The Happy Dad Compact MPV (Don't Tell The Wife Why)
Funny title, and why would I say that? The compact MPV is really the car that the man-in-the-street looks for when he wants to haul the family plus the in-laws. Smaller than the full-sized MPV, they are usually about the same in size as compact class cars that the manufacturer has available.
It feels a little like a tall Golf. Turning the Touran into a few corners, it really did, just a little. The drive mode selection does play a part in how the car drives. On Economy, the 7 speed DSG gearbox allows for disengagement when going downhill, letting the car freewheel for a bit, hence saving fuel in the process. Combined fuel figures stand at 17.9Km/l, which is the same as Citroen’s C4 Gran Picasso (this is impressive, as the French car is running on Diesel, and is supposedly optimsied for range). In Normal mode, the Touran drives like your everyday car with maximum torque of 250Nm on tap from as low as 1,500rpm, while maximum power of 150bhp is produced at 5,000rpm.
Sport mode does a few nice things. The steering does get more feedback, and the transmission will hold on to its gears longer. Throttle response gets sharper, and acceleration feels more immediate. In actual fact, Sport Mode for the Touran is rather addictive, as I’m not sure if this is deliberate, but the engine note from the little 1.4 is actually nice to hear. Push the car hard from a standstill, and you’d find enough torque to catch a bit of wheel spin on first gear and again at second. The DSG is happy to change up at higher rpms, letting off the slightest hint of what some will call a DSG “fart”. There is a customisable Individual drive mode, but I personally feel that all three presets well cover most driving styles.
The Touran suspension is built slightly on the firm side the car feels comfortable enough for longer journeys on roads built with lesser quality. I would say that somehow there is something missing from the ride. The car does get the job done very well, but when pushing the car out of the corner, it doesn’t offer that entertaining a drive (Kind of like German soccer, they’re good and get the job done, and just that).
The one thing that sets the Touran apart from the competition really is the engine and transmission combination. The gear ratios suit the car well. Some of you may ask, why a turbocharged MPV? The answer is that to haul so many people, you will need more torque, and much lower down the rev range. Some of you may still want to look for a Japanese equivalent, and you can do that, but before deciding, after working out the fuel figures and justifying the sums, take the Touran for a spin, perhaps Wolfsburg’s MPV offering might just sway you over.
About the part not telling your wife? Well we all could use a car that can do most anything. While it does the job of hauling the family around well, flipping over to sports mode gives you, the family man that little bit of fun when you have your “me” time with your car.
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