Second-Hand Sense: Estate cars, you may have noticed, don't attract a big following in this country. Traditionally, this was because these cars usually looked exactly like the saloon version with a box rear tacked on, but more recently the growth in MPV style vehicles simply meant people had a much better choice of cars that were designed for family use and looked good too. In the meantime, the estate has been left to the working person who does not need a van.
Thus the Volkswagen Touran might have been destined to be an estate in times past. Instead it is designed to fit into the smaller MPV category where Renault and Ford have had much success with their Scenic and C-Max offerings. The reason the whole estate concept comes to mind is that the Touran has not had the benefit of smart design and tends to appear like a Golf on short stilts. Which, of course, is what it is.
The Touran is based on the Golf and shares many components, such as the chassis and engine choices, and it tends to suffer for that. Its overall profile is slightly stubby and lacking in any flowing lines. As a Golf derivative, though, the Touran is a good option because it has much of the Golf's driving charm and strength.
The Touran works as a family car with the seven-seat layout designed to accommodate two small children aft and five others in comfort. That, however, does not leave much room for storage and the same problem arises as with other MPVs - you don't have room for much else other than passengers. The Touran seating arrangement also takes a deal of time to work out, unlike some of its competitors, but at least you don't have to take the seats out - another major complaint I have with some MPVs.
With the last two seats folded down you are left with what is probably a more commonplace arrangement - a deep boot space and a five-seater car. Inside, the look is all Golf: familiar switchgear and instrumentation, steering wheel and seats. It is lower to the ground than other similar cars and is shown up by cars such as the Toyota Corolla Verso, against which it looks quite dull.
The Touran has not made the same impression as cars like the Verso, Opel Zafira, the C-Max and the Scenic because, while no less practical, it just does not have the same identity as they have. It does have things like ABS, a CD player, good storage, but charm is not its strong point. Driving is familiar from the Golf experience. It rides and handles well and there is little fuss. The 1.6 engine is probably a bit limited, so the bigger turbo diesel engine may well be the best option, as long as you do the extra mileage to make the price differential worthwhile.
The Touran achieved a full five-star rating in the EuroNCAP crash tests and the car has front and side airbags. The five-star rating makes it a good option in the MPV class because parents will feel reassured. The car has had one major recall for a problem with the fuel pump housing on some engines and a small recall for problems with the flywheel on a limited number of cars.
A 2003 model with the 1.9 turbo diesel engine and 40,000 miles on the clock is on offer at €17,750, while a 2004 1.6 petrol model with 27,000 miles up is on offer at €20,000. The prices indicate the premium paid on the VW name.
FOR: Comfortable, safe and reliable
AGAINST: Very dull design