Toyota Avensis 2000 test drive - 2003 sedan
New wave
Almost three years have passed since the day that Toyota Avensis visited the then world novelty. During this time, something has changed on the market. In 1999, the rejuvenated Mitsubishi Carisma and seriously processed by Nissan Primera was seen by the main competitors of Toyota Avensis in our market D. Toyota in the autumn of 2000 responded with easy restyling Avensis. Toyota products are famous for the quality, reliability and practicality. However, for a family car, this is not much necessary and external attractiveness is also needed. It was in pursuit of it that the company replaced in 1998 the Carina workhorse with the Avensis model (motor #6, 1998), which had a slightly more interesting appearance. Now here is a planned restyling ...
Changes in appearance are small. Front bumper of other geometry and with a narrower gap of the air intake. New optics of headlight under smooth caps. The false radiator grille is framed by a chrome rim and has not two, but three crosses on which a proprietary emblem transferred from the hood is fixed. The sidewalls have not changed, but doors and new mirrors are now painted in the color of the body. Cars with enhanced anti -corrosion processing are delivered to our market, the boundary of the anti -gravel coating is raised from the threshold to the level of molding. At the back, the case was limited to a chrome nozzle on the muffler. Not much...
There are no fundamental changes in the cabin (the exclusion of the liquid crystal display, which displays the on -board computer). Those that are due to a more saturated set of SOL R1 instead of Terra. Tree decoration; Velorovaya seat sheathing, not fabric; heating the front seats; rear windows, like the front ones, have an electric drive; Heating of external mirrors and wiper brushes, which is important in our climate; Four airbags of two front and side. In general, there is still high quality manufacturing, but without designer sorts, spacious and light. Employment R2 is a leather salon and two more airbags in the front racks.
What else? Simple, easily readable devices. Convenient leather steering wheel with a wide range of adjustment adjustment. The handbrake is shifted forward so that without letting him go, grabbing the gearbox lever will be inconvenient. The programs are turned on somewhat unusual. To get into the first or second, you do not need to move the lever to the left (as on most cars) only forward or backward. Quite comfortable seats have four adjustments, including backwater lumbar and pillow height. It is not very convenient to adjust the back tilt is located very close to the middle rack. In the management process, it became clear that the pillow was short, while adjusting the angle of inclination, which could be corrected, is absent.
An interesting element of the eyebrower between sunscreen visors. In the armrests of the doors, closing containers for trifles are built into the doors. The pedal block is still not too convenient. He is shifted to the right to free up the place for the site under the left leg, and in winter shoes you are clinging to the brake pedal, then the tunnel.
Back access is convenient thanks to a large doorway. The back is as spacious as in front, only under the front seats there is not enough space for the feet. The second row is designed for three, which confirms the headrest in the middle. If the third is not given, you can use the armrest with built -in cup holders and a tank for trifles. They could put the stove and we could regulate it incorrectly) in the back of the cabin it was cold, although the frost on the street was not so cracking: -13│s ... Avensis visited the previous test with a 1.6 liter of the engine, this time the motor turned out to be a volume of 2 liters and a capacity of 128 hp. It is ordinary injector (Avensis with more advanced engines of the same volume, but with direct injection through official channels to our market is not delivered due to the low quality of domestic gasoline). Box five -speed mechanics.
The torque on the bottom is quite enough. That's just lacking the information content of the accelerator pedal, but you quickly get used to it. The motor is easily spinning until the limiter with a noticeable capture is triggered after 3500 rpm. The elasticity of the engine and successfully selected gear rates allow you to confidently move without frequent switching (which is important in the city) and at the same time remain in the acoustic comfort of the revolutions.
It should be noted that Toyota Avensis refers to the sector of family cars where a kind of sports accent is appreciated. In this regard, the car, like Carina from the very beginning, lost to rivals, whether it be Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord or Volkswagen Passat. It is interesting that the commercials that accompanied the appearance of Avensis in Europe showed mainly the inhabitants of the rear seats, we could conclude that passengers there are extremely convenient. Or that the active driver will not receive much pleasure from managing the machine. The first and the second turned out to be true ...
When updating Avensis, this circumstance was taken into account, the changes were made not only to the appearance, but also to the suspension settings. They are not radical, but the car has become more lively. The trajectory in the turns of Avensis holds perfectly. The behavior is soft and understandable, good feedback. That's just the rolls in turns more than we would like.
On a straight car like on rails, exchange rate stability is good. A clear zero on the steering wheel allows you to relax even at speeds close to maximum. Perestroika also pass clearly (given the combination of summer rubber and porridge on the road after abundant snowfall).
I liked the brakes both by the effort on the pedal and in efficiency. On a heterogeneous coating, ABS helps, which works paired with EBD (electronic distribution system of brake efforts).
Avensis comfort level is high. Great suspension. It swallows literally everything from the joints of the coating to serious pits. And at the same time, it damps the buildup on gentle waves well. Surprisingly, comfort does not depend on the load of the car. And after a while you notice the negligence in assessing the quality of the road. Which, in particular, is due to an enlarged road clearance in the framework of Russian adaptation, you can confidently enrage in snowy yards ... Well, the meeting with the updated Avensis was pleasant. Like the previous version, it is well designed and a reliable vehicle for a family or a business person is made qualitatively. External restyling did not add anything much, but did not reduce (most importantly). At the moment, this may be enough. But a new wave of updates and change of competitors' models is coming. The new Ford Mondeo has already been laid. Others will reach behind him. And here you can’t do with a new bumper ...
A source: Motor magazine [March 2001]
