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19/11/04

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GROUP TEST: SEVEN-SEAT SMALL MPVS

Maximum seats in minimum space

There are now three cracking new contenders in the small MPV sector which offer seven
seats but which one is the best fleet choice? Simon Harris and Steve Moody investigate

VOLKSWAGEN TOURAN 1.9SE TDI PD 7ST

THE Volkswagen Touran

seems to embrace the nofrills school of getting up to
seven people from A to B.
This isnt to say that the SE
trimmed Touran felt like a
budget car, but its list price
advantage over the other two
vehicles disappears when you
add options found on the
standard equipment lists of the
Toyota and Renault.
It comes with alloy wheels,
cruise control, air conditioning,
various safety systems to
prevent the car from skidding
off the road, electric windows
and six airbags. Quite
generous, it would seem.
However, the Toyota adds a
drivers knee airbag to the

PHOTOS: CHRIS LOWNDES

second and Renault third: its a

pattern that is repeated in
nearly all vehicle sectors for
residual values, illustrating the
varying levels of faith that
secondhand buyers have in
each brand, and as a result,
CAP puts the Touran here 8%
higher than the Grand Scenic.
With servicing, maintenance
and repair, things are much
closer with the cheapest the
Corolla Verso at 2.04 and the
most expensive the Touran at
2.25. Over the 60,000 miles,
that equates to a difference of
126.
Fuel costs are more widely

RENAULT GRAND SCENIC

spread. The most fuel-efficient

is the Renault, which has a
pence-per-mile figure of 8.44,
which means a total fuel bill
over 60,000 miles of 5,064.
Its combined fuel economy
figure is 48.7mpg. The next
best is the Touran, at 47.1mpg
and 8.73ppm, which results in
an extra 174 of fuel. The
Corolla Verso, with its 2.0-litre
engine is the least efficient at
45.6mpg and 9.02ppm. That
makes it 348 more expensive
than the Renault.
The combination of all three
cost areas puts the Touran first,
and by a decent margin. In

17,737

CO2 emissions (g/km)

154

BIK % of P11D in 2004/05

19%

Graduated VED rate

135

Insurance group

Delivered price,
standard car (P11D value)

Maintenance 2.12 pence

per mile x 60,000

CO2 emissions (g/km)

1,272

Fuel 8.44 pence per

mile x 60,000

5,064

Combined mpg

Wholelife cost 29.18

pence per mile x 60,000

CAP Monitor residual value

Typical contract hire rate

48.7

5,750/32%

17,508

327 per month

17,822
165

BIK % of P11D in 2004/05

22%

Graduated VED rate

135

Insurance group

September 9, 2004

Maintenance 2.04 pence

per mile x 60,000

CO2 emissions (g/km)

1,224

Fuel 9.02 pence per

mile x 60,000

5,412

Combined mpg
CAP Monitor residual value

Typical contract hire rate

45.6

6,400/36%

BASED on the Golf, the

Touran is aimed at drivers
wanting as practical an
MPV as possible, with few
frills but solid, dependable
running. It might not be
flash, but it does the job
Delivered price,
standard car (P11D value)

10,344

16,980

349 per month

powerful Grand Scenic and

Corolla Verso can be chosen
with significantly longer
standard equipment lists
further up the range.
The Touran competes with
higher-spec rivals by having an
extensive options list.
Choosing the 2.0 TDI
Touran to compete with the
others on price would give it a
significant power advantage
but hurt its fuel consumption.
So an easy victory for the
Touran then? Not necessarily
can it match the others for
equipment, driving pleasure
and practicality?
SM

VOLKSWAGEN TOURAN

Depreciation 17.24 pence

per mile x 60,000

Wholelife cost 28.30

pence per mile x 60,000

Fuelling Britains fleet industry

12 FLEET NEWS

tax band of the three, at 18%,

while the Renault, which has
low emissions of 154g/km, is
19% and the 165g/km Toyota
is 22%.
For a 22% tax-payer, that
means a bill in this tax year of
674 for the Touran, 741 for
the Grand Scenic and 863 for
the Corolla Verso, which is
quite a difference, and
reinforces the running cost
advantage of the Touran.
However, part of the reason
the Touran does so well is that
this is just about the ceiling for
the Touran with the 1.9 TDI
engine, whereas the more

THE Corolla Verso is the

newest of the three cars
here and aims to attract
drivers by a combination of
seven seats as standard,
hi-tech gadgets and peerless
reliability

Depreciation 18.62 pence

per mile x 60,000

11,172

total it comes in at 26.67ppm,

the Corolla Verso is second at
28.30ppm and the Grand
Scenic is third at 29.18ppm.
Over 60,000 miles, that
gives the Touran a total cost of
16,002, which is 978 less
than the Corolla Verso and a
hefty 1,506 less than the
Grand Scenic.
For drivers, the story
remains the same, principally
because the Volkswagen, rated
at 162g/km, is the only vehicle
here that is Euro IV-compliant
and therefore avoids the 3%
BIK surcharge. As a result, it is
in the lowest benefit-in-kind

TOYOTA COROLLA VERSO

THE Grand Scenic is the

latest in a long line of
MPVs from Renault and
is styled similarly to the
larger Espace. Style and
sophistication is
Renault's approach here
Delivered price,
standard car (P11d value)

more utilitarian than the other

two cars and would appear
familiar to anyone who has
driven a new Golf.
The Touran has light
controls and is easy to drive.
Its power and torque deficit
compared with the other two
cars is partially negated by its

six-speed transmission,
making it feel livelier than it
actually is and helping disguise
the fact that it takes nearly a
second longer to reach 62mph
from rest than the other two.
The pumpe duse engine also
makes more noise than the
Grand Scenics 1.9 dCi. SH

AT A GLANCE
Rock solid residuals
Aspirational badge
Practical shape

Uninspiring design
Noisy engine
Lacks performance

TOYOTA COROLLA VERSO 2.0 T3 D-4D

17,027
162

BIK % of P11D in 2004/05

18%

Graduated VED rate

135

Insurance group

Depreciation 15.69 pence

per mile x 60,000

9,414

Maintenance 2.25 pence

per mile x 60,000

1,350

Fuel 8.73 pence per

mile x 60,000

5,238

Combined mpg

Wholelife cost 26.67

pence per mile x 60,000

CAP Monitor residual value

Typical contract hire rate

47.1

6,800/40%

16,002

332 per month

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THE Corolla Verso underwent

a revision this summer which
was aimed at putting it on the
mini-MPV map and included a
move to seven seats as well as
improvements in appearance.
One of the advantages of
moving to seven seats is that
the Corolla Verso would have a
bigger impact on the seven seat
small MPV market there are
fewer seven-seat models than
five-seaters.
Toyotas trick with the new
Corolla Verso was not to mess
about with taking seats in and
out but to fold the second and
third row flat, providing a fully
flat loading area. The trouble is
that with the middle row of
seats effectively taking up

space in the luggage area, it

results in a maximum luggage
volume of 1,563 litres,
adequate for most people, but
not as much as its removableseat rivals.
Nine airbags are standard,
but the T3 does without the hitech reversing camera and
unique Cornering Assist
Monitor that looks both ways
into forthcoming streets,
optional on T-Spirit models
only. The Corolla Verso feels
most like driving a car. It
retains a hydraulic power
steering system, while the other
two have electric set-ups,
offering a more progressive
and precise feel.
It is the only car here with a

five-speed transmission
Volkswagen and Renault
preferring six gears but it
works well enough. The
amount of torque offered by a
modern turbodiesel engine
often means you shouldnt
need to change gear so much,
despite the keenness of some

manufacturers to offer sixspeed gearboxes. Despite being

less powerful and having less
torque than the Grand Scenic,
the Corolla Verso beats the
Renault from 0-62mph by a
tenth of a second, presumably
because it is reached with
fewer gearchanges.
SH

AT A GLANCE
Car-like driving experience
Quality feel
Low SMR costs

Not as practical as rivals

Highest leasing rate
No Euro IV yet

RENAULT GRAND SCENIC 1.9 TDI EXPRESSION

All figures based on 3yrs/60,000 miles. Monthly rental quote from HSBC DriverQuote

HOLE pretty poor

sitcoms have been
made on the
assumption that the average
British family has 2.4 children,
when the number is in fact
closer to 1.7.
In the 1960s, the average
brood peaked at just over 2.7,
according to the Office for
National Statistics, and the
pattern of decline is
continuing.
So it is ironic that the
popularity of seven-seat
vehicles, principally designed
for carrying large families,
should be inversely related to
that statistical trend, and these
are the three newest to offer
seven seats for those families
stubbornly bucking the
nations lethargy for a large
litter.
In the virile fleet industry,
these vehicles are even more
popular than with the nation at
large in some cases up to
two-thirds of certain miniMPVs sold go to fleets.
So it is essential for the fleet
manager, who may have a
number of these on his or her
books, to pick the right one.
The new Renault Grand
Scenic, Toyota Corolla Verso
and Volkswagen Touran are
three or the best seven-seat
variants. By far the biggest
cost to manage is depreciation
and here the Volkswagen
scores a good win. Although it
is helped by a lower front end
price, it still delivers a strong
performance.
At 15.69 pence per mile, the
Touran would lose 9,414 over
the three year/60,000 period,
which is substantially less than
either the Grand Scenic or the
Corolla Verso. The Renault
loses the most of the three, at
18.62ppm, which ends up at
11,172. The Toyota, with a
solid reputation for reliability
and consistent running, comes
in second with a figure of
17.24ppm, or 10,344.
Volkswagen first, Toyota

safety count, an auto-dimming

rear-view mirror, rain-sensing
windscreen wipers and a
leather steering wheel with
audio controls, while the
Renault can also boast most of
these as standard.
It is probably the most
voluminous of the three,
however, with a maximum
luggage capacity slightly less
than the 1,989 litres quoted for
the five-seat version.
In the seven-seat version,
the third row of seats folds flat
and the middle row can be
removed.
As in the five-seat model,
the removable seats are light
and easy to take out of the car.
The interior feels a little

RENAULTS strategy with the

latest Scenic seems to have
paid off. Rather than having a
one-size-fits-all MPV, it is able
to offer two cars in the same
family, one designed to carry
five and the other, at 230mm
longer, seven.
The Grand Scenic has two
extra individual seats that fold
away into the floor, while the
middle row remains removable.
It also offers an unrivalled
200 litres of luggage space with
the third row in place nearly
as much as a mainstream
supermini.
While the Touran and the
Corolla Verso feel derived from
the Golf and Corolla, the Grand
Scenic feels more like a scaled

down Espace. Presumably

there is much more to be
gained from the halo effect of
this iconic vehicle than just
being an additional member of
the seven-strong Megane
family. Like the Espace there is
a central blue LED instrument
panel, an automatic parking
brake while in Expression trim,
Renault adds automatic
headlamps and rear side
window blinds over the Corolla
Verso and Touran, although the
Grand Scenic does without
alloy wheels.
While the Touran seems to
have been designed to be the
most efficient way of
transporting a family of up to
seven and the Corolla Verso

appears to offer clever

solutions to the living with the
conflicting demands of families
and luggage, the Grand Scenic
seems to be a road-going
extension of the home.
The automatic parking brake
means the area between the

front seats is free of clutter and

the centre console design
wouldnt look out of place on
an expensive home hi-fi system.
Like its rivals there are extra
storage areas, but the Grand
Scenic seems to be the most
thoroughly developed.
SH

AT A GLANCE
User-friendly interior design
Best seats-up luggage space
Best performance and economy

Highest pence-per-mile costs

No alloys unlike rivals
No Euro IV yet

VERDICT
WHILE it might come across as a bit dreary to some,
you cant ignore the Tourans handsome cost advantage
over the other two and it is an efficient seven seater.
Despite its slightly higher cost, we would give second
place to the Grand Scenic because it is more practical
than the Corolla Verso a key consideration for those
who need a small MPV. It also has a little more panache.
The Toyota takes third place, but it is still a capable and
high quality alternative.
WINNER: VOLKSWAGEN TOURAN

Fuelling Britains fleet industry

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September 9, 2004

FLEET NEWS 13