Fuel costs are really starting to have an impact. At one time sticking £20 in the tank would have lasted me a week or more, but now I find myself dropping into the garage forecourt far more often and each time it seems I am receiving less and less for my money.

And although my own car is a diesel, by comparison with the modern oil burners on the market now, it is old fashioned and, judging by my recent experience with the VW Touran, far more thirsty.

Advances in diesel technology even over the last five years have been remarkable, to the point where the Touran, an MPV capable of seating seven people, is powered by a 1.6 litre engine which propels it at perfectly satisfactory speeds.

I am sure the same is true even for the 1.2 litre petrol engine, which is also available in the range.

This more than equates to the rise in fuel prices as, on a 500-mile round trip using the unscientific measure of how much money I have spent, rather than how many litres have I put in, I reckoned I saved about £15.

The onboard computer was a little more precise, informing me that I had returned 51 mpg in very mixed driving conditions, which was definitely new territory for me and welcome relief for the wallet.

Other aspects of the Touran make it almost a blueprint for modern motoring.

Its flexibility is a major bonus, meaning you can carry as many people or luggage, or a seemingly limitless combination of the two, which makes it ideal for every situation.

The rear and middle row of seats can be folded, slid forward or even removed completely depending on requirements, while there is an abundance of cubby holes and nooks and crannies to hold everything from bottles to sunglasses.

There are even storage drawers underneath the front seats, folding tables on the back of them and 12 volt sockets in both rows of rear seats to power any compatible gadgets.

Talking of which, flip the front storage compartment between the seats and you will find a connection lead for an MP3 player, and for the first time, I managed to get my daughter’s iPod to work through the car stereo.

It was virtually plug and play through a couple of pushes of the media button on the front of the stereo. Who said technology had to be complicated? More frustrating was the battle over the song choice — but that’s a very old argument.

Other than that, the journey was comfortable. A small quibble I had was that every time I got into the car I caught my leg on the hard plastic surrounding the seat, which was annoying.

But the seats themselves were as you would expect from VW.

Performance was brisk enough to allow safe overtaking, although this is no racing car, nor does it have to be. It will do what is asked of it with minimal effort and as efficiently as possible.

If you are looking for a car that sets the pulse racing, then this is not it, with the emphasis on purpose, rather than personality.

The interior generally is also a symbol of teutonic efficiency. No frills, bells or whistles here, rather a place for everything and everything in its place.

So automatic headlights, wipers and crusie control are all there if you need them, along with front and rear reversing sensors. Some models in the range also have a function that parks the car for you.

The onboard computer even tells you the optimum time to change gear which helps keep the fuel bills down, if not the boredom levels.

All of this along with the swathes of black and grey plastic makes it a little dull but no matter — this won’t be a problem for most company car drivers who will have left their Porsches at home.

If you are looking for transport that will provide you with high specification, plenty of flexibility and excellent build quality to boot, then the Touran is very difficult to beat.

Model: Volkswagen Touran S TDIPeformance: 0-62mph 12.8 seconds; top speed 114mph Economy: 55.4 mpg (combined) CO2 emissions: 134g/km Price: £19,185 Car suppied by: Ridgeway Group, Oxford Motor Park, Kidlington OX5 1RY. Contact: 0844 244 7330 Web: www.ridgeway.co.uk