Volkswagen’s practical Touran seven-seat family car is now available to buy in showrooms, boasting greater practicality and efficiency than ever before. First shown at the Geneva Motor Show back in March 2015, the new Touran joins other large seven-seat Volkswagens like the Sharan.
Bigger, but lighter
The Touran has been “rebuilt from the ground up” according Volkswagen and is based on the brand’s famed MQB platform.
Although it has shed up to 62kg of weight – making it more efficient – the new Touran is actually 130mm longer than the previous model, in turn making it more practical. The majority of its added length is in its wheelbase, which has been extended by 113mm to 2,791mm in total.
The new Touran MPV has already earned itself the accolade of safest small MPV of 2015 by EuroNCAP.
New engines
The new engines for the Touran are 19 per cent more efficient than the ones they replace – and are also Euro6 complaint, with CO2 emissions starting from just 111g/km. There are five engines to choose from – two petrol and three diesel.
The petrols comprise of a small 108bhp 1.2-litre TSI unit and a 148bhp 1.4-litre unit. The 1.2-litre is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, whereas the 1.4-litre is available with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
Diesel engines available include a 108bhp 1.6-litre unit and a 2.0-litre TDI unit, the latter available with either 148bhp or 187bhp. All of the diesels are available with both six-speed manual and DSG automatic transmissions, except for the range-topping 187bhp 2.0-litre TDI – which is only available with the DSG option. The 108bhp 1.6-litre TDI is the derivative that boasts the low 111g/km CO2 figure.
Great practicality and more equipment
Thanks to an increase in length, the Touran now boasts up to 1,857 litres of storage space when the second and third row of seats are folded down. The new fold-flat system also allows seats to be folded down fast, easily and allow for a flat loading bed across the whole rear.
On top of its practicality, the Touran also features a touchscreen infotainment system as standard on every model in the range. Other impressive standard kit includes DAB digital radio, Bluetooth, air-con, automatic pre-collision braking system and roof rails.
Prices for the 2016 Volkswagen Touran start from £22,240 for the entry-level S model.
