Avensis better than most

Jan 4 2010 Peter Hayward

Avensis better than most

AT one point, Toyota had an MPV for every need - from the small but spacious Yaris Verso to the eight seater Previa.

In between came the Corolla and Avensis Versos, and the Avensis is the one I'm going to concentrate on for this second-hand appraisal.

Starting with basics, all Toyotas are about as reliable as you can get, bettering the customer satisfaction of many much more expensive makes.

The Verso has seven seats and yet drives just as well as the saloon on which it's based.

That means a good ride, strong performance from both petrol and diesel engines and very safe and sure road-holding, with enough verve to give some fun.

Engines are a 147bhp 2.0-litre petrol and a very good 2.0-litre turbo diesel with 115. This is the one to go for, as it will do well over 40 miles per gallon, compared to the petrol model's 31.

Interior

All the seats folds in numerous ways and can be fitted together to form a bed. All models have aircon, electric windows and mirrors, excellent power steering, remote locking and twin front airbags. Prices drop faster than rivals, which is ridiculous because these are better built and last longer than most.

FAST FACTS

Toyota Avensis

Price: Pay about £5,300 for an '02 02-reg GS, £7,700 for an '04 04-reg T3 or £9,300 for an '05 05-reg T Spirit

Mechanical: 113bhp, 1995cc, 4 cylinder diesel engine driving the front wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 112mph

0-62mph: 12.1 seconds

Combined mpg: 43

Insurance group: 8

CO2 emissions: 173g/km

Marks: 9/10

Main rival: Citroen Picasso, Ford C-Max