Volkswagen Touran (2015 - 2025) used car model guide

Stylistic surprises are rarely forthcoming when Volkswagen unveils an MPV. To be fair, the increased length, extra width and slightly reduced height of this post-2015-era Touran do give it a slightly sportier look than earlier versions - at least from the perspective of previous model buyers. All these things are relative though: you don't buy a People Carrier to make a style statement but first and foremost for reasons of practicality, something this rejuvenated Typ 5T design was better placed to provide. That's thanks to the more advanced Golf-style MQB platform underpinnings that lay beneath the precise, carefully contoured lines. These allowed for the creation of this slightly bigger, significantly lighter and more sophisticated car that also used its interior space more efficiently.
All very nice, but it's practicalities that we're primarily here to look at. Could this Touran really cut the mustard in the muddy dog, smelly gym kit and family holiday-friendly world of the compact-MPV? The hatch opens to reveal a cabin in which every inch of space has been maximised. True, there's not very much of that with all seven seats in place - just 137-litres, enough for a couple of carefully positioned small overnight bags.
Much of the time of course, you're not going to need these two extra chairs. You'll want to to try the fold-flat seating system (redesigned for this model) that can ultimately create a perfectly level continuously flat floor in a matter of seconds. If you start by folding down the third row seats, you'll raise your boot space up to 917-litres. If though, you really need to super-size your space, then folding all three rear chairs creates that completely flat cargo area we were talking about, 1,857-litres in size. This space can be even further extended with the fold-flat front passenger seat - it's standard, provided you avoid entry-level trim. This will allow this MPV to swallow items up to 2.7m long - a kayak for example.
Switch your focus from packages to people and, by and large, the space provided is equally class-competitive. Once inside the second row, there's decent space for a trio of fully-sized adults. As before with a Touran, the three individual seats you get will be a touch small for adults over-familiar with the offerings of Colonel Sanders, but otherwise you should be OK. This post-2015 generation Touran offers 40mm more of extra legroom than its predecessor thanks to its extra 113mm of wheelbase, but if that's not enough, the seats feature the kind of backwards and forwards sliding mechanism you'd expect from an MPV, adjustable here over a range of 200mm.
As for practical touches, well you don't get the underfloor storage compartments you'd find on a Citroen or Renault MPV rival from this period but otherwise, most of the expected items are in evidence - plus a few others. Avoid entry-level trim and you get seatback tables, storage pockets and a 12v socket so the kids can charge up their media devices. Look for a car whose original owner specified a panoramic glass roof or what Volkswagen called its 'Family Pack' items - namely side window blinds, electrically-activated rear door child locks and a neat Electronic voice amplification system so that front seat folk can more easily talk to passengers behind. There was also an optional Car-Net 'Cam-Connect' app able to connect into a GoPro camera and transmit images from the back of the vehicle onto the centre dash infotainment screen, so parents can keep an eye on what's happening in the rear two rows without needing to turn round.
What about up front? This is really is the area of this car that we think will particularly impress potential buyers. Avoid entry-level trim and you get supportive 'Comfort' seats with lumbar adjustment, these positioning you in front of a dashboard that's certainly a cut above what's provided by most rivals from this era. Its upper part is fashioned from soft slush-moulded material that feels as expensive to the touch as the smooth leather facings and chrome finishing provided for most of the primary controls you'll regularly be using. True, you could say that this cabin lacks the high-tech ambience of, say, a rival Citroen Grand C4 Picasso from this period, but that's not to say it doesn't have its sophisticated touches. Take the infotainment touchscreen, controlled from a 6.5-inch display that from new could be upgraded to 8.0-inches for those who paid extra for the top 'Discover Navigation Pro' system. As for practicality, well yes that's been well thought through, with a plethora of storage compartments. There are up to 47 of these apparently, with this tally also including more cupholders than you'd find in the Real Madrid trophy room.

Most Touran owners we surveyed were very happy with their cars, but inevitably, there have been those who have had problems you'll want to look out for. The main issues for this post-2015-era Touran relate to software glitches, mild mechamical problems and electronic hardware wear. Software glitches include slow centre screen loading times, screen blackouts and dropping Bluetooth connection. The 1.5 TSI EVO petrol engine can experience mild stuttering (known as the 'kangaroo effect') when pulling away from cold at low revs. We've heard of judders with the 7-speed DSG auto gearbox. And problems with the front lower control arm rear bushings (which tend to dry out or split prematurely). The automated rear brake calipers may occasionally exhibit fault codes or stick. And we've heard of random dashboard warnings.
Apart from that, check for the usual things - interior child damage, scratched alloys etc. Plus clogged-up DPF filters on diesel models. And of course insist on a fully stamped-up service history.

[based on a 2022 model 1.5 TSI EVO petrol ex-VAT] A genuine VW air filter will be priced in the £24 bracket, a VW oil filter will sit in the £16 bracket and a pollen filter will cost in the £9 to £22 bracket.. Genuine VW front brake discs cost around £166 for a pair. A pair of rear VW discs are in the £138 bracket. VW front brake pads are in the £73 bracket for a set. Rear VW pads are in the £50 bracket. A starter motor is in the £75-£190 bracket; a thermostat is £11-£27; a headlight is around £125-£265; a tail lamp is around £50-£110. A radiator is in the £65-£135 bracket.

Where previous Tourans felt like more spacious versions of the Golf hatch they were based upon, this post-2015-era version feels closer to being a slightly smaller version of Volkswagen's bigger Sharan MPV. That's thanks not only to its extra interior space but also to the more sophisticated ride enabled by the compliant four-link suspension that Volkswagen designed to sit upon this Typ 5T model's lighter, more sophisticated MQB platform. Beneath the bonnet, buyers of the original version got a choice of two petrol TSI engines, 1.2 and 1.4-litres in size, plus at the top of the line-up, a couple of 2.0-litre TDI diesels developing either 150 or 190PS. Many Touran buyers though, chose the mid-range 110PS 1.6-litre TDI diesel unit, primarily for its frugality. Mate this to the optional DSG automatic gearbox and you can return up to 65.7mpg on the combined cycle and 111g/km of CO2, the kinds of figures you could expect from a 1.2-litre Fat 500 citycar. In 2019, the 1.2 TSI and 1.4 TSI petrol units were replaced by 1.0 TSI and 1.5 TSI EVO petrol units.

By 2015, the Touran model line had already established a strong following amongst growing families. All it really needed was a little more of a spark, both in way it looked and performed. This improved Typ 5T version was about as far as Volkswagen was prepared to go in that direction, with sharper styling, even higher quality and a range of more efficient engines.
We think that buyers prepared to pay a little more for a sensibly-oriented quality option in this segment from this period might well find Touran motoring hard to resist. It's not an avant garde choice, but it's a stylishly safe and clever one. There's a lot to be said for that.