Volkswagen Touran 2.0 TDI SEL 5d Owner Review

For our family of five, we specifically wanted an MPV as I find SUVs to be bulky on the road and heavy / more expensive to run, yet with less space inside. There are very few options with three or more proper seats with isofx in the back and it came down to one of these or a Citroen Grand Picasso (which incidentally my sister-in-law has as they have 3 kids too). I am so glad we chose a Touran - It looks stylish enough from the outside, inside it feels nice and premium and it really does drive lovely. It's nice and compact for a seven seater (unlike the Citroen, which is a full 30cm longer for example) - yet it has all the space we need and more and is is very practical and hard-wearing. We find that because there's almost no boot space when the two rear seats are in use, it's a 5 seater car with space for 7 when needed, rather than a full 7 seater - perfect for us. Also two adults are perfectly comfortable back there for short to medium journeys, so it's good for day outings with Granny and Grandad when the only luggage is a few hand bags etc. We have the 2.0 TDI 150 version (DFEA engine) with a manual gearbox - it has plenty of power, is quiet at speed and is not too heavy on fuel either, especially on longer runs. We intend to run this car until it dies in a big way, hence we have it serviced on the fixed annual / 10,000 miles schedule at the local VW dealer in Exeter, who surprisingly were only slightly dearer than an independent specialist and are far more flexible / willing to go the extra mile. My only gripe would be that I would have liked it to have been a smidge more economical - We get around 46/47 MPG on local runs and around 53/54 on longer trips at 70-75mph cruising speed, although this does improve slightly in warmer weather (it's February at the moment). Given all the car's other points that it excels at, we are happy to stomach that however. Overall: If you too are looking for a family car for 3 that's well made and will stand up to long-term family use / abuse, you won't use the two extra seats in the third row very often and are of the same mindset of us and think SUVs are all flash and no trousers, seriously consider the Touran - It's a great car and ours is now firmly planted as a well-loved member of the family!