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New Touran loads up

VW facelifts its MPV to take on Meriva and C-MAX

VW Touran

By Tom Phillips

09th April 2010

It’s nip and tuck time for the Touran. The wraps have come off the freshly facelifted VW MPV at the Leipzig Motor Show in Germany.

Just like the larger Sharan which bowed at Geneva, the newcomer is infused with the same VW design DNA which debuted on the latest Golf.

At the front, there’s a new grille and larger bodycoloured front bumper, while the headlights are more distinctive than the car it replaces. The rear now features new LED taillights and a revised spoiler which helps improve aerodynamic efficiency.

The interior has been given a refresh too. The Touran gets the multi-function steering wheel from the latest Golf, better materials including a greater use of chrome, and redesigned headrests which give rear-seat passengers a less restricted view of the road ahead.
The Touran comes with seven seats as standard. The third row folds into the boot floor, leaving a 695-liter load space, while the maximum carrying capacity is 1,913-litres. There are no fewer that 39 other storage spaces scattered around the interior too.

Under the bonnet, there’s a choice of two petrol and four diesel engines. The petrol range consists of the 138bhp 1.4-litre unit carried over from the old car, and a new 104bhp 1.2-litre unit.

Oil burners include two 1.6-litre units, developing 89bhp and 104bhp, and two 2.0-litre engines which muster 138bhp and 168bhp. DSG gearboxes are standard on the range-toppers. Both lower-powered diesels are available with Bluemotion technology. The 104bhp 1.6-litre diesel sips fuel at the rate of 61.4mpg and emits 121g/km of carbon dioxide.

Debuting on the new car is VW’s latest generation of the ParkAssist stystem. At the touch of a button, the Touran will park itself into a parallel space – the car does the steering while the driver controls the throttle and brakes. The system also allows the car to park itself in end-on spaces for the first time.

The new Touran goes on sale in the UK in the September where it will face stiff competition from the new Vauxhall Meriva and Ford C-MAX. Prices will start from around £17,000 - £1,200 more than the current entry-level model.

For an alternative review of the latest Volkswagen Touran visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

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9 Comments

Yawn

By gherkins123 on 8 April, 2010, 10:44am

Not enough imagination VW

All the cars VW make nowadays all look the same. Almost every new VW has that Golf-style front end. This is basically just a smaller Sharan.

By MaxedOut on 9 April, 2010, 1:18pm

Very nice

Consistency is good - I don't want "exciting new" as in Sierra, Civic or Meganne rear - progressive evolution is just the ticket

By passat15 on 9 April, 2010, 5:35pm

Same old, same old...

VW needs to add some style! Compared to the new Ford C-MAX this is very dull

By markiebaby on 10 April, 2010, 5:06pm

EEWWGH!!!

This has got to be the most dullest car of modern times!!! I thought manufacturers stopped making such dull 'boxy' cars. What is VW thinking by making something so dull???!!! The interiors top notch though, better than the Meriva.

By Abdurrahman1 on 12 April, 2010, 4:05am

just the ticket.

I am another buyer who loves the unfussy tasteful style of current VWs. While the other brands are falling over themselves to produce awkwardly proportioned, gimmicky cars, VW sticks with calm good taste.
Audi used to be the prime purveyors of this, but then they stuck those comedy snout grilles on the front and ruined the whole thing. BMW look like they might be seeing the error of their ways, and the new 5 looks like a return to form.
The only glitch in the Touran description is the 'interior upgraded with more chrome.' More chrome is a downgrade in my eyes. Hate the stuff., and I certainly don't want it on the inside, it is bad enough on the outside.

By pajbse on 13 April, 2010, 11:29am

Dull, dull, dull

Are VW so strapped for cash that they can't afford an all-new Touran (and Golf Plus for that matter)? It was the dullest-looking people carrier on the block when it was first released 7 years ago and no amount of tweaking this ageing design is going to change that. I will soon be in the market for this type of car once again and wrongly assumed I would be considering a totally fresh design against it's rivals, but I can now score the Touran off my list.......again!

By erly5 on 13 April, 2010, 10:25pm

I was expecting a totally new Touran, not a facelift.

I have a current model Touran which I quite like, other than the qualitiy of some of the interior plastic's which could be better, it's a great car. However I was expecting a totally new car, and can't help but feel it will not compete well against newer rivals.

By white_peter on 14 April, 2010, 8:34pm

Dull cars for dull people

That just about sums VW up. As for suggestions that VW's style is tasteful, have you seen the latest golf? With the previous generation they at last made the first model since the MK2 that looked like a Golf should, only to throw it all away again with the new version.

Even the £30K R model looks dull! What is the point of spending all that cash on a sports model if nobody is even going to give it a second glance?

Let's face it, VW are the new Toyota, churning out thousands of utterly dull and lifeless cars for the masses. This may well be a winning formula financially but it does not give the impression that VW are at all innovative or leading the way in automotive design.

By oliver144 on 15 April, 2010, 8:58am

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