In 1996 Renault changed family motoring. Post-Scénic, consumers expected more from their family transport and other manufacturers were quick to copy the midi-MPV idea.
While the Scenic had five seats, the seven-seat mid-sized MPV market has proven to be just as happy a hunting ground for many manufacturers since the Vauxhall Zafira first proved the format could be a best-selling money-spinner back in the late 1990s.
So no surprises that back in 2003 and after due consideration, Volkswagen launched its own answer to the problems of the large family not wanting an equally large car to cart them around in.
Seven years and 1.1 million sales after the Touran first hit the scene, VW launched this, what it calls a new Touran. It’s more of a major facelift, really. There’s crisper styling, and the big news is the arrival of a range of modern new four-cylinder engines, but this Touran has the same basic but re-engineered VW Golf Mk5 underpinnings as before and the same basic interior in five or seven-seat guises.
Competition in the segment is as tough as it’s ever been, with entrants feeling more car-like to drive than ever and growing in versatility. So will the Touran’s tried and trusted formula – including its family ties to the Golf as a trump card – be enough for it to compete?
