Toyota AVENSIS TOURER (2003 - TO DATE)
MODELS COVERED: (5dr estate 1.8, 2.0, 2.4 petrol, 2.
0 diesel [T2, T3-S, T3-X, T-Spirit])
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Medium range estate cars have staged something of a comeback in the last few years. One of the lower key but higher quality offerings is Toyotas Avensis Tourer. Once a rather lightweight and compact estate, the Avensis Tourer completely changed its focus in 2003 when it was relaunched. Bigger, better equipped and aimed at a more premium sector of the market, this car took aim at the best in the class.
Cars like the
Ford Mondeo estate and the
Honda Accord Tourer both had to be on top of their game to fend off the threat from the big
Toyota. As a used proposition its as close to bullet proof as its possible to get.
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Its no fashion icon, but there is a quality look and feel to the product which, for the first time in a
Toyota of this size, will please Mondeo and Vectra customers as well as possibly appealing to a few of the
BMW and
Audi buyers shopping in the next class up. The doors thunk shut like a
Lexus and it was to their luxury division that Toyota looked to imbue the Avensis interior with a genuinely upmarket feel. It seems to have worked. Soft touch plastics, neat metallic finishes and a well appointed cabin make the car feel a class up.
Indeed, you could put Lexus logos on the thing and, although you might not be that excited by the product, you probably wouldnt think the badge out of place in terms of quality of engineering. With that achieved, it might now be fair for Toyota to expect that some of their more traditionally practical virtues would begin to come into their own. So what are these? Well, since despite the trendy name, this is an estate car, wed better start at the sharp end. Hearing that this latest generation Avensis is longer and wider than its predecessor isnt something you should get too excited about: the old model was in danger of getting rivalled by cars from the next class down. Its more significant to point out that this latest Toyota is still shorter than its rivals around 100mm shorter than a Mondeo for example. Which leads one to worry as to whether the Tourers carrying capacity is going to be up to very much. As it happens, its not bad.
Theres 520 litres of space on offer with the rear seats in place, rising to 1500 litres when theyre folded flat: good enough to get close to the class leaders in other words, if not quite to match them. A section of the load floor can be lifted to reveal a hidden storage tray, big enough to accommodate the luggage cover when not in use. An integrated partition net can be added to this cover to stop shopping bags crashing into garden centre produce and vice versa. Moreover, the luggage floor itself can be folded to create separate storage compartments, while tie-downs and shopping hooks are there to ensure that with loads both large and small, delicate items can be carried safely.
Prices start at around £12,000 for the first of the for the T3-S 1.8-litre estates on an 03 plate with the plusher T3-X tacking another £150 onto that price. The entry-level T2 model is rather thin on the ground, but T-Spirits were popular and opening prices on these well equipped versions is around £10,750. An indicative price for one of the desirable 2.
0-litre D4-D diesel models is £13,000 for n 03 plated T3-S. Insurance groups range from Group 7 through to Group 9.
The Avensis has forged a reputation for monotonous reliability and while drivers of old Corollas may well have hoped in vain for a broken timing chain or an electrical fire to interrupt the cars clockwork tedium, theres no such issue with this version. As long as the service records have been properly adhered to, its difficult to imagine a more trouble-free car in its class a testament to both Toyota and the British workers. A 1.8-litre long term car we ran performed virtually faultlessly during a six month spell, the only minor complaint being a slight rattle from the rear tailgate.
(approx based on a 1.8 T3) Although pitched a little above what youd expect to fork out for
Vauxhall or
Ford spares, Toyotas parts pricing policy has come under the microscope of late with the result that many prices have been frozen or reduced. A clutch assembly will cost in the region of £160, whilst an exhaust is around £350. A new starter motor retails for around £175, although a replacement headlamp will be in the region of £220.
Repair costs have been kept down with a consequent effect on insurance premiums.
Better sound insulation has reduced weight and decreased noise, but to give some illustration as to how seriously Toyota took refinement, they didnt choose the most refined car in the class lets say the Vauxhall Vectra as a comparison when developing the post-2003 Avensis. Instead they chose the Lexus LS430 as a benchmark and claim that even at 124mph, there is zero wind noise from the door mirrors. The Mondeo and the
Peugeot 406 were identified as class leaders in the area of steering feel, handling and ride and Toyota have tuned the steering for better feedback. The compact strut front suspension is similar to that of the Corolla, but the rear is a modified version of the Celicas multilink system.
One advantage of this is that it reduces intrusion into the luggage bay, the saloon version featuring a 520-litre boot.
Although its still difficult to get passionate about an Avensis Tourer, youll no longer have to make excuses. Well built and imbued with a certain gravitas, its very practical and supremely reliable. If youre buying a used estate car for pragmatic reasons, its difficult to buy better.
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