Quality time in the VW Touran

The last time I was in a Volkswagen was way back in 1985. Or maybe it was 1986. It was my grandmother’s Beetle, a simple, charming little machine that putt-putted its way around Manila, happily ferrying us around until my dear Lola  — bless her soul — decided to part with it. Such a loss.

Today’s Volkswagens are far from being the “people’s car” that the Beetle was. They are sturdier, quieter, quicker, and much more comfortable, and they also carry a premium over similarly spec’d competitors from, say, Japan or Korea. The seven-passenger Touran, for example, has a P1.672M price tag. A Kia Carens of comparable spec is priced at P1.525M, while a Chevrolet Orlando is at P1,238,888. Of course, seven-passenger SUVs like the Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Chevrolet Trailblazer, and Toyota Fortuner are all hovering around the price point of the Touran while offering the ruggedness of a ladder-frame, truck chassis.

Time spent in the Touran reveals its charms. You have to spend a few hours in the thing to fully appreciate it, because it has a stoic personality that’s easy to pass over if you’re expecting a more flamboyant type. As style goes, the Carens looks more chic and has commendable sex appeal for this “mom mobile” class of car. The Touran, on the other hand, is your basic bread box on wheels that would be easy to miss in a crowded parking lot were it not for the distinctive badge on the grille and those jewel-like LED headlamps.

My weekend in the Touran involved loading it up for a weekend of road bike racing. This involved loading up two road bikes in the back, a 47-liter cooler, a 50-liter plastic box, a small suitcase, and several smaller bags for my helmets, shoes and supplies. The  2nd and  3rd row seats were obviously designed for people like me, as configuring the Touran for max cargo mode involved pulling a few loops here and there. The  2nd row seat is split three-ways instead of the usual 60:40 arrangement, giving owners a wider range of seating/hauling options. After you’ve folded and tumbled the seats, you prop them up with metal struts so they don’t come crashing back to the floor or on top of your cargo. Very thoughtful.

On paper, the Touran’s two-liter TDI engine delivers a fairly modest 110 PS at 2,750-4,200rpm, but does so with a truck-like torque output of 280 Nm at 1,750-2750rpm. On the highway, the Touran has sufficient verve to accelerate and cruise past the speed limit, and it does in a deceptively quiet manner that will get you ticketed if you don’t mind the speedometer. The direct injected turbodiesel is a very quiet and smooth engine that’s barely audible from within the cabin, and the six-speed DSG transmission quickly earns praises for its responsiveness and smoothness. I averaged 20km/l on the highway while maintaining 100kph, and slightly lower than that when I decided to stretch the Touran’s legs with a few bursts of speed. The DSG’s manual mode is a great tool for carving up mountain roads or overtaking dozens of dawdlers. The Touran’s European genes quickly make themselves felt in its confident stability at speed that, coupled with excellent steering and braking response, makes it the closest thing you can get to having your own personal train. All told, I made the 300km round trip to and from Clark none the worse for wear, and I’d happily do it again in this car.

Some people may classify the Touran as a luxury car, but it’s better to just think of it as a very classy MPV. The cabin eschews traditional leather for black “Miu” fabric upholstery that’s more breathable, and the dashboard is a logical, slightly chunky design that’s typically German in that most of it’s black with some touches of satin silver. The ergonomics are mostly good except for the odd placement of the climate control panel over the stereo. Shouldn’t it be the other way around since you’ll be fiddling with the stereo more?

The instrument panel, with the chrome rings around the dials and the large, clearly legible serif font instrumentation, is an exercise in elegance. The driving position isn’t quite as high as in a pickup truck or SUV’s, but still notably higher than in a passenger car so you get a nice view of the road. The large windshield has a low cowl to give you the IMAX view, and the large windows all around make it easy to see out.

The seats are probably best in class for support and all-day comfort, although the 3rd row is predictably skimpy in leg- and kneeroom and best used only for short trips. The Touran’s long list of convenience features include the usual goodies like automatic headlamps, 8-speaker stereo, folding table at the back of the front seats, overhead storage compartments, underseat drawers, and front foglamps with static cornering light, among others.

Front, side, and curtain airbags are standard along with ABS, stability control, and Hill Hold Control.

Its slight premium over the competitors ensures you’ll never see too many Tourans milling about, but when you do, you can be sure its passengers will be happily comfortable in this smooth and pleasantly low-key family car.