Volkswagen Touran test drive since 2006 Minivan

You will order your heart

The Test drive route of the updated Volkswagen Touran was changed by the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, the road through the picturesque Italian town of Brachchano, where the celebration was held, was closed. But this circumstance did not prevent us from identifying the family values \u200b\u200bof one of the most popular representatives of the compact minivan detachment in Europe.
In terms of sales growth rates with compact minivans (this category, in addition to Touran, includes Opel Zafira, Renault Scenic, Ford Focus C-Max, etc.), only the crossover segment can argue. No wonder Touran, who has the same platform as Golf, was presented to the public earlier than his hatchback brother. And, accordingly, he had previously been restored.
 
For ten years, the market for compact minivans has grown in Europe from 200 thousand. Annually sold cars to 1 million 400 thousand. Touran today takes third place in popularity in its class. And in Germany, he holds leadership, ahead of Mercedes B-class and Opel Zafira. For three years of production, 650 thousand Touran have already been sold. In Russia, of course, the successes of Touran are not so impressive. It is noticeably inferior in sales to the main competitors. The reason is banal: Touran is noticeably more expensive than alternative options. Perhaps the updated model will be more popular. And the point is not even in the refresher appearance. And not in a unique system for parking. The most interesting thing in the updated Touran is the new motors. Let's start with them.
Small the remote
At the first stage of the test drive, I got a Touran version with a 2-liter diesel engine with a capacity of 140 hp. and automatic transmission. It would seem that this option is most suitable for a given car. In the city, the automatic machine noticeably facilitates life, and the power of a 2-liter engine should be enough for compactwane, which, in theory, is often operated with maximum load. In addition, diesel is economical. However, the cost of this version of Touran for Russian dealers exceeds $ 37 thousand, so there is no logic in the purchase of such a car. In addition, Touran with a 2-liter turbodiesel engine seemed too tough. He repeated the profile of the road excessively in detail, annoying with shaking on small irregularities. The dynamic characteristics of the engine and the automatic transmission algorithm for this version of Touran were also not impressed: the start from the place and the picking up at high speeds is rather sluggish and are devoid of all kinds of emotions. The car simply accelerates, simply slows down, simply enters turns and works out irregularities. Too simple for Mikroven at a price of 37 thousand dollars.
 
But everything changed when I moved to Touran with the latest 1.4-liter TSI engine and a mechanical gearbox. The car is fundamentally transformed! He became more comfortable, more acute in management, more dynamic. He has a character.
The secret of the amazing transformation in the compact and light motor of TwinCharger 1.4 TSI with a capacity of 140 hp. In addition to direct injection, the engine is equipped with a compressor and a turbocharger. The compressor operates at relatively low engine speeds (up to 3000 rpm), then turns off, and the motor begins to breathe in full chest due to the turbine. Thanks to this constructive solution, the maximum torque of 220 nm is achieved in the range of 17504000 rpm! This baby accelerates Touran to 100 km/h in just 9.8 s, and the maximum speed is 200 km/h. Twisting the TwinCharger engine installed on Touran is higher than that of a 2-liter atmospheric engine. Touran with this unit is equally good both in the city crowd and in the autobahn. In a torn rhythm of movement in a dense flow, the driver greatly facilitates the life of a smooth craving from the bottom. The engine develops a high torque at relatively low speeds, which allows you to infrequently switch the transmission. The weight of the motor is perfectly manifested in acceleration at high speeds: you always feel under the pedal the necessary reserve of power for overtaking or intensive restructuring.
 
Touran with the Twincharger engine, not only accelerates faster, but also more willingly dies in corners. Everything is logical: thanks to a lightweight motor, the car has a less pronounced tendency to demolish the front axle. Another plus of this engine is its exceptional efficiency: the average fuel consumption is 7.4 liters per 100 km. By order, this motor can aggregate with the DSG automatic transmission.
 
Unfortunately, we were not able to try Touran with a more powerful TwinCharger 1.4 TSI version, developing 170 hp. A noticeable increase in power became possible due to an increase in the pressure of boost and the turbine and the compressor, which is achieved by reprogramming the engine control unit. Colleagues did not want to change cars. Well, they can be understood. This unit is crowned by a line of engines proposed for the Touran compactwane, and after all, it was originally intended for the modern version of Golf GT. By the way, this engine received the title of engine of the year 2006 in its category.
 
A hot Touran will surely choose young people who are fascinated by active sports and appreciating cars for a roomy salon and the possibilities of transforming the interior space. True, in our country young and active prefer to buy crossovers and SUVs.
I park myself
Among the curious innovations that are offered for Touran as an option, the Park Assist system. One click of a button, and the car can independently park in reverse. This system is first used on Volkswagen cars.
 
In practice, the player’s algorithm is as follows: when driving at a speed of up to 30 km/h at a distance of 0.5 to 1.5 m to other parked cars, ultrasonic sensors scan the parking space on the right and left in the direction of movement, and the computer calculates the optimal Parking trajectory. Park Assist informs the driver of the start point of movement, showing it on a multifunctional display. The driver must turn on the reverse transmission, and when parking, he can only press the accelerator pedals, clutch (if the car is not equipped with automatically) and brakes. As soon as Park Pilot (the system of preventing the distance to the obstacle) will include a continuous signal for the first time, the optimal distance to the nearest car (about 20 cm) has been achieved. Touran independently takes the desired position. Park Assist instantly turns off at too high speed and/or if the driver takes control. After turning on the reverse transmission, the parking process takes actually only 15 s. The driver can only move the car, moving forward a little.
Outwardly, Touran has changed unprincipled. More chromium appeared in his appearance. The shape of the front headlights became the same as the rest of the brothers in the brand. By order of the car, adaptive bixenon headlights in the style of the VW EOS model can be installed. The design of the rear lights and bumper blocks has also been changed. The materials used in the interior decoration are now more expensive and elegant.
 
For the Hollywood star, Tom Cruise, who wedged with her wedding at the test drive program, is the third marriage. And what did not suit him in the lovely Nicole Kidman? But this pair was considered an exemplary in Hollywood. It is impossible to climb into the soul of another person, to find out what he lives and breathes is difficult even to close people. However, car manufacturers, whose contentment stands an entire army of all -knowing marketers, this task does not seem impossible. I think that the owners of the updated Touran will not change their car. Volkswagen engineers accurately completed the management task. The compact minivan Touran has become an even more exemplary family man who simply does not give a reason for parting.
Technical characteristics of Volkswagen Touran 1.4 TSI
Dimensions, mm 4391x1794x1652
Base, mm 2677
Equipped mass, kg 1143
Engine type gasoline 4-cylinder
Working volume, cubic meter. cm 1390
Max. Power, L.S./rpm 140/5600
Max. moment, nm/rpm 220/17504000
Mechanical transmission 6-speed
Front drive
Max. Speed, km/h 200
Acceleration time 0-100 km, with 9.8
Fuel consumption (average), l/100 km 9.8
    
Volkswagen Touran 1.4 TSI Opel Zafira 1.8 Ford Focus C-Max 1.8
Max. Power, L.S. 140 140 125
Max. moment, nm 330 240 403
Max. Speed, km/h 200 191 191
Acceleration time
0100 km/h, with 9.8 11.5 10.8
Economy,
l/100 km 7.4 7.8 7.1
Safety
Euroncap ***** ***** ****
Price, dollars of USA No data 25500 21000
Igor Komarov
Photo of the manufacturer
 

 

Source: Avtopanorama magazine