Review of the new Toyota Verso 2.0 D-4D

Toyota is the world's largest car manufacturer and if it wanted to produce cars that stunned the populace with their exotic looks and stylistic elegance, it almost certainly could. The fact that most modern Toyota's are fairly unremarkable from a design perspective therefore indicates that Toyota isn't overly concerned with such trivialities. This is a manufacturer that knows its market, the very consumers that have propelled the brand to its current position of dominance. These are consumers that want quality, reliability, practicality, low costs and value for money. This is what modern Toyotas do best and few do it better than a Verso MPV with a D-4D diesel engine.

Toyota's no-nonsense approach to car design works better in some sectors of the market than others and the MPV sector is one of the ones where it works best. MPV buyers have families and the things that matter to them are having enough space to fit the kids inside, having an interior that the kids won't pull to pieces and having running costs that won't eat into the kids' inheritance. The Toyota Verso has never been very sporty or stylish but it has always filled these key criteria well, particularly with a D-4D diesel engine installed. The latest model adheres to a very similar formula, with incremental improvements made across the board to ensure it stays ahead of the chasing pack.

The D-4D diesel engine is the entry-level choice for Verso diesel customers, a 2.0-litre unit that sits below the 2.2-litre D-CAT alternative. Despite being the junior partner in the line-up, is still produces a respectable 124bhp from its four-cylinder layout and common-rail injection system. The 0-60mph sprint takes 11.3s making this diesel the slowest of the Verso's engines on paper but it does have torque of 340Nm from 2,000rpm which means it'll feel stronger than the petrol alternatives in everyday driving conditions.

"The Toyota car design ethos is a great fit in the compact MPV market sector"

The Verso may not be particularly sporty but its light steering and firm body control mean it's easy to drive and reassuring in corners. The D-4D engine is very quiet when pottering around town, partly down to its mechanical refinement and partly down to the Verso's comprehensive sound deadening measures. Even when you accelerate hard, cabin noise isn't over the top.

The interior is where it all happens in a car like this and Toyota has made a number of improvements to its simple and effective Easy Flat-7 seating system to ensure that family life runs smoothly. The seats do pretty much what it says on the tin in that there are seven of them and they're easy to fold flat. Each of the five rear seats can be folded individually to create a level load floor, opening up no fewer than 32 seating permutations for the vehicle. On the latest model, the outer seats in the middle row automatically return to their previous position after being folded to allow passenger access to the rear, while those rear seats can also be reclined a little. The old Verso had a paltry 63-litres of boot space with all the seats occupied but this model ups that to 178-litres and with all the seats down, there's a 1,830mm maximum load length to be exploited.

This car is immediately recognisable as a Toyota Verso by anyone who has seen one of the Verso's previous iterations. It's always been one of the brand's more attractive efforts, which isn't saying too much, and that continues with some sharper angles around the front end and a distinctive crease running from the roof at the rear down the back door and above the sills to the front bumper. The rear light clusters are particularly attractive with their circles of LED brake lights with indicators in the centre. The Verso is bigger than ever in this latest form having gained 70mm in length and 20mm in width over its predecessor. The height remains unchanged for a lower and more planted overall look.

The price premium needed to secure a diesel version of the Verso is £1,200 over the 1.8-litre Valvematic petrol model. It's not a huge sum given the extra torque of the diesel and its superior economy. It's also similar to the sums other manufacturers will charge for equivalent models. The trim level range opens with T2 and extends upwards through TR to T Spirit by which point things have become quite plush. All models receive air-conditioning, the Easy Flat-7 seating system, electric heated door mirrors and electric windows but the T-Spirit has climate control, keyless entry and start, cruise control, automatic wipers and a rear parking camera.

Perhaps the most notable inclusion on the Verso is VSC+ stability control as standard. This system can correct skids by distributing power and applying the brakes to individual wheels and is a real bonus on this family vehicle. Elsewhere there's HAC Hill-start Assist Control, seven airbags and active front headrests.

Ownership costs look like being another Toyota Verso D-4D strongpoint. Toyota's reputation for build quality and reliability is well founded and it not only helps minimise repair costs while you own the vehicle, it also serves to prop-up residual values, ensuring a good price when you come to sell it. The D-4D engine emits 143g/km of CO2, which isn't bad for a seven-seater, and returns a creditable 50.4mpg on the combined cycle.

Toyota has also worked hard to keep insurance costs down on the Verso with bolt on bodywork components at the front end and headlight clusters that are similarly easy to replace in the event of damage occurring. The D-4D diesel engine falls into group 15 which isn't bad for this class of vehicle.

The Toyota car design ethos is a great fit in the compact MPV market sector and the Verso deserves to rack-up big sales figures as a result. This is a solid, sturdily-built and highly practical product in the marque's finest traditions and the 2.0-litre D-4D engine adds punchy performance and low running costs into the mix. There are prettier and more exciting alternatives than the Verso but few are better at being a compact MPV and in the end, that's all that many buyers want.

TOP 3 VERSO DEALS

The results below show the top VERSO deals on buyacar

Toyota Verso 2.0 D-4D TR Pan Rf 5dr diesel estate
Price £15,980 Read Verso Reviews	Save £5,365
Toyota Verso 2.2 D-CAT TR 5dr Auto diesel estate
Price £19,980 Read Verso Reviews	Save
Toyota Verso 1.6 V-matic TR Pan Rf 5dr [5 Seats] estate
Price £14,980 Read Verso Reviews	Save £4,075
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