VWSA has launched two derivatives of the Touran MPV in South Africa. It’s as long as the current Golf Estate, but higher and wider and will compete with the Toyota Verso and Renault Scenic.
VWSA has launched two derivatives of the Touran MPV in South Africa. It’s as long as the current Golf Estate, but higher and wider and will compete the new Toyota Verso and Renault Scenic II.
The range is offered with a choice of 74kW 1,9-litre TDI four-cylinder and 100 kW two-litre TDI 16-valve powerplants. A 110 kW two-litre FSI petrol engine will be introduced later.
According to VWSA, the typical Touran customer is married with children, and is most likely to buy the MPV as the second vehicle in the family. Other types of Touran customers could be people who own their own businesses or a younger generation who wish to transport bicycles, surfboards and camping equipment.
The Touran is 16cm higher and 6cm wider than the Golf Estate and its added dimensions allow for large doors that extend down into the sill panels, making entry, exit and loading easier. The range offers two configurations – five- and a seven-seater.
The five-seater has a luggage capacity of 695 litres with the seats up, but this rises to 1 989 litres when the rear seats are folded. The rear seats can also be removed, effectively making the Touran a panel van. On the seven-seater configuration the luggage capacity is 121 litres due to the extra row of seats, but with both rows of rear seats folded down, this capacity rises to 1 913 litres.
The front seat occupants sits slightly higher than on a conventional passenger car. The drivers’ seat can be adjusted upwards by 61 mm, while both front seats can move 245 mm either forwards or backwards.
The second row is made up of three separate seats that can be individually folded, moved sideways, shifted backwards, forwards or totally removed depending on the application and load requirements. To facilitate the different configurations, the seats weigh between 15,7 and 15,9kg for ease of removal, and in line with the front seats, have a high sitting position.
As an option, the Touran is available with a third row of seats for two passengers. While the load space is limited in this application, the seats are fully removable should the Touran owner need to transport more luggage.
The Touran’s seats feature high-grip handles, which can be pulled up to slide the seats forwards or back. Second row passengers have pockets and folding tables with cup holders on the backs of the front seats of the Highline models. The centre seat can also be used as a small table when folded and the side door pockets are designed to hold one-litre bottles, children’s toys and other commodities.
Aside from the cubbyhole, there are storage compartments on the dashboard, under the front seats, under the floor of the second row of seats, a storage drawer under the front seats (on 2.0 TDI and FSI).
In terms of power output, the 1,9 TDI’s torque has been increased to 250 N.m (available from 1 900 r/min) and the model is offered with a six-speed manual transmission. VWSA claim a urban cycle fuel consumption of 7,4 litres per 100 km, 5,2l/100 km for the extra-urban and a combined figure of 5,9l/100km.
The two-litre TDI has a torque output of 320 N.m from 1 750 to 2 500 r/min, the manufacturer claims. It is said to accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 10,6 seconds and reach a top speed of 197 km/h. VWSA claims fuel consumption figures of 7,6l/100km for the urban cycle, 5.2l/100km for extra-urban and 6l/100km for the combined cycle.
Under the skin, the Touran is fitted with a suspension strut axle with lower wishbones and coil springs at the front, while rear has a four-link axle also with coil springs. The rear four-link suspension has three lateral arms and a trailing arm for the precise location of each wheel.
The Touran is fitted 16-inch “Imola” wheels shod with 205/55 R16 tyres, while the 2.0TDI utilises “Hockenheim” rims. The five-seat Touran is fitted with a full-size spare wheel while the 7-seat option has the tyre mobility set.
Active safety comes in the form of standard ABS, ESP, anti-slip regulation (ASR) and electronic brake-force distribution. Passive safety takes the form of two front airbags, with the passenger airbags having a deactivation switch. Curtain airbags are provided for front and second row passengers, while there are front side airbags as well. For enhanced visibility all Tourans come with rear fog lights, while the 2.0TDI and FSI have the front fog lights as standard too. All doors have a child lock.
There are head level airbags and full safety belts for all seats, including the middle seat passenger. The removable net partition can be installed either behind the second row or further back in the car, preventing luggage from coming into the passenger area.
The Touran comes with the standard Volkswagen 3 year/120 000km warranty, as well as a 5 year/60 000km AutoMotion Plan and a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty.
Touran prices:
1,9 Tdi Trendline R219 550
2,0 Tdi Highline R254 600
2,0 FSi Highline R238 600