MPV review

[atrecord]

Apparently the Touran is becoming an attractive choice for anyone looking for MPVs, because it is:


- powerful
- fuel efficient
- affordable

Traditionally for someone looking for a decent and affordable MPV, they will go for wish (that’s why the model flooded the market for 2-3 yr from 2005), and only when stream new model came out in (i think) 08? did it took some market share off wish. These 2 mid-size 1.8l Jap MPVs were much cheaper than continental ones (incl Touran), and they have more spacious 3rd row seats, cos they are longer. In terms of design, they are also more sleek, as Touran is more boxy, taller.

As the Jap $$ appreciated when US$ depreciated, Jap MPVs became more expensive, and Korean cars are generally more affordable, including MPVs. With VW taking back the dealership to sell direct and becoming much more aggressive in their sales strategies, all the VW cars have become more attractive. You see corolla altis owners changing to VW Jetta, etc. So the value for money proposition for wish/stream has decreased.

And then when COE skyrocketed recently, the 1.4l Touran became at least $10K cheaper than the 1.8l wish/stream, as the latter’s cat B COEs are >$23K higher than Touran’s cat A COE now…

Note though that the high-specs VW cars are known to have quite a fair bit of problems with the high-tech stuff, and the repairs will take $$ and money. But there is huge savings upfront, to cater to these needs…

I am quite sure the Touran will lose out to wish in terms of 3rd row space. In fact, i doubt any other mid-size MPVs can match it.

[UncleLim]

Ksbird:

Just checking any VW Touran owner here? Test drive this morning... pretty good and spacious!


FC can go up to 20km/litre.

We have a Touran. It takes our family of 5 comfortably and we sometimes pop the 2 extra seats up for my kids' classmates or when our domestic helper goes out with us.

The 3rd row is not very comfortable for longer journeys but we live near town and the schools, so we do not have that many long drives.

The Touran is a surprising fun car to drive and is a fantastic compromise for Dads who want a little bit of sports-car excitement once in a while but look decent enough not to attract any police siren. Quick acceleration, tight turning radius, very comfortable expressway cruising and very good all-round visibility. The vehicle size is just right for me because my condo carpark is terribly narrow and many residents have had their cars scratched by the pillars. The Touran is not much longer than an average sedan and just a little taller, but not so tall like SUVs.

The seats are very comfortable and supportive plus all the safety features are there just in case, including those curtain airbags etc. For the money, I find it hard to find a better family car given our family's needs.

[moom]

Thanks atrecord n unclelim… How’s the fuel efficiency of the tourane like? Any probs with reliability n maintenance thus far?

[atrecord]

moom:

Thanks atrecord n unclelim.. How's the fuel efficiency of the tourane like? Any probs with reliability n maintenance thus far?

This is an interesting question which I'm curious about to hear from the Touran owners too.

Think the fuel efficiency should be quite good, given that it's a 1.4 (with turbo?) litre car. It's probably one of few MPVs that can beat the wish in this regard.

In terms of reliability, VW is full of tech stuff, so the chances of something going wrong at any time is much higher than the no-frills Jap MPVs. One colleague who drives another VW model was lamenting that he has to send his car to the VW workshop now and then to sort out electronics-related issue. He was relating it caused 5-hr downtime the day before at the workshop, while we were in his car going for lunch one day; and then suddenly on going into a basement carpark, the parking brake warning light on the dash suddenly lit up for no reason... But his car is coming to 3 yr old, so thing could have improved. If you're seriously considering the car, perhaps you can go to the VW forum to take a look at what owners say.

[UncleLim]

moom:

Thanks atrecord n unclelim.. How's the fuel efficiency of the tourane like? Any probs with reliability n maintenance thus far?

I heard about VW problems too, especially electrical or computer related one. I used to drive a Golf but that was 2 model generations ago and I got it second-hand. That one had some problems with the speedometer etc.

But my Touran is fine so far, as I expect it to be given the short few months of ownership. Mentally I am prepared to experience a few more problems than my Toyota because they are 2 very different animals. My Toyota is a reliable work horse with no frill. The Touran does many things to make the driver feel special. So with complexity comes glitches... so it is a trade-off.

Fuel efficiency:

On ECP: \t
As low as 6.5 liters per 100km = 15.3846154 kilometers per litre

Orchard Road:
Often around 12.5 liters per 100km = 8 kilometers per litre

[Funz]

I’ve had both Jap and continental cars before. Not sure if this is still so now but when I was driving my Honda and Toyota, they recommended servicing every 5000km or 3mths whichever is earlier, which can be quite a hassle and the maintenance cost do add up. With my VW recommended servicing is for every 10000 or 6mths. With my BMW now it is based on usage and the last time I serviced the car was over 6mths ago.

[atrecord]

The 5000 km or 3 mth servicing is for mineral oil. If you use synthetic oil it should be 10000 km or 6 mth too for Jap cars.


Not sure about Continental ones though.

Too frequent servicing would obviously prove to be a big hassle/disruption, especially if the agent demands that you go back to their (only) workshop to do the servicing.

I’ve not familiarised myself with what the VW has, but I’m sure it has a lot more than the average Jap MPVs. So if one doesn’t mind possible occasional disruption due to the high-tech electronic stuff, the Touran could indeed be a good option, esp. given the low price now.

But if wanna have adult travel in third row I suspect it’s not going to be too comfy. So let’s say if got plans to have passengers in 3 rows of seats for a few-day trip to Genting, it might not be possible for Touran… (but then again, how often will this likely happen?).

[Hapichel]

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[Eagle-Ladybird]

Huh ?? :scratchhead:

[UncleLim]

Hapichel:

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