Toyota Avensis for Europe

The Avensis will be available from March 2003 as a saloon, liftback and estate, and specifically targets cars such as the Opel Vectra, Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat in the European upper medium class sector. To do this it has addressed some of the weaknesses of its predecessor and conformed more closely to the trends of the class.

Avensis has grown in size commensurate with the class sector’s growth, although it is a little taller than most at 1.48 metres and has a noticeable ‘cab-forward' stance with it’s A-pillar farther forward relative to its front wheels than on competitor cars.

More significant is that the car looks far larger and more substantial that its predecessor. The greater heft is most evident in the flanks whose depth is accentuated by being body coloured (unlike the deep, heavy flanks of Audi and Volkswagen) and full width all the way to the sills. The front of the car also has much greater weight to it, with quite bulbous forms pushing the fairly upright grille forward of the headlamps to give a 3 dimensional relief to the facial identity comparable to that of the Volvo S60.

Tighter shut lines and higher grade interior materials are noticeable, valuable gains for Toyota and these along with superior sound insulation are critical in raising customer perception of the quality of the car. When combined with the greater solidity that the Avensis exudes, it is clear that Toyota have tried very hard to meet the best of European upper medium cars head on.