Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4 T4

Avensis aiming for family benefit

Whenever a Japanese manufacturer announces that it's about to launch a new small car, even the biggest European marques start to worry. And who can blame them, when models such as the revamped Nissan Micra, Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz have been greeted with universal acclaim?

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By Euan Sey

February 2003

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Whenever a Japanese manufacturer announces that it's about to launch a new small car, even the biggest European marques start to worry. And who can blame them, when models such as the revamped Nissan Micra, Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz have been greeted with universal acclaim? Mention the fact that a firm like Toyota is about to let loose a second-generation version of its Avensis family car, on the other hand, and the reaction could hardly be more different. Buyers simply seem to ignore fleet fodder wearing a Japanese badge on the bonnet.

But to count this newcomer out so soon would be a mistake. Why? Well, for starters it has been completely re-engineered from the ground up, with a brand new chassis built at the firm's Burnaston plant near Derby, and fine-tuned on European roads. The styling is also a departure from the previous model's, although the Corolla-like front-end treatment and oddly shaped rear lights are likely to appeal more to US tastes than the discerning British buyer.

We put a 2.0-litre petrol hatchback - the bodystyle that's expected to account for more than 70 per cent of sales in Britain - through its paces in mountainous country near Barcelona prior to its UK debut next month. The flagship four-cylinder unit has been carried over from the previous car, and produces a healthy 147bhp and 196Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. In reality, though, the direct-injection engine doesn't result in the kind of performance that the manufacturer's claimed 0-62mph time of 9.1 seconds would suggest.

As with most 16-valvers, the D-4 revs quite freely, but its coarse vocal nature above 5,000rpm discourages you from exploring the upper reaches of the powerband. Our car was fitted with Toyota's four-speed sequential-shift automatic transmission, which isn't the smoothest and does nothing for in-gear flexibility. If you want the pick of the Avensis engine range, however, then look no further than the 2.0-litre D-4D common-rail turbodiesel.

On the steep and twisty inclines that made up much of our test route, this unit's 280Nm of torque and muscular mid-range power delivery made for more effortless overtaking and fewer gearshifts than in its petrol-powered counterpart. Given the fact that the D-4D is capable of returning 48.7mpg on the combined cycle and is the first oil-burner to meet Euro VI emissions regulations - putting it in a three per cent lower CO2-related tax bracket than any diesel - and the newcomer's credentials look solid.

Double wishbone rear suspension derived from the Celica coup

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