Toyota Avensis test drive 2003 - 2006 sedan

Hit or miss!

The new Avensis from Toyota has become an unconditional gray horse to date on automobile jumps in this race, experts have made bets on completely different horses. Go to one track with Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat or Renault Laguna is a big risk and great responsibility. But one of the largest world car manufacturers seemed to know how, where and what to take risks. In this sector of the market, the strict principle acts: pan or disappeared! After the test of the Japanese new product, you can be sure of Toyota will not be lost. And in early April, we will see this car on the cheerful Moscow streets. Next is all of Russia?
I always treated Toyota cars in two ways. He loved fast and, not sparing nerve cells, was on their racing versions in motorsport. There was indifferent to the massive, as to the speedy train: what is the difference, what kind of locomotive is attached to the composition? If only I took the destination without adventures and on schedule! And having been a few years ago on the test of the first Avensis, I almost immediately forgot what this car was. She turned out to be so neutral in all respects that even straining me nothing about her does not manage to remember any emotions! Perhaps nothing was annoyed, but did not take the soul either. Perhaps I am mistaken, but any car, like any, even the most ordinary woman, should excite some feelings and desires. The previous one did not excite ...
The novelties flew to Spain for the test: after the first false sun in March, a chilly winter began again, and in such weather, as you know, a good owner is not that the snowmobile will not release the car! Fortunately, in the Catalan spaces, both the weather and the roads were in human -loving condition, and therefore, on the eve of the start of Russian sales, it became possible to try the car in conditions close to our second half of April, when, in fact, the Russian premiere is expected. I will not talk about appearance for a long time: as you know, to taste, all the bottles are different for color! True, conceptually Avensis got into the style of the new Opel Vectra that most observers will no longer pay attention to the fact that Toyota has followed the fashionable way of scaling their models. Even a cursory glance at the front is enough to understand Yaris, Corolla, Avensis and Camry vegetables from one counter. Nevertheless, one cannot but admit: the Japanese stylists succeeded in a completely interesting and attractive design and a sin for some time not to poke it for personal selfish purposes.
Avensis is offered to customers in three body variants. By tradition, the domestic consumer will first rush to try on the sedan, then the hatch and only a few will descend to studying the possibilities of the station wagon. I’ll venture to offer to start acquaintance with Avensis in the reverse order is possible, then you will not have to spend time on the sedan! The station wagon is just excellent! Not only is it stylistically like the most complete model and is not devoid of a hint of some kind of sports in the form, as if spied on exemplary in this regard from Audi. It is almost as good as a sedan as a sedan, and is just as obedient in management, even with a solid load of a spacious womb, and with folded seats the volume of a cargo compartment is inflated to 1,500 cm3!
The least interesting from the point of view of the consumer seems to me a hatchback, especially in the light of an amazingly tenacious Russian tendency to choose cars on the principle of everything or nothing! I am convinced that in this scheme the hatch is not in the middle ground. It turned out to be very spacious and comfortable inside! The ergonomics of each place is thought out to the smallest detail, only the quality of some interior details looks like an attempt to save on production costs. It is incomprehensible from what decade the power -windows control unit that had migrated to the driver's door and clearly differing in quality from the rest of the cabin, the rough plastic of the central tunnel falls out of the general positive picture of perception. True, we have repeatedly encountered the first foreign tests with pre -production samples, which are in the stage of final refinement to the ideal and are ready to admit that the alarm is early. I would like to believe that in Russia from the UK, where all Avensis will be collected, completely conditioning cars will get.
There are four engines. All transverse in -line four, transmitting torque to the front wheels. It is unlikely that a gasoline 1.6 and a 2-liter turbodiesel will fall into our country. But when choosing between a 129-horsepower 1.8 with a proprietary gas distribution control system VVT-I and a 147-horsepower kopeckoy with direct injection, I recommend not to waste time on a smaller volume perhaps you will be offered a price that you cannot abandon! The 1800-cow motor with its strained sound is annoyingly climbing into the ears about 4000 revolutions, and after 5000 it begins to frankly irritate. An attempt to disperse Avensis by flat road in the fifth gear at a speed of 60 km/h does not lead to anything: the engine clearly does not have enough moment on the bottoms, and the machine, respectively, is speakers. Most likely, the engine peppy on paper is strangled by strict European norms Euro 4. If so, then we are not on the way with the European Union. Because in the European performance, this engine involves only two modes of movement: either completely slowly and in the family roll from place to place, or do not give a damn to the eardrum and, twisting the motor in the ringing, winger on the full burner, trusting in force controllability and excellent brakes .
Well, the fact that Toyota is not in vain for the second year is mastered in the first formula, where the engine has already half a half on the way to the catwalk proves a 2-liter atmosphere. A completely different thing! And below is lucky, and does not fail upstairs, and in the middle does not give reasons for criticism! By the way, the rally past of the Japanese is not forgotten to steer Avensis is just great! Here, the reference Mondeo has nothing to fear, but the rest of the classmates will be hot: the back suspension for a new car is almost completely borrowed from Toyota Celica, a sport cap with impeccable reputation. Therefore, Avensis is on the road with knowledge of the matter, and in turns behaves like attached, especially if the owner took care of choosing the right tires.
And Toyota took care of future owners. Interior intervals are enlarged, after studying the price list of competitors, Avensis received fixed low prices for consumables, especially filters and brake pads. Even the 205th tires against 215 analogues of the main rivals in the classroom were equipped with savings at the end of the year, the owner should really feel that Toyota saves both the family and the company budget! Our choice is a 2-liter station wagon with an automatic transmission. Not the cheapest option, but if you have a car of this class, then it should be fork out for such a complete set. And as for money, Toyota promised a total savings, and we’ll calculate after 30 and 50 thousand run! I don’t know who, but I always believed the Japanese. I have no doubt about them this time. Moreover, in our area, Avensis definitely falls into the situation of Pan or disappeared! Competitors in the class are too strong. And mistakes here are not forgiven for anyone!
Text Alexey Mochanov,
Photo by Toshikhiro Mamazyuki
 

A source: Cars