The Touran was originally awarded a four-star Euro NCAP crash test safety rating, but this later increased to a five-star rating following the standard fitment of seatbelt reminders and better side impact protection. Dual front and side airbags and ABS (with electronic brakeforce distribution) are standard and relaunched models from late 2006 also have front head airbags and electronic stability programme as standard.

Security-wise, remote central locking and deadlocks are standard and there are plenty of hidden on-board boxes for hiding valuables.

Practicality and flexibility are the key reasons to buy a people carrier and the Touran doesn’t disappoint. The seats don’t need to be removed and fold flat into the floor, although the process isn’t as quick as a Mazda 5 or Citroen C4 Picasso. With the seats folded there’s a huge load area which is low to the ground and easy to load. The car also comes with seven seats as standard but buyers can opt for a five-seat version for no extra cost – but be aware that with all seven seats in place boot space drops to just 121 litres.

Inside there’s plenty of storage areas, including some large underseat boxes, a sunglasses holder and a big glove box.