(Wed 15 Oct 08)

Volkswagen has added the Touran and Sharan seven-seat MPVs to its range of high-economy, low-CO2 BlueMotion vehicles.

The technology is familiar enough. Both cars feature aerodynamic improvements, lower ride height, higher gear ratios, new turbochargers for the diesel engines (104bhp 1.9-litre for the Touran, 138bhp two-litre for the Sharan) and harder-compound tyres.

The result in the case of the Touran is an improvement in combined fuel economy from the original 47.9mpg to 52.3mpg and a reduction in CO2 emissions from 156g/km to 144g/km, which in turn moves the car down a VED band, saving £25 per year in car tax (or £30 from next April).

The Sharan's fuel economy goes from 42.8mpg to 47.1mpg and the CO2 from 175g/km to 159g/km, leading to a £55 reduction in annual car tax.

The Touran BlueMotion is available in S and SE trim levels at £16,725 and £18,800 respectively, while the Sharan, which comes in S form only, costs £21,290.

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