So, the Touran seems to have risen to the top of the replacement car list. Thinking about maybe a 58 or 59 plate, probably se trim. Anyone drive one and can offer their opinion, how they find it etc? I know its terribly sensible but it seems to tick the boxes… except sexy and fast! 🙂

It seems to be the current weapon of choice among the more lethal end of the private hire business, who previously used to choose and then deliberately wrote off those imported Toyota Lucida/Previa’s in cash for crash scams over the years. VW’s seem to be reliable enough to keep taxi drivers going between non fault payoutknocks.

You can get 7 family members with a whiplash claim for a light knock in a Touran, (or aforementioned Previa/Lucida) whereas the old favourites of yesteryear, the red diesel Toyota Carina with badly fading panels and 400k on the clock only sat 5.

Thats a whole extra £10k to claim, (including your family relation solicitors legal fees), and a like for like plated Touran is £130 pd over £80 pd from your other family relative who is hiring it to you whilst storing the crashed car at a small fortune per day.

Um.. ok ;s

I’ve driven my fathers 2.0TDI diesel DSG one and find it very good, handling nearly as good as my golf gti to be honest.

Its not a good drive. Christ clydebuilt, which Gti are you talking about?! At a push, i could beleive that, if it was the mark 4 124hp version.

It seemed nippy and well planted, but no gti, was thinking more ppl who have owned them long term, any annoying niggles etc.

It’s pretty good for a mpv.
Wife drives a 60 plate 1.6 TDi SE, and really can’t fault it (so far).
Except for an annoying niggle with the remote locking and phantom window wind downs.

a tank will run and run.. great for my tribe of primary school kids and all the nighbours kids who seem to live round our place
all the vag diesels are used in audis, skodas etc so all the faults are ironed out.. my mrs didnt like hers as it was so ‘yesterday’ as she said when she traded it for a 4wd skoda octavia.. which apparently will be brilliant when it snows.. where does she read this stuff..

I really really really didn’t want to get one, but as I really don’t drive anymore (ride to work) it was the missus call. We have one with the DSG (with flappy paddles 😳 ), and even I have to say that it is an absolutely brilliant car.

Reliable, great dealer, very good drive (very smooth, quiet and plenty of oomph), totally amazing sat nav, very comfortable, extremely flexible, seats 7 nae probs, and with the back row down the boot is a great shape for massive loads. Plenty of power points also for plugging in various kid entertainment things, and lots of (non-breakable unlike french cars) cubby holes.

Downsides: roof is wide so my current roof bars wouldn’t fit on the rails, and…erm… it is a bit ‘sensible’ but it is such a damn versatile and good car for a family that I am totally prepared to put up with that.

Actually, we got a great deal on the last of the previous models, so ours is fully loaded 🙄 and all the features are good. Red and black leather seats like a Dutch S&M club, aforementioned sat nav, flappy DSG, TSI engine with 170bhp or something (swiss only I think) , ipod stuff, darkened rear windows (never had before, sooo good for kids not getting bright sun in the back) and the ‘piece de resistance’ – self parking! Never really used in anger, but great fun with the kids who scream for teh car to drive itself whenever we go past a space. 😆

I case I haven’t made my point, we love it. 😀

Kev

ah, maxray, just seen your extra post: we mainly bought it on the advice of 3 friends who all also own (some 4 years old now). Absolutely no probs and total recomendations from them. OK, so N=3, but you get the drift.

Kev

love it. have a 53 plate five seater (has a full size spare plus an extra cubby hole in the boot which holds currently a boul set, a picnic blanket, a piece of rope and a decathlon folding sun shelter! and that’s hidden under the boot floor.
mpg is 45 to 59 and that’s around sheffield and a run to pembrokeshire. with the seating options i’ve had two adults two kids and associated sh*t, one bike on the roof, a full size mtb, a kids bike and a folding tag along in there and went to scotland in comfort and did 56mpg there and back.
very comfy seats, nice seating position, loads of torque (great for gentle pulling away in snow), loads of pockets for stuff. the 1.9 engine is good, it’s torquey and pulls well on the turbo. it’s not a fast car but it’s one of those that if you keep your speed it’s rapid. happily doing 80 over the mountain road to aberystwyth.
i’ve put vredestein sportrac three’s on and they’re amazing all weather tyres, sing a little in the dry but in the wet and snow they’ve not let me down yet.
oh and i love the hold the key fob button when opening and all the windows open, superb on a hot day.
bad points, er….
it eats brake light bulbs at a rate of four a year for no apparent reason. front wiper blades are 35 quid for the pair from halfords or 60 ish for one from the vw dealership. rear blade is 15 from halfords. it uses a bit of oil and it’s the synthetic expensive stuff but it is a bit, maybe a top up every 4000miles.
oh there used to be a fault on the front window winders but it’d be on the earlier models and should have been sorted. (dealer wanted 300 to sort it, with a bit of grunting and swearing it cost me some trim clips and a zip tie!)
to be honest i’ve been looking at other cars and can’t find anything that’d do anything so much different that it’d be worth changing.
j_me the window thing is possibly a bit of trim stuck where the window fits in it thinks there’s a childs finger there so drops down to stop it hurting too much! mine does it occasionaly but only because a bit of trim is in need of a shove.
hope that helps

Cheers all, essentially confirms my thoughts. Good stuff, will get my haggling head on and see what can be had 🙂

Got a 2.0 tdi sport dsg, it’s been great in 4 years and 80k. I plan to keep it until it is no more. I had it chipped so it has around 170bhp and it’s pretty nippy and comfortably get in excess of 45mpg day to day.

I’d recommend it highly. It may not be sexy, but I’ll guarantee it won’t date like an smax will in the same way that a golf ages much better than a focus.

If I cam fault it at all it’s that mine doesn’t have a spare which has been annoying on two occasions.

I have used mine pretty hard but it has never missed a beat.

Had our 57 plate, 140 20ltr SE/Sport for 3yrs and it is a magic machine. With 4 soon to be 5 grandkids and all the stuff we have to shift it is a very versatile motor. Seats get removed for shifting large items. Bikes can be fitted in cross ways, rear seats slide forwards so kids can reach seat back tables. Beware reclining them, they go all the way back without stopping 💡 🙄
Just started towing a caravan and it is proving good for that, frustrated a couple of smaller cars pulling away at roundabouts the other day 😈
Only fault I have had is the ABS system fault light coming on. If you do a google it would appear to be common fault in older cars. My indy garage reckons it is just corroded terminals and will be looked at when service is due next month.

Niggles? Can`t drive with windows open, rear luggage cover and seat belts start flapping. Spare key set needs a double plip to open all doors. Heater is slow to demist windows compared to a petrol car
Other than that it is nearly the best car we have owned, 90s 1.8 Jetta being the best

I have had is the ABS system fault light coming on

😀 my polo currently does that, have always put it down to a slight glitch rather than a real problem. Always have to keep your fingers crossed its not gonig to pop on during your MOT 🙂

I had a VW Sharan and looked at the Touran when it came out, I was disappointed by how much space the wheel arches took up. Spoiling the load carrying capacity in the rear. With the seats out I could get a single bed in the back of the Sharan.

trekster have a look at these i bought some and fitted them in half an hour as i want to leave the windows open so we don’t roast the hound.
they’ve changed the aerodynamics slightly and have reduced the buffeting if just the rear windows are open.
cheap as chips too, i got a full set for 25 quid ish delivered.

get a single bed in the back

Wasn’t on my list of prerequisites for the car 😀 .. maybe I should add it but then I’d just end up getting a huge van!

Cheers nick – I’ll take a look.

Hi,

I have a 55 plate with 80K on the clock. Easily fits two bikes in the back with the wheels off and three is possible. Hard to fault (like most modern cars) just make sure you have it changed to fixed interval services and ignore all the ‘longlife’ marketing mush from VW.
Stuff:
Oil is expensive – burning a litre per 1000K is common/normal.
No spare wheel – budget for a ‘skinny’ space saver from VW.
Cambelt due at 80K.
Ongoing issues with the ABS controller, but this not exclusive to the Touran, as it affects loads of VW, BMW and MB vehicles.

Hth
Marko

We’ve had our 07 plate 1.9 tdi ‘S’ from new and although it still never set the world on fire, it constantly impresses. Ride quality and handling are great, it’s uber practical. Totally reliable apart from a failed fuel lift pump, fixed under warranty.

Rear seat belts are slow to retract-can get caught in doors.

Otherwise superb. If I didn’t drive a VW T5, I’d have one for my mtb/surf wagon.

I looked at getting one. Like you said, ticked all the boxes except sexy and fast. Could live without the extra row of seats, the high driving position and the sexy bit so bought an Octy vRS estate instead. Really good cars though and looking at similar cars from other manufacturers, much better built and hold their values much better (but in a way, compare to S-Max which was also excellent, it makes them look slightly expensive…….).

get a single bed in the back
Wasn’t on my list of prerequisites for the car .. maybe I should add it but then I’d just end up getting a huge van!

If you take the bed out you could carry bikes instead 😆

marko, if you don’t use the third row of seats take em out and put a full size spare in. look round the european forums for it as it’s a common mod.

just make sure you have it changed to fixed interval services and ignore all the ‘longlife’ marketing mush from VW

Why? I think I have the same engine and I switched it to longlife.

We have had a 2007 2 litre, 140 bhp Touran for the last 3 years.
I love it (in a horrible heading headlong quickly towards middle age way)
50 mpg, plenty quick enough, decent stereo, plenty space.
The lack of a spare wheel is a pain, but I just got a spare wheel from a mate and chuck it into the roof box if we are going anywhere remote. The tyre glue gunk it comes with or the AA can sort it anywhere else.

I love it (in a horrible heading headlong quickly towards middle age way)

Think that was my main worry tbh slowclimb. Tho all in the benefits outweigh the downsides.. middle age here i come!! 😉

maxray – Member
I love it (in a horrible heading headlong quickly towards middle age way)
Think that was my main worry tbh slowclimb. Tho all in the benefits outweigh the downsides.. middle age here i come!!

Never understood this notion.
Have always bought a car for 2 reasons a)seating position/seats and driving position have to be comfortable. b)it is a “tool/workhorse” so has/d to be fit for purpose regardless of badge on boot/bonnet.
eg the Vaux Zafira is probably just as good but the seats and driving position does not suit me or my wife. Wife has had them and other Vaux products as hire cars for work purposes and has asked her supplier not to send her any Vaux cars, as have others apparently ❗

Maxray – go for the Sport version like I did then you can kid yourself on you are still a contender 😀

I bought my touran specifically because I needed a car that would fit kids and bikes in at the same time, which it does.

I’ve driven my fathers 2.0TDI diesel DSG one and find it very good, handling nearly as good as my golf gti to be honest.

I think that comment truly deserves a ‘LOLOLOLOL’.

lol @ slowclimb.. stick a spoiler on too whilst i am at it.

lol @ slowclimb.. stick a spoiler on too whilst i am at it.

Underlights and pics please 🙂

slowclimb – Member
Maxray – go for the Sport version like I did then you can kid yourself on you are still a contender

`tis what I do 😈
Can be quite brutal away from the lights 😉

I’m going to get a full body kit and those really bad stick on window tints 😉

Nickhart:

Yes that is an option, but I use them – occasionally. Still looking for a ‘skinny’, but they seem to go for near retail on the ‘bay’.

Molgrips:

VW’s way of lowering the perceived ownership cost. I don’t care how sophisticated the oil formulation is, to me it’s just nuts to go 20,000 mile without an oil and filter change. Also consider all the other service items that should be checked at least once a year.

Hth
Marko

Got a 57 diesel se ex demo with 6,000 on the clock. Very pleased with it. Big, safe and pretty fuel economical as it goes.

modified tourans are here


and you want loud?

Another happy punter here as well. Got a 09 plate Bluemotion one. It’s not sexy etc. etc. but is a very good workhorse. Loads of space, 60+ mpg on long motorway trips, 45 mpg at worst and the missus says if you stick kids in the fold down seats in the boot you can hardly hear them. 😈

🙂 saw a pimped toucan forum earlier, quite funny. All the practical comments are very encouraging.