| First Drive | Milan, Italy | Toyota Avensis |

Toyota is the latest to unveil its new family class contender - the seventh in the D-segment in just 18 months. There's a lot of talk about building on the previous Avensis's strengths of superlative build quality and reliability with style, driving involvement and flair. Does the new Avensis hit the mark or is it a shot in the dark?

In the Metal

There's a family resemblance to the previous Avensis for the new model and all the essential styling cues are present and correct. Somehow, however, the new Avensis manages to a touch humdrum where the Ford Mondeo is sleek and the Mazda6 is downright sassy. Still, there's no doubting the care with which Toyota has put this car together from the neat and even panel gaps on the outside. Our test car's interior wasn't quite so uniform in its precision and some of the plastics were hard to the touch where rivals offer the extra illusion of premium quality with soft-touch materials. The boot in the Avensis saloon and Tourer estate is long, but overall capacity is not as good as the best in class.

Space in the front is generous though, as it is in the rear, and the steering wheel moves for reach and rake. In the upper two trims of T4 and T Spirit, the steering wheel is adjusted electrically. Despite this, we found it tricky to find the best driving position as the seat doesn't lower sufficiently and left us perched too high for comfort. There is also the problem of seat comfort that induced some lower back ache after an hour or more of driving. Not good for a car aimed predominantly at business users who cover large mileages.

What you get for your Money

There are four trim levels for the new Avensis: T2, TR, T4 and T Spirit. The TR is expected to make up two thirds of sales in the UK and Toyota also predicts that 55% of Avensis sales will be the Tourer estate, with diesel making up the bulk of engine orders. The T2 comes well fitted out with seven airbags as standard, including a driver's knee 'bag, air conditioning, CD stereo, electric front windows and an electronic parking brake. Go for the TR and 17-inch alloy wheels are thrown into the mix, along with climate control, Bluetooth connectivity and an MP3 socket, cruise control, electric rear windows and front fog lights. The T4 gains leather seats with electric adjustment for the front pair, keyless entry and ignition, and the Tourer estate has rear privacy glass. Top spec T Spirit models have 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, a CD autochanger, adaptive headlights to help see round corners, and the Tourer comes with a panoramic glass roof. Satellite navigation is a £1,000 option for the TR or £1,500 for the T4 that also includes a rear parking camera. The T Spirit's satnav and rear camera combo costs £1,000 extra.

On the engine front, buyers can choose from 1.8- or 2.0-litre petrol engines and three turbodiesels. The diesels come in 124bhp 2.0-litre form or 2.2-litres with 148- and 175bhp outputs. Toyota has reduced emissions and improved economy across all of the Avensis's engine range. The big-selling 2.2 150 model with six-speed manual gearbox in TR trim costs £20,065. Other transmission options include a six-speed automatic for the 2.2 turbodiesel and a CVT (continuously variable transmission) for the petrol engines.

Driving it

Toyota's chief engineer, Mr Yamamoto, proudly says he drove 3,000 miles all over Europe as part of his plan to come up with a car for European roads. We can only assume he spent a great deal of those miles at a steady 70mph on autobahns, autostradas and motorways. At this speed and on these roads, the Avensis excels as a business express to get to those all-important meetings to discuss low-hanging fruit and blue sky thinking out of the box. Anything above 70mph introduces some wind noise and we also noted more resonance from the tyres than we'd like as they passed over the road surface.

Below 70mph, the Avensis is far less satisfying than its key rivals. The handling is stable and predictable, with standard ESP to keep things from going too far, but the ride is simply too leaden for the Toyota to be ranked any higher than mid-table. It picks at slow-speed ruts and ridges like a schoolboy at a scab and it's not much better as speed builds. At typical A-road pace, the Avensis feels niggled by bumps and coarsely grained surfaces where the like of the Mondeo and Citroen C5 polish out any imperfections.

Performance from the entry-level 1.8-litre petrol unit is decent, though the engine becomes a little too rowdy when revved hard. The 2.0-litre petrol offers a touch more acceleration but with a slight dip in economy and rise in carbon dioxide emissions. Switch to the diesels and the 2.0-litre is a decent choice, but our vote goes to the 148bhp 2.2 with manual gearbox for its zest, economy and emissions. The more potent 2.2 turbodiesel is a little swifter, but not so much as to warrant spending the extra.

Worth Noting

Toyota has revised all of its engine line-up with what it calls 'Optimal Drive'. Never mind the name, look at the figures and it's easy to see the Avensis offers some of the best fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions in its class. The 1.8-litre petrol manages 43.5mpg (42.8mpg in the Tourer), while the 148bhp 2.2 turbodiesel returns an excellent 51.4mpg (50.4mpg for the Tourer) - with the manual gearbox. Add in emissions of 154- and 147g/km respectively for these two engines and the Avensis is well placed to attract cost-conscious company drivers. Toyota has also come up with insurance costs that are generally lower than its rivals' thanks to easier repairs, so the cost of ownership is very competitive.

Summary

Hit, miss or maybe then? Well, the new Avensis is certainly a missed opportunity given that Toyota has had plenty of time to study most of the competition before launching its new family car. It's a hit for the quality of construction and the generosity of equipment, and the economy and emissions of the engine range. It also scores for its low cost of ownership. However, the Avensis just doesn't have the ride comfort, driver involvement or 'want me' factor of the best in this hard fought sector.