Toyota AVENSIS
The Last
Toyota Avensis Was Competent But A Little Dull. The Latest Car Takes Things Upmarket.
I must admit, I did quite like the Avensis advertising. The ultra-competitive, obnoxious city boys all boasting about their achievements and the quiet guy who drove the Avensis, the obvious message being that you dont need to blow your own trumpet if you drive a car like this. Whilst the Avensis doesnt stand out in a crowd, it gives off an aura of high quality. Its a car that doesnt need to try too hard.
Designed in France, the latest car is firmly Eurocentric, being marketed solely on this continent. Its bigger and better looking than the old car without being showy. In short, its my kind of medium range car. The model I took on loan was a 129bhp 1.
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8-litre VVT-i T4 saloon. Quite a mouthful.
Three bodystyles are available priced from £14,000 saloon, liftback and estate while three petrol engines are also on offer. Customers can choose either a 129bhp 1.8-litre VVT-i engine, a 147bhp 2.0-litre direct injection VVT-i powerplant or a 2.
4-litre unit of the same direct injection configuration. The VVT-i set-up is Toyotas variable valve timing system which offers decent torque and fuel economy at low revs and a hefty slug of power at full throttle. A 116bhp 2.0-litre D-4D diesel is also available as is a more advanced 2.
2-litre D-4D oil-burner packing 148bhp. Trim levels depend on your choice between five options: T2, the rather clumsily-named T3-S and T3-X, T4 and T Spirit. All come with air conditioning, an alarm immobiliser, power windows and mirrors, ABS and an excellent quality stereo system. The T3 grades are basically there to differentiate between those who want satellite navigation (T3-S) from those who simply want extra luxury (T3-X). T4 offers both, while the plushest T Spirit level also includes power seats with leather trim.
Safety has been prioritised with all models getting no fewer than nine airbags as standard, including a driver knee airbag which represents a UK first. Secreted beneath the steering column, this system protects the drivers knees and lower legs from injury. All models now also come with vehicle stability control (VSC), traction control (TRC) and brake assist (BA) to boost the already impressive Avensis safety credentials. Step from an old Avensis into the cabin of the current car and youll spot no significant family resemblance.
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 huge cabin make the Avensis feel a class up.
Everything looks business-like and low-key inside the Avensis. There arent too many styling gimmicks to catch the eye, but the fit and finish is impeccable and its easy to get a comfortable driving position. 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. Instead they chose the Lexus LS400 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. One advantage of the compact rear suspension is that it reduces intrusion into the luggage bay, the saloon version featuring a 520-litre boot. It certainly looks to have the quality to succeed and Toyota have created a quality all rounder. My 1.
8-litre saloon would sprint to 60mph in 10.1 seconds and return 39.2mpg, making it quicker, more powerful and more economical than equivalent 1.8-litre variants of the Mazda6, the
Renault Laguna, the
Ford Mondeo and the Vauxhall Vectra.
Couple that with the biggest cabin in class and competitive pricing and Toyota could have a winner on their hands.
At £17,900, the Avensis 1.8-litre T4 saloon isnt cheap, but it appears so well screwed together that it seems a reasonable price to pay. Should you be able to get by without quite so many toys to play with, the same 1.8-litre engine starts in T2 guise from a distinctly affordable £14,900.
Naturally, this version will hold onto a bigger percentage of its value when the time comes to sell, but I think I deserve a pampering once in a while. Not enough pampering to land the £23,150 2.4-litre T-Spirit that marks the top of the Avensis range, but whos complaining?
The Avensis certainly makes a good case for itself. Its well equipped, modern, handsome in a quiet sort of way and very well built. If youre the sort of person whos secure enough not to need a bottom of the range
BMW, the Avensis makes a very capable alternative.
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