Announced back in August 2002, the Touran, whose production started in December 2002 and sales commenced in 2003, is the first Volkswagen MPV based on a Golf platform, more precisely the first vehicle on
PQ35 platform. It joined Volkswagen's existing MPV line up that included the Sharan and
Caravelle (Volkswagen Bus). Volkswagen explained the name Touran was created from the word "Tour", i.e. to travel, with the addition of the end syllable from its big brother Sharan. The Touran II can be considered an extended version of the
Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan and the Touran I of
Golf Plus, since their front ends are similar in size. The rear overhang of the Touran I was longer (and therefore a seven-seater, while the Golf Plus is a five seater). The Touran II is about 13 cm longer than Touran I. The Touran introduced
electro-mechanical steering, a first in its class and for Volkswagen. It is able to vary the weight of the steering depending on the road speed. Due to the lack of energy consumption in idle it also improves the overall efficiency of the vehicle. The Touran was the first vehicle to use Volkswagen's 2.0 TDI engine. The engines available at the launch included a 1.6 FSI and two diesel engines, the 1.9 TDI with and the 2.0 TDI . Volkswagen made slight changes to the Touran from November 2003, adding "an intelligent reminder for the driver and front passenger to buckle their seat belts." This allowed the Touran to be retested the same year, scoring a single extra point, and so giving the car a five star rating for adult protection:
Facelift (2006) The Touran received a facelift for the October
2006 Paris Motor Show. The facelift introduced redesigned headlights with chrome accents, a refreshed grille, and a reworked front bumper featuring a broader lower intake. At the rear, the taillights were subtly revised while retaining their original outline. Inside, the cabin could accommodate up to seven occupants, though the third row was best suited for children due to limited space. Both rear rows folded flat to expand cargo capacity, but none of the seats were removable. Safety improvements included curtain airbags for the first two rows, alongside standard front and side airbags, plus Isofix mounts on the second row. Volkswagen also added its ParkAssist system, which could automatically steer the vehicle during parking . Engine options varied by market, with a wide selection of petrol and diesel units, and a compressed natural gas version offered in certain countries. VW Touran TDI Facelift front-1.JPG|2006 facelift (front) VW Touran TDI Facelift rear-1.JPG|2006 facelift (rear) VW CrossTouran 1.4 TSI Reflexsilber.JPG|CrossTouran (2006 facelift)
Park Assist The 2007 model year Touran was the first production vehicle in the
Volkswagen Group to be released with the new Park Assist technology. Park Assist helps the driver parallel park the vehicle. Firstly, after having activated the feature and whilst travelling up to 30 km/h Park Assist uses sensors to attempt to identify a suitable parking spot (defined as 0.8 metres longer than the length of the vehicle). The driver then stops ahead of the parking spot, releases the steering wheel, but continues working the gears, accelerator and brake pedal as advised by the display panels, as the Park Assist controls the steering to park the vehicle.
CrossTouran At the
December 2006 Bologna Motor Show, Volkswagen released the third Cross vehicle designed by Volkswagen Individual GmbH. The CrossTouran is distinguished from a standard Touran by its 17-inch alloy wheels, redesigned plastic guards which ape a crossover vehicle, and a higher suspension/chassis setup that is optional for standard Tourans in Europe. All CrossTouran engines are EU4 compliant.
Petrol engines • 1.6 MPI with 75 kW / 102 hp • 1.4 TSI with 103 kW / 140 hp • 2.0 TSI with 125 kW / 170 hp
Diesel engines • 1.9 TDI with 77 kW / 105 hp • 2.0 TDI with 103 kW / 140 hp • 2.0 TDI with 125 kW / 170 hp
Second facelift (2010) When the vehicle was released to the markets in August 2010, the Touran was updated to the newer Golf VI looks. This included as new features compared to the previous generation the option for DCC (Volkswagen's adaptive suspension system), Light-Assist for Xenon Headlights, an improved Park-Assist System that can also handle perpendicular park positions and updated infotainment systems. The aerodynamics of the car were also improved, the Cw improved from 0,315 to 0,307. In late 2010,
SAIC-VW released the new Touran in China. Though its front was updated to the German style, the tail keeps the design of the first face-lifted model. The electronic systems of this domestically produced car were upgraded as its relative in Europe. A 1.4 TSI, which can output 93 kW, was added to the new model. New engines were available following the
downsizing trend, a 1.2 with and a new 1.6 TDI with or . They replaced the 1.6 and 1.9 TDI from the previous model. The 1.2, and 1.6 TDI were also available as
BlueMotion, Volkswagen's low fuel consumption vehicle program. In 2012, the engine was replaced with the . File:VW Touran Facelift II 1.4 TSI Comfortline Silverleaf.JPG|alt= Front-three-quarter view of a facelifted European Touran; on this model the front grille extends the whole way between the right and left headlight clusters|2010 facelift File:VW Touran Facelift II 1.4 TSI Comfortline Silverleaf Heck.JPG|alt= Rear-three-quarter view of a facelifted European Touran; on this model the taillight cluster is partially integrated into the rear hatch|2010 facelift File:Volkswagen Touran facelift II China 2012-04-15.jpg|alt= Front-three-quarter view of a facelifted Chinese Touran; this model has some chrome trim fitted at the bottom of the doors|2010 facelift (China) File:Volkswagen Touran facelift rear China 2012-04-22.JPG|alt= Rear-three-quarter view of a facelifted Chinese Touran; this model does not have any of the taillight cluster integrated into the rear hatch, which instead has a strip of chrome trim running across it|2010 facelift (China)
Engines The Touran is available with
petrol,
diesel and
compressed natural gas (CNG) engines. The diesel models of the Touran offer better fuel economy. Given the proper conditions, it is possible to achieve over in a diesel Touran. The car is delivered with a five- (1.6 only) and six speed manual transmissions,
Tiptronic six speed automatic transmission (in 1.6, 1.6 FSI and 2.0 FSI (2003 to 2006 only)) or the
DSG twin clutch automatic transmission; the 1.4 TSI, the 1.6 FSI from 2003 to 2006, the 1.9 TDI from 2003 to 2008, and the 2.0 TDI uses the six speed version, and the 1.9 TDI since the middle of 2008 use the seven-speed dry clutch version. As for the 2010 model, an updated version of the 2.0 TDI engine was launched with common rail technology. The engine was introduced in the
Volkswagen Passat in the models from 2008.
Touran Hy Motion and Hybrid The Touran Hy Motion is Volkswagen's Hydrogen Development concept. It has a nickel-metal hydride battery which produces , it does the 0–100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint in 14 seconds and has a top speed of . In 2008,
Shanghai-Volkswagen with
Tongji University had released a Touran Hybrid, as part of the lead up to the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games. A prototype of the Touran Hybrid was shown with a electric motor in conjunction with a petrol engine, the transmission will most likely be Volkswagen's
Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG).
Minor yearly changes Distinguishing different model years of the model can be difficult, but there are some minor changes which can help: • up to 10/2004, the fog lights use a projector lens, after that, it was changed to a reflector type • for the 2008 model year, the colour of the tinted glass was changed from green to gray (change was not applied to SAIC-VW built vehicles) • for the 2009 model year, the fog lights were changed again, this time from a round shape, to a slightly elipsoid one, the grilles surrounding them are new also. • for the 2010 model year, the 1T2 generation, received new side rear-view mirrors, from the Golf 6 • from 10/12/2012, the 1T3 received a sound insulated front windscreen, with the rain and light sensor being moved down 10mm
Awards and safety • The Touran won
What Car?s 2005 Compact Van of the Year award. • The Touran scored a maximum five star
Euro NCAP crash safety rating. == Second generation (
Typ 5T; 2015) ==