Volkswagen Touran Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space

The Volkswagen Touran is ultra-practical family transport that’s capable of carrying seven people (provided you don’t need much of a boot). It’s at its best with five seats in use, with three individual seats in the back and lots of useful stowage areas in the front. It’s more practical than most seven-seat SUVs, while its relatively compact dimensions make it easy to park.

It drives just like a Golf - with good visibility and responsive steering, although enthusiastic drivers will find the BMW 2 Active Tourer and Kia Sorento more fun to drive. It’s less bus-like than a Citroen e-SpaceTourer, though.

This is an easy one. There's only one engine, a 1.5-litre petrol, to choose from. There are also two gearboxes, a manual and an auto, but these can only be selected when configuring the Match trim. 

We think the Match offers a lot to boot. It's also cheaper.

The Touran’s direct rivals are cars like the Citroen Spacetourer and Dacia Jogger. You could also look at bigger people carriers like the Ford Grand Tourneo and Peugeot e-5008, and seven-seat SUVs like the Skoda Kodiaq and Hyundai Santa Fe.

As you’d expect from a Volkswagen, the Touran feels a bit posher inside than the Citroen SpaceTourer and Dacia Jogger if not quite as upmarket as the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer.

Everything you touch feels well-finished, provided you don’t go tapping your fingers low down on the dashboard (which feels well up to the job of deflecting kids’ feet). The Touran feels well at coping with years of family life.

The top-spec Volkswagen Touran R-Line feels the plushest, of course, with its leather-trimmed steering wheel with grey stitching and aluminium inserts, along with sporty seats featuring microfibre side bolsters. The R-Line also gets stainless steel pedals and, on DSG models, paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. 

The entry-level Volkswagen Touran Match has a 10.25-inch media system featuring navigation as standard. It also features a DAB radio with eight speakers, Bluetooth and wireless phone charging. Likewise, the analogue instrument cluster has been swapped for an 8-inch digital cockpit. The Touran SEL Family adds wireless app-connect while the R-Line is mostly sporty cosmetic features.

Whichever model you buy, the infotainment is easy to use with logical menu layouts, clear graphics and fast responses. Unlike some cars which use a trackpad or rotary controller between the front seats, the Touran’s media system is mainly operated via the touchscreen display - some people get on well with these while others find them frustrating. There are some useful shortcuts on the steering wheel, though - to skip tracks, for example, or adjust the volume.

Measuring 4527mm long, 1829mm wide and 1668mm in height, the Volkswagen Touran isn't actually that huge on the outside, yet its interior is incredibly spacious and versatile.

Even the tallest of adults will be able to get comfortable up front, where there’s loads of headroom and a surprising amount of legroom. The doors open wide, which helps access plus you slide across (rather than down) into the seats. There’s loads of storage in the front, too, including large door bins, a generous glovebox and numerous cup holders.

The second row is easily accessed, too. There are three individual seats back there, each big enough to accommodate an adult. They’re all equally sized and a flat floor means there’s plenty of foot room, so there needn’t be any arguments about who sits where. 

It’s fair to say that the rear-most seats aren’t quite as spacious and you’ll have to be prepared for a clamber to reach them. That said, they’re more usable than those offered by rivals and even adults will find a surprising amount of space back there once in position.

If you’re looking to transport young children, the Touran offers no fewer than five Isofix points, which makes fitting a child seat easier.

With all seven seats in use, the Touran has quite a meagre boot. It’s able to accommodate just 137 litres of luggage, which is barely enough for a few shopping bags. The third row of seats can be dropped easily, though, leaving a flat floor and a much more generous 927 litres of space. Fold the second row of seats into the floor as well and you’ll find a completely flat floor and an almost van-like 1857 litres of luggage space.

As well as having a big boot (provided you’re not using all of the Touran’s seats), the luggage area is usefully square, and there isn’t too much of a lip for lifting heavy items over.

When the second-generation Volkswagen Touran first went on sale in 2015, it was available with 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrol engines, as well as 1.6- and 2.0-litre diesels.

Gone are the diesel engines; Volkswagen now only offers one engine - a 1.5-litre petrol. What's good is that you can choose between a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG auto, but there's a caveat. Want the manual? You'll need to select the entry-level Match as both the SEL and R-Line come only with the DSG 'box. That said, there are question marks over their longevity, so we’d recommend a manual if you’re concerned about running costs.

The engine is punchy enough but is down on power compared to the previous lineup. The 1.5 develops 149ps, meaning 0-62mph takes 8.9 seconds - that's still decent for a family MPV.

The Volkswagen Touran is a very quiet and relaxing people carrier, no matter which engine you choose. Even more so now that you won't hear the typical clatter of a diesel motor on cold mornings. The 1.5 is quiet and refined. 

There’s a bit of wind noise, as you’d expect from a car as brick-shaped as the Touran, but it’s no worse than competitors and you’re unlikely to really notice it over the sound of the kids in the back.

There’s quite a comprehensive suite of safety systems available on the Volkswagen Touran, but not all of them are standard across the range.

The PreCrash preventive occupant protection system does things like tensioning the front seat belts, closing the electric windows and preparing the brakes if it detects an impending crash. This is standard across Volkswagen Touran SE Family, SEL and R-Line models, although it was a £145 option on the Touran SE.

On the motorway, the Side Scan system will use radar sensors to alert you to other vehicles in your blind spot, but it’s quite an expensive £525 option when new. This can be combined with Lane Assist, which alerts you when the car drifts from its lane, but that costs £1040 so it’s an option box rarely ticked.

All models come with Volkswagen’s Front Assist system, which uses radars to warn you when you get too close to the car in front. It can even apply the brakes if it detects an impending collision, which is quite useful. Other standard equipment includes seven airbags and Isofix child seat preparation points on all five rear seats.

When Euro NCAP crash-tested the Touran in 2022, it was awarded just four stars instead of five, unlike the 2015 version. Adult occupancy decreased from 88 percent to 77, child occupancy dropped from 89 percent to 81. Likewise, it's down to 62 percent from 71 for pedestrians and only scored 66 percent for safety assistance - a 10 percent drop. 

Volkswagen cars are generally pretty dependable, despite the brand not making it into the latest top 10 HonestJohn.co.uk best car brand list. It still scored a relatively high 87.34 percent satisfaction rating. Early 1.5 TSI engines were known to 'kangaroo' when cold, although this was fixed by a software update in 2020.

No Volkswagen Touran should cost a fortune to insure, but it’ll be worth shopping around for quotes if you’re a young or inexperienced driver.

Things are a bit easier with only one engine being available. The Match six-speed and DSG are group 21, the R-Line is 20 and the SEL is 19. 

The previous diesel was fairly efficient and cost just £30 per year in road tax. Sadly, this is no longer the case. The 1.5 Match produces between 145-150g/km of C02. Put simply, you'll be £270 lighter on the first payment although this drops to £190 thereafter. 

Unfortunately, things are worse with the R-Line. This emits 153-162g/km, meaning you'll be £680 lighter for the first year, defaulting to £190 afterwards. 

The SEL emits between 147-149g/km. This puts it in the same band as the Match. 

Volkswagen no longer offers a multitude of trims with the Touran. Now, there's just three. There's a lot to boot in the standard Match trim such as 17-inch alloys, matrix headlights, an electric tailgate and auto-dimming rearview mirror, two front USB-C ports, a DAB radio and heated front seats. It's worth noting the rearview camera is standard here but is an optional extra on the others. 

The SEL adds a few cosmetic upgrades, but you'll pay extra for an electric tailgate and a rearview camera. It's a similar story for the R-Line. You're better off going to the Match in our opinion, not only can you choose your gearbox, but you won't pay extra for a camera or an electric tailgate.