Volkswagen used the Golf’s MK5 platform to build the Touran minivan in 2003 and improved the vehicle with a facelifted version in 2006.
While Renault was the strongest competitor in the European minivan market, Volkswagen didn’t want to lose a share of that pie. To make things easier, it didn’t start the project from scratch and used the Golf MK5 platform to create an MPV, following the same recipe used by Renault for the Scenic and Opel/Vauxhall for the Zafira.

For the 2006 model, the Touran featured new headlights with a similar design as the Polo, with a chromed surrounding. Its grille was also enhanced with a shiny rim. The bumper featured an updated design with a wider dam on the lower side and a body-colored apron. At the rear, the 2006 Touran featured slightly redesigned taillights but with the same shape.

Inside, the Touran offered room for seven, albeit the last two seats were adequate only for children due to the lack of legroom. The customers could have folded down both the middle and the last row of seats to expand the trunk size, but they were not removable. Volkswagen added curtain airbags for the first two rows in terms of safety, complementing the front dual-airbag and side airbags. The Isofix anchoring points for child seats were standard on the second row. The carmaker installed the ParkAssist system, which controlled the steering wheel to ease the parking maneuvers.

Under the hood, Volkswagen installed a choice of seven engines for most markets and added a CNG version for selected countries.