FOR A busy family on the move a midi-MPV is still one of the most viable propositions.

And if you like your family motoring laced with more than a dash of quality, then the latest Volkswagen Touran delivers in no uncertain terms.

In fact, it is the overall build quality of this vehicle that impresses as soon as you clap eyes on it.

These days there is no such thing as a really bad car and most are constructed to an acceptable standard. But in terms of fine panel joins and quality of materials Volkswagen take it to the max with this vehicle.

It provides all the old VW features and a lot of news ones too, all brought together on a new platform based on the company's MQB design, making the Touran larger than the model it replaced, offering more interior space.

What it also does is offer excellent luggage space even though it comes as standard with seven seats.

It gives 917 litres of luggage room loaded to the roof with the rearmost seats in place, rising to 1,857 litres with the middle three seats folded. And there are up to 47 storage compartments.

VW claims that it is the most family friendly vehicle around and I believe it.

For instance, all who have had children know the feeling of frustration when World War Three is raging in the back and you have to keep you mind on the road and pull over when safe to sort it all out.

Volkswagen's answer is something called Cam Connect, available in the Touran range, which utilises a Go Pro camera to display images on the touchscreen so you can referee without turning round.

And it is possible to lay the law down by using the in-car phone mics and sound system so the youngsters cannot claim they did not hear you because of traffic or radio noise.

There are a variety of petrol and diesel powered options, my test vehicle featuring a 1.2-litre TSI petrol unit linked to a six-speed manual gearbox.

You might think that a 1.2 in a seven seater may prove to be a gutless and boring choice, but this is not the case as direct injection and turbocharging give this unit the 110ps punch you would normally associate with a larger engine.

Top speed is 117mph and 0-62mph comes up in 11.3 seconds but it is this car's smoothness in all conditions that impressed me and certainly made the point that lower capacity petrol power is back with a vengeance.

AS with most VWs, the Touran SE 1.2 is not exactly cheap weighing in at £23,630, but it offers a lot for the money.