VOLKSWAGEN has given fleets a sneak preview of its all-new Touran MPV weeks ahead of its official unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show.

The German company allowed its Dutch distributor to stage a surprise world debut when the doors opened at the Amsterdam Motor Show last week.

VW Holland general manager Bas Wintjes said: 'Officials at the factory gave us permission to show the Touran in advance of the official reveal because it has a special relevance to this market – 11% of all cars sold here are MPV models.'

The Touran will come with either a 115bhp FSI direct petrol injection engine or a choice of 1.9-litre and 2.0 TDI engines with outputs of 100bhp or 136bhp. All the units meet Euro IV emission standards.

The Touran (pictured) is the first vehicle to be based on the platform built for the next Golf model line-up, and will challenge the Vauxhall Zafira and Citroen Xsara Picasso. It will be the first in its segment to have a six-speed gearbox as standard. Other features include a semi-automatic option and electro-mechanical power steering.

Produced as standard in five-seat form but available as a seven-seater at extra cost, VW's entry in the burgeoning compact MPV market has head-level side airbags to protect occupants of its first and second rows of seats along with driver and passenger front and side airbags. The Touran has a roomy interior boasting 39 storage compartments, bins and shelves. Its second row of three seats can be removed, folded, slid forwards and backwards and repositioned sideways.

VOLKSWAGEN'S Touareg off-roader will go on sale for less than £30,000 in May through a limited dealer distribution network. At £29,355 on-the-road for the manual 3.2-litre V6, rising to £50,440 for the flagship V10 TDI, the Touareg is being pitched as a rival for cars such as the new Range Rover.

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