Toyota Avensis

Toyota’s Avensis is one of the key models in the UK fleet market, it eats up motorway miles with ease, it is not over complicated while there is a good amount of standard kit on offer but does the 2015 version add anything more? Has Toyota made its fleet favourite more exciting or is this model more middle of the road and steady as you go motoring? Read on to see if it can topple Ford’s Mondeo?

The Toyota Avenisis is not noted for blistering performance, more so traversing the country’s motorway network as a fleet driver’s trusty steed. There is a range of three petrol units and two diesel units. The line-up starts with the 1.6-litre four-cylinder 16-valve valvematic unit producing 132hp and mated to a six-speed manual ‘box. There’s also a 147hp 1.8 petrol which is available with either the six-speed manual or the improved CVT automatic transmission. The most powerful petrol engine on the range is the 2.0-litre engine producing 152hp mated to the CVT gearbox. Our choice is the 2.0-litre unit as the 1.6-litre feels a little lack-lustre when pushed. The 2.0-litre unit is a no-brainer if you want that little bit more oomph. The flagship 2.0-litre unit will complete the benchmark sprint in 10 seconds and has a top speed of 127mph.

Opt for a diesel, (which the large majority of business drivers will do) and you have a range of two engines to choose from. Toyota has added a new 1.6-litre D-4D, which replaces the existing 2.0 D-4D unit. It has a power output of 112hp and is Euro 6 compliant. There’s also a new 2.0-litre D-4D engine. It is also Euro 6 compliant and produces 143hp. This engine will propel the Avensis from a standing start to 62mph in 9.5 seconds and has a top speed of 124mph.

Unexciting they may be, but these new engines from Toyota are frugal and emit low CO2 emissions – for any fleet driver this is just what the doctor ordered. 

If it’s comfort and refinement you want, then look no further, however, if you enjoy driving and want a turn of pace with good handling then turn away now. The new Avensis is built for long motorway jaunts and definitely not for twisty B roads – the Avensis has improved no doubt but it still cannot compete with the top players in this sector which includes Ford’s Mondeo and the Mazda 6. If you choose the Avensis then you will be sacrificing an engaging drive for comfort and that is no bad thing if you are an A to B kind of a driver. Toyota cars still suffer from a wooly feeling steering. The Ford Mondeo is much better as an all-round driving package. Both petrol and diesel versions of the Avensis cars have good front-end grip, but it’s nowhere near as agile as a Ford Mondeo or even a Mazda 6, even the new Volkswagen Passat is a better driver’s car. Toyota…must try harder. 

As we mentioned above, the Avensis is one of the best cars in the sector at eating up long motorway miles. Refinement inside the cabin is good too although when driving the 1.6-litre diesel, we found it to be quite noisy at times – the 2.0-litre unit is much quieter and more in line with what we expect from Toyota. Road and wind roar are minimal and the cabin for the majority of the time is well insulated from outside interference. Ride comfort as you would expect is top notch – the suspension soaks up rough surfaces and you will feel refreshed at your journey’s end. 

Toyota has given the Avensis a certain type of styling largely influenced by its customers which includes elements of prestige, elegance and luxury. Now, is that fancy marketing talk or is the Avensis now a luxury offering? Yes and no, the interior has had a huge makeover, in fact Harley surgeons would be seriously proud of this mid-life refresh. The plastics are of a better quality but there is still too much grey making the cabin still feel a bit drab.

The driving position is reasonable as the seats have a good amount of travel, but there are a few things that get on our wick - the start/stop button is hidden by the steering column – never a clever idea and the electronic hand brake (of which we are not a fan of in any case) works in a counterintuitive direction.

Four trims are available on the new Avensis and start with Active, Business Edition, Business Edition Plus and the range-topping Excel – Toyota claims that the bulk of sales will be between the two Business Editions making a lot of sense with regard to the market this car is aimed at. Standard equipment levels and advanced technology include the Toyota Touch 2 system and an eight-inch multimedia screen. A raft of new driver aids, including lane-departure and blind-spot warning systems and emergency city braking are now included on all models.

Key features of the Active grade include Pre-Crash Safety system with Autonomous Emergency Braking, cruise control, air conditioning, six-speaker CD/radio audio, Bluetooth, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, LED rear and daytime running lights and power windows.

Business Edition adds to this strong foundation with the Toyota Touch 2 with Go touchscreen multimedia and navigation system, digital/DAB audio package with eight-inch display, reversing camera, front fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, dusk-sensing headlights, automatic air conditioning, 17-inch alloy wheels and part-Alcantara seat upholstery. The active safety features extend to Automatic High Beam, Lane Departure Warning and Road Sign Assist.

Business Edition Plus delivers further premium features including leather upholstery with Alcantara inserts, front fog lights with a cornering function, LED headlamps, smart entry and rear privacy glass. The LED daytime running lights gain light guides, creating a distinctive lighting signature.

At the top of the range, Excel grade adopts Toyota Touch 2 with Go Plus, adding more sophisticated navigation functions and access to additional connected services. The specification also embraces a 10-speaker audio system, full leather seat upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats with heaters and adaptive headlights that adjust automatically to improve illumination through bends and turns. The Excel Touring Sports gains a panoramic roof.

The Avensis saloon comes with 509 litres of load space, that’s much smaller than one of its direct rivals the VW Passat saloon as it has a luggage space of 586 litres, while the Ford Mondeo is bigger too. It has a load space of 541 litres. The boot is a reasonable size and will easily fit a set of golf clubs in, but it is dwarfed by the class leaders in this sector. There’s plenty of head and leg-room for driver and passengers. There are plenty of storage bins too, the door pockets are around average in size while the glovebox has a decent depth – more than ample room to store your nik-naks in from any prying eyes. There are two decent sized drinks holders, especially useful when on long motorway jaunts. 

As you would expect the Toyota Avensis is very competitive on running costs. The most frugal petrol engine is the 1.8-litre unit and when mated to the CVT automatic transmission has a combined average of 47.8mpg. The most efficient diesel engine is the 1.6-litre D4-D averaging 67.2mpg. Toyota has made the Avensis a worthy fleet car with CO2 emissions ranging from 108g/km for the 1.6 D4-D to 142g/km for the 1.6 and the 2.0 petrol engines. 

There is no doubt - the Avensis has been improved in a dramatic fashion. The exterior is less bland than before and the interior has received great enhancements while the engine line-up has been improved and the units are now all Euro 6 compliant. On the reliability front, previous versions of the Avensis have been outstanding, like the famous Ariston advert, the Avensis seems to go on and on and on. Check out any customer satisfaction survey and you will find that the Avensis is one of the most dependable cars on our roads. 

On all models the Avensis comes with a Pre-Collision System with Autonomous Emergency Braking. Every trim except the entry-level Active grade the package is further enhanced and includes Lane Departure Alert, Automatic High Beam and Road Sign Assist, functions which process information gathered by a compact laser and camera unit mounted on the head of the windscreen.

The Pre-Collision System operates at speeds between approximately six and 49mph, detecting vehicles on the road ahead and reducing the risk of a rear collision. When it determines an impact risk, it triggers visual and audible alerts to prompt the driver to apply the brakes. At the same time, it primes the car’s braking system to deliver extra stopping force when the driver presses the brake pedal. If the driver fails to react in time, the system automatically applies the brakes, reducing speed by about 19mph, or potentially bringing the car to a stop, to prevent a collision or mitigate the force of impact.

While the Lane Departure Alert system monitors lane markings on the road and helps prevent accidents and head-on collisions caused by a vehicle leaving its lane. If the vehicle starts to deviate from its lane without the turn indicators being used, the system alerts the driver with visual and audible warnings.

The Automatic High Beam helps ensure excellent forward visibility when driving at night. It detects both the headlights of oncoming vehicles, and the tail lights of vehicles ahead, automatically switching between high and low beams to avoid dazzling other drivers. As high beam is used more frequently, pedestrians and obstacles are easier and quicker to spot.

Last but not least is the Road Sign Assist. It helps ensure drivers are kept informed, even if they have driven past a road sign without noticing. It recognises signage such as speed limits and “no overtaking” warnings, and displays the information on the TFT multi-information screen in the instrument binnacle. If the driver exceeds the speed limit, the system will activate a warning light and buzzer.