Review of the new Toyota Avensis Range

Faced with tough competition in the medium range Mondeo market, Toyota have made huge efforts to offer more than just practical virtues with their third generation Avensis. We've never had a large Toyota in this class we could really fall in love with. Could this be the first?

Once upon a time, medium range Mondeo-class family cars could get away with being pretty dull. No longer. Today, with this sector both shrinking and haemorrhaging sales to compact 4x4s and small MPVs, sensible no longer really cuts it. Hence the need for a crop of exciting new arrivals over the last few years as the impressive fourth generation Ford Mondeo has been joined by stylish competitors like Vauxhall's Insignia, the third generation Renault Laguna and second generation versions of the Mazda6 and the Citroen C5. That left Toyota's MK2 Avensis, a car for whom the word 'sensible' might have been invented, as a salutary reminder of what buyers in this sector used to settle for. Hence the need for this third generation version.

Its predecessor was reliable, beautifully built and very cheap to run. Or to put it another way, very Japanese. Unlike any of its predecessors, this car had also to be more European in its outlook - in other words more strikingly styled and more engaging to drive. The previous Avensis, like this model created in the South of France and manufactured in the UK at Toyota's Burnaston plant, promised us that but failed to deliver it. With this car, there can be no excuses.

To get close to the outstanding driving dynamics offered by rivals in this sector, Toyota had to start from a clean sheet of paper with this car, hence its all-new platform. Both front and rear tracks are wider and the front axle has been moved further forward to improve balance. As a result, this Avensis is a world removed from the old model, eager to change direction, with little body roll, sharp steering and plenty of grip - not a class leader but good enough to now satisfy demanding drivers. On secondary roads, the ride quality can't quite match these achievements but on the kind of major routes where cars like this will spend most of their time, it all comes together beautifully.

"This car manages to lead its class in the apparently contrary areas of both high performance and low running costs.."

It also helps that there's such a willing band of engines on offer. Take the volume 2.2 D-4D 150 diesel unit. It has this huge surge of grunt between 2,000 and 2,800rpm, making overtaking simple and enabling you to leave the 6-speed gearbox pretty much alone as you waft around on this huge surge of torque. If it feels faster than comparable rivals, that's because it is: this car is an astonishing nine seconds quicker from rest to 100mph than a comparable Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi. It's the same story with the comparable 145bhp 1.8-litre petrol V-matic Avensis, a full second and a half quicker to sixty than, say, its 1.8-litre Vauxhall Insignia counterpart.

Today's Avensis saloon and Tourer estate models are instantly more engaging things to look at than their predecessors. At the front, diamond-shaped headlamps smear dramatically back into the front wings and the chrome-ringed grille sits above a large central air intake. This model is 50mm longer than the previous version and is wider by the same amount, with a lengthy wheelbase of 2,700mm.

This all adds up to a generously proportioned cabin ahead of either 509 or 543-litres of bootspace with all the seats in use. The Tourer estate of course offers the higher figure, extendable to 1609-litres if you activate the neat one-touch folding mechanism and flatten the split-folding rear seats. Take a seat inside and it's not the most eye-catching cabin in the class but we'd wager it'll prove to be one of the most durable. In three years' time, when the interiors of rival cars are beginning to look a little tatty, this one will still look showroom fresh.

Prices, which lie mainly in the usual £16,000 to £25,000 bracket for this class of car, are of course directly comparable to those of obvious rivals like Ford's Mondeo, Vauxhall's Insignia and Renault's Laguna. There's a premium of around £1,000 if you want the Tourer estate over the saloon.

And under the bonnet? Well Toyota has really flexed its muscles here, wheeling out its latest engine technology to power this Avensis. The petrol engines are of the Valvematic configuration which improve efficiency and increase power through an advanced combustion process. There's a 130bhp 1.6-litre Valvematic, a 1.8-litre Valvematic unit with 145bhp and a 2.0-litre version packing 150bhp that can reach 60mph in a swift 9s when fitted to the saloon body. The diesels use the latest generation of Toyota's tried and tested D-4D technology and include a 130bhp 2.0-litre, a 150bhp 2.2-litre and another 2.2-litre with 180bhp and a massive 400Nm of torque. Those wanting an automatic get a clever Multidrive S CVT gearbox with wheel-mounted paddle shifters in petrol models but a more conventional six speed automatic in the diesels.

Equipment across the range runs to air conditioning, a six-speaker MP3-compatible audio system, heated electrically adjustable door mirrors, electric front windows, seven airbags, body coloured door handles and bumpers and a multi-information display. The Tourer model can also be ordered with a panoramic glass roof. The active safety provisions include optimum stopping power courtesy of ABS, EBD Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Brake Assist to help in emergency stops. VSC+ stability control is on hand to make steering inputs and apply selective braking that will pull the car out of a slide, plus there's the option of the AFS Adaptive Front lighting System for improved visibility at night.

This model was one of the first Toyotas to benefit from the company's Optimal Drive technology, this a package of fuel-saving features that use low-friction, lightweight components and advanced engine technology to cut carbon dioxide emissions and boost power. All of which is crucial, for running costs are where most sales battles are won and lost in the medium range marketplace. Toyota has been hard at work minimising the cost of running an Avensis and the figures make impressive reading. 41mpg and 163g/km emissions from the 1.8-litre petrol engine is a decent showing but the 2.0-litre diesel trumps it emphatically with a 55mpg average and a tax-friendly CO2 reading of 134g/km.

This means the large Toyota slots into the VED band C, while company car users will pay 18% in Benefit-in-Kind company car tax. That compares extraordinarily well with rivals like Vauxhall's Insignia, the comparable version of which is in a band higher for road tax and in the 20% BIK company car tax rate. Respected residual experts CAP expect that after the usual three years and 36,000 miles, this Avensis will be worth more than rivals from Vauxhall, Peugeot and Ford, holding on to around 35% of its original value, as opposed to around 29% for a Ford Mondeo. Insurance groups range between 6 and 12.

Put enough resource, money and worldwide expertise behind any product and you're going to get an impressive result. Just how impressive in this case is evidenced by the fact that this third generation Avensis manages to lead its class in the apparently contrary areas of both high performance and low running costs.

Could it be more exciting, both to look at and to drive? Well probably - but you can see why Toyota wasn't keen to go too far and upset the legions of customers attracted by the sensible charms of previous Avensis models. They know that medium range market is closely fought and highly populated, with buying decisions often coming down to the smallest detail. And worryingly for its rivals, this car seems to have got the details just about right.

TOP 5 AVENSIS DEALS

The results below show the top AVENSIS deals on buyacar

Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D T2 5dr Diesel Tourer
Price £16,867 Read Avensis Reviews	Save £3,613
Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D TR 5dr Diesel Tourer
Price £18,490 Read Avensis Reviews	Save £4,070
Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D T2 4dr Diesel Saloon
Price £16,060 Read Avensis Reviews	Save £3,385
Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D T Spirit 5dr Diesel Tourer
Price £21,816 Read Avensis Reviews	Save £5,009
Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D T Spirit 4dr Diesel Saloon
Price £20,506 Read Avensis Reviews	Save £4,639
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