwise the SE spec gives you all you want although the options list is pretty comprehensive.

If you need flexible space and the ability to carry a variety of adults and children in some comfort and safety, then the Touran scores highly indeed – you’ll note our five-star score. Sure, it’s not particularly cheap and it’s not particularly exciting, but this is a smart act that can carry just as much and just as many as larger full-strength MPVs, while looking sleeker and classier.

VW Touran 1.6 TDI SE

Engine size: 1.6-litre diesel

Price from: £25,230

Power: 108bhp

Torque: 184lb ft

0-62mph: 11.9 seconds

Top speed: 116mph

Fuel economy: 64.2mpg

CO2: 116g/km