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Toyota Avensis 2.0
Or: I Was Made in England
Toyota's Avensis, a new Carina-E if you like, has only one japanese bone left in it: reliability. Its major upside remain just that. Toyota's engineers can also take pride in the luxurious inner space. The cabin is roomy and this is one of the most comfortable cars to be in the back seat of (attention teenagers!).
As for performance , the Avensis I drove has a 2.0 litre engine that produces 128 horses. taking the zero to hundred km/h trip in 10.6 seconds (less if you take the manual gear). The result is a pretty conventional sedan but hardly an underpowered one.
Finally , the Avensis is a quiet car, even when you dare take it to 160 km/h as I did. In that, and in its vast passanger space , it's a very european car ,which is not all that surprising considering Toyota plans to sell these executive class cars mainly in Europe .
But don't think that it's a perfect vehicle. Its handling is a bit lacking, seemingly due to some very soft suspension action in the back. Anything rougher than a perfect german autobahn makes it dance.
It's a great japanese tradition to underequip and underfinish a car. I must say my Avensis was flawless in safety though lacking in those fields. 4 airbags tell the story, though this is not a rare sight these days.
Toyota's Avensis would make a pretty fair deal, if it weren't for its price. Made in england, the Avensis doesn't enjoy the weakness of the japanese Yen but rather suffers from the strength of the pound sterling. In its current pricing range, it competes with the likes of the VW Passat ,Nissan Maxima and Peugeot 406 , with similar 2.0 litre engines. But all those cars are better than the Avensis. And the cars with which Toyota can compare cost 15% less! Thumbs down for the Avensis ,due to overpricing.
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