Toyota Avensis test drive 2006 - 2008 sedan

Comfortable Avensis

Restyling results are not striking, but well felt
 
The buyer loves Avensis. To a lesser extent than Corolla and Camry, but loves. Of the 40,839 cars that Toyota sold in Russia in the first six months of the year, 5866 are various versions of Avensis. Now, after the model has been updated, it can count on consolidating success. Such a car should be preferred for whom comfort is of particular importance.
 
Makeup to his face
 
The one who is well acquainted with Avensis, and from the photographs it will become clear that the changes touched, first of all, of the front and rear lighting, which now received clear circles inside the headlights and the rear lights of the same shape. As well as the bumpers who changed the shape, and the front lattice-it has become a little smaller, but still reminds something of the face of a large marine animal. Such a makeup in general, of course, did not change the perception of the car, which, as I think, is only for the better. Those who were expected from restyling the appearance in the guise of Avensis of pronounced sports can be upset. But there are hardly many such people: this car is appreciated for other qualities, and not at all for a particularly expressive design or outstanding running characteristics.
 
But the changes in the interior cannot be evaluated by the pictures, they can only be felt by touch. Because the main thing in the cabin is the increased quality of finishing materials with the previous style of its decoration. Of course, there are no complaints about the thoroughness of the assembly. But some comments remained. Personally, for example, I still do not like the high location of the driver's seat. Even in its lowest position between the head and the ceiling, no more than five to seven centimeters remained. Of course, you can lean back, but this is not in a do-it-yourself, wrong. I think that a person tall above 190 cm can experience certain difficulties. I will say more - and the seat pillow is still short. It is pleasant that using the button responsible for adjusting in height, you can also change its pillow tilt, but the length is still missing. It took me a decent amount of time to find the most convenient landing at the wheel. And already in the process of driving, I kept changing my position every now and then - the benefit of the seat adjustment is great, and in a test car it was carried out using electric drives.
 
In all other relationships, ergonomics and equipment of the salon do not raise doubts. The lamb is also regulated - both in height and by departure. The main controls are located logically, the central console is not overloaded with buttons. The climate control unit is simple and understandable - there is a small electronic scoreboard, next to a group of handles and keys - you will not be mistaken with operations. The same applies to an audio system, which can be controlled from the lamb. Only now the sound is not very happy - they clearly saved on good acoustics. But the sensitivity of the receiver is at a height, and the built-in CD changer also perceives music computer files.
 
The future owner should pleasantly please the feeling of space in Avensis. Sitting in front do not contact their shoulders, and there is enough space behind the legs, in the shoulders and above the head. The luggage compartment, which, as usual in many Japanese cars, opens from the inside, turned out to be very roomy. I note another important point is excellent visibility. Including due to a rather high landing. Large windshield, decent lateral and not at all small mirrors, equipped, by the way, electric drive and heating, allow you to see everything that happens around.
 
Calm character
 
Technically, Avensis worked seriously. Toyota engineers have somewhat changed, for example, suspension settings and their geometry. But I'll start with the power plant.
 
The 2.0-liter engine remained the same, since it is quite modern-there is a system for changing the phase of gas distribution VVT-I, the direct injection of fuel. But either because in the test machine the engine was combined with a rather old 4-speed automatic, or for what reason, but the characteristic of the power unit was leveled to the absolute plane. For a tangible pickup, one does not have to count at 4000 rpm, which is why acceleration and any acceleration seem to some melancholy, everything happens too smoothly. By subjective standards, the dynamics seem to disappear. And the work of the automatic transmission has not improved in any way - it is still quite thoughtful, only the possibility of manual gear shifts saves. That is why those who are eager to find in Avensis a woeful spirit, you can still advise you to look at a more powerful version with a 2.4-liter engine, which, incidentally, is already aggregated with a 5-speed automatic. The tested car is clearly focused on the sedate driver, which is also confirmed by the redesigned pendants.
 
The designers did not hide that they sought to make the updated Avensis even more comfortable and convenient. And the suspension has become noticeably softer. Pits and bumps are now practically not felt, and improved sound insulation successfully encourages riders from the surrounding fuss.
 
But there is always the reverse side of the coin, which was expressed in the grown body rolls in the bends, and in a less transparent steering. Fortunately, it did not affect stability so noticeable. The car is still very well held by the roadway and demonstrates typical front -wheel drive reactions - correct and friendly to the driver. On the other hand, Avensis, before the renewal, could not be called the real Driver's Car, and now the sound of a power unit at high speeds remained from the drive. And this is neither good nor bad, because not all potential buyers are ready to pay only for rushing, headlong. On Avensis, you can comfortably, and with a sense of safety, by the way, to get to the office or home perfectly and without delay. After all, no one takes the opportunity to accelerate to at least two hundred kilometers per hour. The brakes are sworn, electronic systems like the distribution of brake efforts EBD or VSC stabilization, always on guard. I'm not talking about nine airbags, including the knee, and five stars according to the results of crash tests according to the EURONCAP system.
 
Emotions and sober calculation
 
Yes, there are few emotional in the model, but rational is a lot. And Toyota knows how to focus on this. In terms of its properties, in terms of price/quality, in terms of reliability, finally, Avensis looks quite attractive. In the interior of official dealers, the model is sold at a price of $ 24,400 for Avensis 1.8 in the basic configuration, and up to $ 36,000 for a top version with a 2.4 engine. And the car we tested, with an almost maximum list of equipment in which I would like to see only Parctronics (surprisingly, it is not even in the list of options), costs $ 33,000.
 
Text: Andrey Osipov
 
 

Source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 15-16 (105), 2006]