Practicality was clearly high on the agenda when creating the Touran, and no opportunity to add storage space has been neglected. In fact, Volkswagen has managed to cram an impressive 47 cubbies and pockets inside this car.

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It’s probably best to be aware that it’s on the SE where a lot of the most useful additions to the Touran’s interior are made, including a large storage compartment in the roof console; a multifunction centre console with storage box; under-seat drawers for the driver and front passenger chairs; folding tables on the back of the front seats; and storage pockets on the rear of the same seats as well. The SE also benefits from a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, allowing the driver to keep their hands on the wheel more often.

Size

Despite being larger than its predecessor, the Touran is not gargantuan by MPV terms, with a length just a little in excess of 4.5 metres (4,527mm, to be exact). Parking sensors all round are standard fit from the SE upwards, while Park Assist – which can automatically steer the vehicle into a parallel parking position – is offered as an option on SE, SE Family and SEL cars. A rear-view camera is around £300 on all Tourans.

Volkswagen Touran - back seats (7 seater)

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Leg room, head room and passenger space

Even lofty passengers will find plenty of space to stretch their legs. Every seat in the middle row is large enough for a full sized adult and six footers will have no problem fitting in comfortably.

Fortunately, this also means children will struggle to kick the backs of seats – a boon for parents on longer motorway journeys. People in the third row get the rough end of the stick, but the middle seats slide forward to leave all passengers with adequate legroom. Headroom, elbow room and knee room are all excellent in the front and second rows of seats.

Boot

The Touran only comes to the UK as a seven-seater, but the third row of seats fold flat into the floor giving the option of five seats with a large boot. With all of the seven seats in position, bear in mind there’s just 137 litres of space at the back of the vehicle. Volkswagen quotes a more impressive 927 litres with the third row folded away.

The second row of seats will also fold completely flat to give 1,857 litres of load space in total, loaded up to the ceiling. Each seat folds individually and new to the Touran is the folding front passenger seat, which gives further flexibility. Owners can now carry items up to 2.7 metres long.