Review of the new Toyota Avensis 2.2 D-CAT 150

The 2.2-litre D-CAT 150 engine option shows the Toyota Avensis in a good light. The advanced common-rail diesel powerplant is mated with D-CAT particulate filter technology to cut emissions and an automatic gearbox with paddle shifters which shunts them up again but adds to the car's relaxed character. If you want thrilling looks or handling, there are better medium range saloon cars but none are better built and few tackle long journeys with so much aplomb.

The medium range family car market has been under some pressure of late. Large parts of the core customer base have gravitated away, apparently in search of a little more style and charisma than these large family cars have traditionally offered. There's a fightback on though. Right now the leading contenders, cars like the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia, can deliver both an exciting drive and a premium feel. Toyota's Avensis is slightly more staid in its approach but that isn't without its advantages and in 2.2 D-CAT 150 guise, it comes packing a whole heap of technology.

This is the third generation Toyota Avensis, a car that like its predecessor is built in the UK. The cars roll off the line at Toyota's Burnaston plant in Derbyshire. These days, the 2.2-litre D-CAT 150 models are the pinnacle of the range, the more powerful 2.2 D-CAT 180 version having been discontinued after failing to sell in sufficient quantities. With a six-speed automatic gearbox as standard, the D-CAT 150 appears much more in tune with strengths of the Avensis, namely its relaxed character, refinement and cruising ability. That auto 'box inevitably bumps the price up though, so is it worth the premium?

The 2.2-litre diesel engine fitted to the Avensis instantly puts one over on equivalent engines used in rival products simply because they tend to be just 2.0 litres in capacity. This isn't just a case of bigger is better, however: the Toyota unit is also highly advanced. It uses a high pressure common-rail injection system that fires precisely controlled amounts of atomised fuel into the cylinders for optimum combustion efficiency. As a result, there's torque of 340Nm between 2,000 and 2,800rpm, which equates to an eager feel through the meat of the rev range, and outright performance is hard to better in the class. Even with the six-speed automatic gearbox doing the shifting, the 0-62mph time is 9.5s and there's a 127mph top speed.

"At its best when cruising and making the most of its comfortable ride and impressive refinement. ."

The gearbox fitted to the 2.2-litre D-CAT 150 is Toyota's latest six-speed auto effort featuring AI-SHIFT, Artificial Intelligence Shift Control. It adapts its shift pattern according to the road conditions and the driver's inputs, monitoring the throttle, braking and vehicle speed to determine which gear to select and when. There's a Sport mode that locks you into a more aggressive shift pattern and will blip the throttle to match the engine revs to the next gear on downchanges. The Driver can override all this by selecting M-mode and using the wheel-mounted paddle shifters or the gear-lever itself.

The 2.2-litre D-CAT drivetrain is certainly slick in its performance and it tallies well with the character of the Avensis as a result. The car is at its best when cruising and making the most of its comfortable ride and impressive refinement. On twisty roads, it's less outstanding with more body roll and a less intuitive feel than the sector's best.

Does the latest Avensis have the visual drama to set hearts aflutter? The shallow side windows, defined shoulder line and steeply raked windscreen give some purpose and there are nice touches, particularly around the rear of the saloon version, but the unusual headlamps and deep grille still need work. Inside, the cabin is sober but predictably well put together. There are some upmarket finishes and the controls layout is as easy to fathom as you could wish for. The centre armrest with its sliding lid and generous storage space beneath is very well executed and the Tourer estate model features a load area that's cleverly thought out. In general, everything works and feels like it will continue to do so for a long, long time to come.

This model has resisted the trend amongst large family cars to indulge in serious middle age spread between generations. It's scarcely any bigger than the MKII car. This means that it lags behind the sector's most spacious offerings but there's still room for a couple of six-footers in the rear and the boot is nothing to be sniffed at. There's 543-litres of luggage capacity on offer in the Tourer and that only drops to 509-litres in the saloon.

This Toyota comes in four-door saloon and Tourer estate guises, with the 2.2 D-CAT models available in TR, T4 or T-Spirit trim. The TR is the most popular trim level in the range. It adds 17" alloys wheels, front fog lights, automatic lights and wipers, cruise control, electric rear windows and an AUX input to a basic spec that already includes air-conditioning and remote central locking amongst other features. Avensis customers can choose a 2.2-litre D4-D 150 engine that's largely the same as the 2.2-litre D-CAT 150 unit except that it does without the clever D-CAT particulate filter and comes with a manual gearbox. The price differential is £1,000 which isn't a huge amount to pay for an auto box as good as this one while the Tourer models command a further £1,000 over the price of a saloon.

With the fleet sector so crucial to the Avensis, Toyota knows its running costs are going to come under close scrutiny. The D-CAT particulate filter from which the engine takes its name is crucial in rendering the car compliant with the Euro5 emissions regulations. D-CAT stands for Diesel Clean Advanced Technology and, in short, it's a four-way catalyst that filters the exhaust gasses for particulate matter and nitrogen oxides then cleans itself intermittently by burning them off. It helps the Avensis D-CAT achieve extremely low emissions of these substances and combined with CO2 emissions of 169g/km, goes towards making this a very clean vehicle for a diesel automatic. Combined cycle fuel economy is 44.1mpg.

Of all the top medium range family cars, this car could at once be the least likely to impress and the least likely to disappoint. It's a very middle of the road product and the 2.2-litre D-CAT engine paired with the smooth six-speed automatic only enhances that impression. Running costs suffer a little with the self-shifter installed but by diesel automatic standards, they're still agreeably low.

For on paper performance, economy and all-round built quality, there isn't much in the medium range sector that can better the Avensis. If however, you want a car that goes the extra mile to excite and engage its owner, Toyota's solid citizen might not quite tick all the boxes. Still, if sense and sensibility are everything in a plush medium range car, here's a good place to start your search.

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