When it comes to cars, I'll be brutally honest, it doesn't take much to impress me – I've never been known for my fancy set of wheels. Anything is better than my recently deceased fifteen-year-old 'Jalopy'. But it does take a lot for me to deviate from a Volkswagen.
I grew up swinging about in the back of my Dad's many VW Passats. Good, solid family cars – perfect for packing four of us across the back seat in the good ole days when car seats didn't exist... gulp.
I graduated to VW Golfs when I started driving and drove several to within an inch of their old lives. Love a Golf.
So, when I got a chance to have a sneak preview test drive of the new Volkswagen Touran, I was all ears.
But, if I'm honest, the thoughts of driving a large family car makes me dry wretch – just a little bit. Not that they aren't a genius choice for families, but because I have a problem accepting the fact that I am a) a grown-up these days and b) that a mum-mobile is exactly what I
need to be driving now that I have birthed two tiny terrorists.
Sadly, my beloved VW Golf just won't cut it any more. Now, we need a silly amount of space for the little people; they come with a lot of stuff. A LOT. And we escape to the West as much as we can so very few boots and cars can cope with the amount of paraphernalia we need to transport. And no matter how hard we try, we cannot get away with limiting it to a few favourite toys. Cue: tears, all-out pandemonium and a three-day edit with much debate over what we can bring (fit).
Did I mention the tiny terrorists?
So, with all that in mind. I'll admit, I think I have discovered the car of my dreams: And it's a Mum-mobile. The spanking new Touran (out November this year).
Why? It's safe, ecologically conscious, and unlike a lot of MPVs, it's pretty slick-looking. No slidey doors that smack of Mumsiness, and it doesn't feel like you're driving a tank or a van-load of kids. The 1.4m sliding sunroof helps. It's also compact-looking but has a huge amount of space inside. But really, what excited me the most is the rear seat room for kids (yes, these are the things that excite me these days) – it fits three ISOFIX's across the back seat on three individual seats – THREE. It's a seven-seater too, so add an additional TWO car seats or ISOFIX in the last row, and you can carry FIVE little people very safely. Or if you fancy it, fold the last two down and you've got a whopping 663 litres of boot space if needed.
Being able to fit three car seats safely and comfortably across the back seat will win many parents' hearts. It's genius.
For me, transporting three extra tiny terrorists home to wreck my house is now a possibility. God help us. And, did I mention the tray tables for iPads? The 48 separate storage compartments? Did I also mention we recently did a seven-hour car journey? Oh, Touran, where were you when we needed you.
I did say it would take a lot to sway me from a VW Golf. But I've finally found its new, grown-up replacement and I'd be one happy girl (yes, still a girl) driving one of these with a troop in the back.
VW Touran 2.0 TDI 150hp Comfortline, from €29,715, to be released in November.
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