| Week at the Wheel | Toyota Avensis Tourer |
Inside & Out:
In fairness to the Toyota's designers you have to acknowledge the fact that they've made a big effort with the new Avensis, albeit no doubt constrained by a heavily conservative design brief. As with many of its estate rivals the so-called Tourer is a better looking car than the saloon with the sweeping profile accentuated by a rising shoulder line running down the flank. The corporate face is worn proudly and the shape is definitely a modern design that will appeal to many, though it lacks some of the aesthetic values of European rivals in particular.
The interior is a nice place to be - roomy, comfortable and cosseting. Conscious effort has gone into breaking up the large surface areas with different materials and textures and the central carbon effect console is a vast improvement over some of the expanses of shiny plastic seen in the past. Ergonomics are spot on and cabin space matches the rest of the class. As you'd expect, the Tourer offers a generous load space.
Engine & Transmission:
The Avensis range features 'Optimal Drive' petrol and diesel engines throughout. Our test car was the range topping 2.2-litre common rail diesel, in this case rated at 148bhp with maximum torque of 251lb.ft available from 2,000- to 2,800rpm and driving in this case through a six speed automatic transmission. On the road the gearbox puts a dampener on things somewhat, holding onto lower ratios for longer than necessary and not responding to requests for step changes quickly or smoothly.
Some of this can be avoided by use of the manual shift function, but even then the torque converter is reluctant to lock up and let the engine operate where one would choose if shifting for oneself. No doubt this shift pattern is well grounded as the theoretical optimum but in practice it frustrated. Unsurprisingly, Toyota's own figures show the manual car to be significantly more economical and usefully quicker also. Given these facts, and the driving experience offered by the automatic transmission, then it's hard to recommend over the manual gearbox.
Ride & Handling:
As one might expect Toyota's engineers haven't gone after the enthusiasts with the Avensis' chassis. It has plenty of grip and a fair amount of composure but there's little or no feel in the driving experience - leaving the driver detached from what's actually going on. Driven in the way that one may expect the typical Toyota to do the Avensis is fine - competent without ever exciting and capable without any drama.
Much the same applies to the ride quality. The Avensis is well suited to motorway miles and loping along and coping with the routine challenges associated with such activities well. The one downside is that there's rather more suspension noise intruding into the cabin than one might expect over cat's eyes, drain covers and the like, but that stands out as the only major weakness in the chassis in this respect.
Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:
At £24,000 the Avensis is priced closely to the obvious rivals and in T4 spec includes a competitive specification sheet. Key-less start aside the T4 brings with it everything one would need in a family car. Long warranties, 20,000-mile service intervals, reasonable economy (in manual form at least) and low insurance costs will, combined with Toyota's legendary reliability, keep running costs in check.
Overall:
As enthusiasts it's difficult to enthuse about the Toyota Avensis. It's very safe and played straight down the middle with little emotion and not an awful lot to get excited about. That's not to say that it's a bad car; it's just average and lacking in charisma and therefore, for us, appeal.
