Toyota Avensis (2015-2019) Review

Not everyone is after precision handling, exhilarating performance and head-turning looks from a saloon or estate car. Indeed, most people would be happy with a comfortable ride, zero problems between each scheduled service and running costs that won’t break the bank.

That’s where the Toyota Avensis comes in. It might lack glamour and kerb appeal, but it’s actually one of the most sensible cars you can buy. Europe’s company car drivers can’t be wrong, can they?

This final iteration of the Avensis is the best of the breed, with sharper styling, improved quality and a greater feeling of refinement. Of the two, the Touring Sports is the most practical and arguably the better looking, so it would be our choice.

If your idea of driving pleasure is measured in 0-62mph times and the way a car tackles a corner, the Avensis isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you’re after comfort and dependability, the Avensis is a hugely satisfying car.

The most obvious rivals are the Ford Mondeo and Mazda 6. Both are available as a saloon or estate, although the Ford and Mazda are much nicer to drive than the Toyota Avensis.

Alternatively, you could look at the Volkswagen Passat or Skoda Superb. Again, there are saloon and estate versions available, with the wagons offering greater practicality than the Avensis. In fact, the Skoda Superb estate is one of the best all-rounders you can buy at any price.

If you’re buying used, take a look at the Hyundai i40 for its long warranty and the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport for its motorway comfort and low prices.

All versions get a leather-trimmed steering wheel, which is a clever move by Toyota. It’s the one thing you’re guaranteed to come into contact with on every journey, so it’s great that it feels nice to hold.

Elsewhere, the Avensis might lack the soft-touch materials you’ll find in some of its premium rivals, but you’re not paying a premium price. Crucially, the switchgear feels tough and solid. We think quality has gone up or a notch or two over its predecessor.

The base model feels a little low-rent, thanks in part to the fabric seats and basic air conditioning. Upgrading to the next level adds Alcantara inserts to the cloth seats, which is just enough to raise the level of quality. It helps that you also gain dual-zone climate control and lumbar support for the driver’s seat.

Moving up a level adds an appealing blend of Alcantara and leather upholstery, but it’s a shame you have to select the flagship model to benefit from heated seats with electric adjustment.

It’s important to remember that although the Toyota Avensis scores low for perceived quality, the actual quality is surprisingly good. Take a look at an example with 150,000 miles on the clock and you’ll see that it looks as good as new.

The audio system in the entry-level Avensis is a bit basic, comprising a CD player, radio, Bluetooth and six speakers. Frankly, that’s not enough in this day and age.

Other versions boast an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Toyota Touch 2 and Go. This means you get DAB digital radio and satellite navigation. The flagship model boasts advanced connectivity functions, 3D mapping, voice recognition and 10 speakers.

Thanks to a logical layout, the touchscreen is easy to use on the move, while the display is crisp and clear. It’s just a shame that the graphics look so dated. Modern Toyotas are much improved in this regard, but the Avensis was discontinued before the changes came into effect.

It also lacks Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, which will deter some buyers.

On the plus side, all versions come with audio controls on the steering wheel, while the 4.2-inch TFT display shows information relating to the audio, telephone, navigation and safety functions.

Predictably, the Touring Sports is the hero when it comes to space. It offers a cavernous 543 litres of luggage capacity with the rear seats in place, which is more than you’ll find in the Ford Mondeo estate (525 litres) and Mazda 6 Tourer (506 litres). That said, the Volkswagen Passat offers a generous 650 litres of boot space.

Fold the seats down and you’re greeted with 1,609 litres of luggage space. There’s a useful storage area below the boot floor, a ski hatch for long loads, plus rear seats that fold 60/40.

On paper, the 590-litre boot in the Avensis saloon sounds quite large, but the practicality is hampered by a narrow opening, a poorly shaped boot and a high boot lip. The seats fold 60/40, which is handy if you need to carry anything longer. One-touch flat-folding rear seats are fitted as standard.

The positive vibes continue in the front, where there’s adequate space for four adults, or five at a push. That’s because space in the middle rear seat isn’t hampered by a transmission tunnel, which means legroom is fine for occasional use.

Headroom is good across the back row, while the outer seats benefit from excellent legroom, even if the front seats are occupied by tall people. Up front, the driver and passenger will have few complaints, with plenty of headroom and shoulder room on offer. The driver also benefits from excellent all-round visibility, although the long length of the car means that the reversing camera fitted to the mid-range Avensis is a must-have.

A word about children in the Avensis. Although the car comes with Isofix points on the outer rear seats, the narrow door openings mean it can be a struggle to fit child seats, which is something that could become a pain over time.

Speaking of children, the central storage bin is almost large enough to house one of your offspring – it’s one of the biggest we’ve seen. It opens to reveal a cupholder to go with the one that’s positioned next to the shift lever.

There’s also a large glovebox, although the door pockets are a little on the small side.

Although a petrol engine is available, we’d recommend one of the two BMW-sourced diesel units.

The entry-level 112PS 1.6 D-4D is perfectly adequate if you intend to spend most of your time cruising along motorways. A 0-62mph time of 11.4 seconds for the saloon and a top speed of 115mph highlights the lack of poke. However, the claimed 67.3mpg on a combined cycle is worth the sacrifice in performance.

For added punch, the 143PS 2.0 D-4D is worth a look, especially in the Touring Sports. The 0-62mph time is cut to 9.5 seconds in the saloon or 9.8 seconds in the estate, with the top speed increased to 124mph. Figures of 58.9mpg to 62.8mpg represent a small dent in fuel economy, but as the 2.0 requires less work to get it going, the actual difference could be negligible.

The 1.8-litre Valvematic petrol is only advised if you spend your entire time in the city or you want an automatic transmission. It’s the quickest of the bunch, sprinting to 62mph in 9.4 seconds if you opt for the saloon with a manual gearbox, but it lacks the economy of the diesel units.

A 1.6-litre Valvematic petrol was available in some markets, but it’s not powerful or efficient enough to make it a realistic prospect.

The six-speed manual is a satisfying gearbox, but it’s worth noting that the automatic on the 1.8 petrol is a CVT unit. It’s fine if you leave it to its own devices, but noisy and frustrating if you’re hoping to make swift progress.

Toyota put a lot of work into improving the noise, vibration and harshness levels of the Avensis, so it feels more refined than its predecessor.

Thicker sound insulation helps, as does the increased thickness and width of the seals used throughout the vehicle. There’s improved insulation below the bonnet, while diesel models also benefit from an underbody damping sheet. Toyota even reduced the noise of the air conditioning unit.

As you’d expect, there’s still a gap between the Avensis and entry-level Lexus models, but this is a car that offers premium levels of refinement. It’s not perfect. The diesel engines can be quite noisy when you push them, which is especially evident in the 1.6-litre version.

The CVT is refined and relaxed when you’re cruising or accelerating without urgency, but it tends to rev too high and can be quite noisy when pressed hard. Overall, the 2.0-litre D-4D is the most refined option, so it’s the version we’d recommend.

The Toyota Avensis was awarded a maximum five-star safety rating when it was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2015.

It achieved an impressive set of results, including 93 percent for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupant protection, 78% for pedestrian safety, and 81% for safety assist technology.

Central to this good result is the Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver assistance systems, which includes lane departure alert, pre-collision system, automatic high beam and road sign assist.

All models get driver and front passenger airbags, front side airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, full-length curtain shield airbags, Isofix points for mounting child car seats, steering assist vehicle stability control, hill-start assist and automatic door locking.

Cruise control is standard across the range, as is an electronic parking brake and tyre pressure monitoring system. Rain-sensing wipers and dusk-sensing headlights are standard on all except the entry-level Avensis. The top trim model gets dusk-sensing LED headlights with an adaptive front-lighting system.

Buying an Avensis saloon with a 1.6 D-4D diesel engine will ensure you spend the least amount on car insurance. It slots into insurance group eight (out of 50) in Active trim or group nine in Business Edition trim. The cost will be slightly higher if you opt for the Design model (group 11).

The cost of insurance for the Avensis Touring Sports is roughly the same as the saloon, with groups ranging from eight to 16. This makes it significantly lower than the BMW 3 Series Touring (group 20 to 40).

Buy a Toyota Avensis registered on or after 1 April 2017 and you’ll pay a flat rate of £150 per year for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED, or road tax). Buying an Avensis registered on or before 31 March 2017 could make more financial sense, because the rate of VED was based on CO2 emissions.

For example, an Avensis in Active trim and powered by the 1.6 D-4D engine emits 108g/km to 109g/km of CO2, which means you’ll pay just £20 a year in VED. The most you’ll pay is £165 a year for an Avensis with the 1.8 V-matic petrol engine.

The entry-level Active trim features 16-inch steel wheels, autonomous emergency braking, air conditioning, cruise control, hill-start assist, LED daytime running lights, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a six-speaker CD/radio system, Bluetooth and electric front windows.

Business Edition adds 17-inch alloy wheels, Toyota Safety Sense, automatic high beam, lane-departure warning, road sign assist, eight-inch touchscreen with Toyota Touch 2 and Go, DAB digital radio, a reversing camera, a colour TFT display, climate control, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, all-round electric windows, cloth/Alcantra seats, driver’s seat lumbar support, electric door mirrors and front fog lights.

The Design trim (introduced in 2016) features 18-inch alloys, Alcantara/leather seats and rear privacy glass. Meanwhile, Business Edition Plus models get 17-inch alloys, keyless entry and go, LED auto-levelling headlights and front fog lights with cornering function.

At the top of the range, Excel trim boasts advanced connectivity, voice control, 10 speakers, 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats with electric adjustment, adaptive front lights and a panoramic roof (on the Touring Sports estate).