Toyota Verso Range : CHAPTER and VERSO

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Toyotas Verso keeps a comparatively low profile in the compact MPV sector but as a solid, dependable family car, it has few peers. Steve Walker reports.

Manufacturers deploy a whole range of different methods to help them sell new cars. These tactics have been carefully fashioned down the years to seduce the most iron-willed of buyers and have cautious customers eating from the palm of the sales executives hand. Some will introduce value-added special edition versions to bring in the showroom traffic, others will cram the model range with design and technological innovation and some will produce a firecracker halo model to raise the profile of the rest of the range with its headline-grabbing performance. Examine the compact MPV sector and youll see all of these strategies and more in action but Toyotas Verso tends to come at the problem with a much straighter bat.

The only thing thats truly exceptional here is the cars all-round competence.

Toyota present buyers with a choice of two VVT-i petrol engines generating109bhp and 127bhp from their respective 1.6 and 1.8-litre capacities. These modest power-outputs are produced at a lofty 6,000rpm so both engines need to be worked quite hard in order to extract meaningful performance.

Theyre adequate for short trips around town but if you can afford them, the diesels are a better bet. Both oil-burners are 2.2-litre D4-D units and in each instance, Toyota have been slightly disingenuous in terms of their naming culture. The D-4D 140 actually produces 134bhp and the D-4D 180 engine found exclusively in the range-topping T180 model actually has 175bhp on tap.

The two oil-burners are predictably strong on torque, serving up 310Nm and 400Nm respectively from just 2,000rpm.

"Gimmicks arent the Toyota Versos style"

On paper performance is fairly impressive with all the powerplants except the 1.6-litre petrol. The 1.8-litre petrol can do the old 0-60mph sprint in 10.

8s but remember its high-revving characteristic when you compare it to the D-4D 140 (0-60mph in 9.4s) and the D-4D 180 (0-60mph in 8.8s). On the road, the Verso handles quite sweetly.

The high-sided body is well controlled in corners and the steering is quite direct. The suspension is firmer than the average in this sector but many rivals are set-up to obliterate imperfections in the road surface at the expense of composed handling, so whether you prefer the ride in the Verso to that of a Vauxhall Zafira or Renault Scenic will be largely a matter of taste. The Versos styling has a lot in common with that of other mainstream Toyota products in that its neat and unfussy rather than extrovert in any way. Even the most recent facelift was only introduced to bring the Versos front end in line with the similarly low key Auris and Yaris models.

The grille no longer has a bar running across it and the apertures in the under-bumper that house the fog lights on plusher models are now more aggressively angled. Certified nitpickers may also spot minor revisions to the front and rear light clusters. Unlike some similarly sized rivals, the Verso can seat seven and all five rear seats fold down into the floor to create a totally flat loading surface. This means that you wont need to haul heavy seats into and out of the car if ultimate carrying capacity is required.

A lot of thought has gone into this system, the seats not only being the lightest in class but also requiring a simple one-touch operation to fold each one flat. As tends to be the case with compact MPVs, adult-sized persons will struggle to get into the rearmost seats. The interior is resoundingly tough and well-built something of a Toyota trademark. Probably more so than any other compact MPV, you can be sure that the Verso isnt going to wilt under the pressures of family life.

The controls on the dash are clearly laid-out and easy to use at a glance while the materials are of good quality. Storage space could be better. The Verso range is divided between the usual T2, T3 and T-Spirit trim levels but you also have the mildly sporty looking SR derivative and the range-topping T180 to consider. All Verso models now come with an MP3-compatible CD stereo as well as air-conditioning, electric front windows and electric wing mirrors.

The T3 adds various features including dual-zone climate control, alloy wheels and stability control while the T-Spirit gets satellite navigation and blue tooth connectivity as part of its armoury. For those of you facing long journeys, the SR derivative comes with the option of the boredom-busting Modular ICE (in-car entertainment) system. This features two, removable, seven-inch television screens in the back of the front headrests for viewing DVDs or connecting to games consoles. All at the extra price of £940.

The T 180 gets a sensible range of extras on top of the T-Spirit spec, enough to differentiate it without going too far. 17-inch alloy wheels, tinted rear glass, smoked headlight glass, a perforated leather steering wheel cover and various interior trim detail features are included, so its hardly a Max Power wannabe. Toyota have sensibly kept things subtle in a way that doesnt tarnish the Versos general sheen of competence by forcing it into pretending to be something its not. You can always buy a Toyota and feel reasonably confident that it isnt going to cripple you financially with repair bills as soon as the warranty runs out.

The used market too has a healthy respect for the Japanese manufacturers reliability record and the depreciation blow is softened as a result. In terms of fuel economy, the diesel engines are unusually large for the sector so you wont get the fuel-supping performance thats available in some of the alternative compact MPVs but then they dont have the Versos performance. The official combined economy figures are, in reverse order, 36.7mpg for the 1.

8-litre petrol, 37.7mpg for the 1.6-litre petrol, 41.5mpg for the D-4D 180 and 44.

8mpg for the D-4D 140. Gimmicks arent the Toyota Versos style: its a take-it-as-you-find-it, get-the-job-done kind of vehicle thats been developed over the years into a highly competent package. The car is thoroughly user-friendly, from the easy-to-operate seating system to that trademark Toyota reliability and the marked absence of the kind of niggling annoyances that drive you up the wall during day to day use. There are few rivals to touch it. If you had to criticise the Verso, it would be on grounds of its slightly dull image and nondescript styling.

The ride is a shade firm but many will happily shoulder that burden in exchange for the enjoyable handling and the petrol engines need to be worked hard. Otherwise, and certainly in the key areas that really matter to customers like practicality, reliability and build quality, its definitely the real deal.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Toyota Verso range
PRICES: £15,005-£21,905 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 5E-11E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 165-184g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.8] 0-60mph 10.8s / Max Speed 122mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.8] (combined) 36.7mpg / (extra urban) 43.4mpg / (urban) 28.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 4360/1770/1622mm