Error parsing XSLT file: \xslt\FacebookOpenGraph.xslt Our Fleet Test Drive Review: Toyota Avensis Tourer - 3rd Report
BusinessCar magazine website email Awards mobile

The start point for the best source of fleet information

Our Fleet Test Drive Review: Toyota Avensis Tourer - 3rd Report

Date: 27 July 2009   |   Author: Guy Bird

Boot full
Category: Estate
P11D price: £22,385
Key rival: Ford Mondeo Estate

How close we actually came to maxing out the Avensis Tourer's 1609-litre potential boot space I'll never know, but it must have been pretty near to the limit on the car's latest test - the boot fair mission.

Luckily it was up to the task. Seats easily fold flat without the need to remove headrests or pull up the seat base, and after a bit of shoehorning a hefty slice of my loft junk had slotted in its boot. Access is simple because of the wide rear opening and high lip-less single-height load floor, while the lack of intrusions makes the space easy to fill.

The Avensis was also a useful boot fair participant, its side boot compartments housing bags for customers and snacks for sellers, while the large open rear hatch itself acted as a barrier to the brief spell of rain. No amount of good design could protect us from some of the boot fair punters' bare-faced bartering cheek though - "No, you can't have that parasol spike for 50p, I said £2.50."

Prolonged city driving has seen average economy drop to 36.5mpg (not bad compared to the official urban 39.8mpg figure) and a recent out of town run yielded 45.0mpg and confirmed the car's excellent ride.

The only tiny downsides so far are a dashboard parking light that takes an age to confirm that the electronic park brake has actually engaged, and an uneven panel gap on the glove box - minor niggles both, and for us the Tourer has largely remained a class act.

Toyota Avensis Tourer 2.2
D-4D 150 T4 5dr 6spd manual
Mileage6015
Claimed combined
consumption
50.4mpg
Our average
consumption
36.5mpg
P11D price£22,385
Model price range£16,560-£25,605
CO2 (tax) 150g/km/21%
BIK 20/40% per month£78/£157
Service interval up to 20,000mls
Insurancegroup 8E
Warranty3yrs/60,000mls
Boot space (min/max)543/1609 litres
Engine size/power2231cc/150PS
Top speed/0-62mph131mph/9.2secs
Why we’re running itCan the Avensis live
up to its new, sleeker
and more fuel-efficient
billing?
PositiveSmart new exterior,
interior quality, ride
NegativeAnnoying handbrake,
steering response



Share


Subscribe