Second Hand SenseVOLKSWAGEN'S TOURAN came late to the compact MPV market as the company tried to capitalise on this extremely popular family segment. Launched in 2003, the car was designed to offer family owners a car with either five or seven seats that was not as awkward as conventional MPVs.
Practicality rather than looks was the priority and the Touran has little or no design presence. As a result it has not made a big sales impact in the segment and a high price did not help either.
VW fans will be aware of the variety of the range and the Touran comes in plenty of guises, from the basic 1.6-litre petrol to the 1.9-litre TDi diesel, which is even available with a DSG automatic gearbox.
If you are ferrying kids about, the automatic can lessen your stress. Inside, the car has a sparse but intelligent layout. Everything is where it should be and is easy to read and operate.
However, the rear seats are quite cramped and more suited to children than adults. For the smaller family the Touran is a good option, but it might not stand up to the demands of a bigger family. There are plenty of airbags and the car comes with ABS, electronic stability and brake assist.
It has a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP programme crash-tests. There have been a few recalls for smoking problems from auxiliary heaters on diesel models and 44,000 Tourans built in 2004-2005 were recalled for clutch problems.
There is a good selection of Tourans about in this depressed second-hand market, but steer well clear of asking prices.
A 2005, 1.6-litre petrol, seven seat model, with a good selection of standard equipment and 70,000km on the clock has an asking price at one garage of €14,950. A 2006 diesel with five seats and 73,000km on the clock has an asking price of €19,750, while a 2006 1.6-litre petrol, five-seater, with 45,000km on the clock is on offer for €19,500. All of these prices are too high, and should be subject to tough bargaining.
STAR RATING: 5/10