The Toyota Avensis is a rival to the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia, providing excellent comfort, refinement and economy to drivers looking to while away hours on the motorway. The Avensis also has a stellar reputation for reliability and comes with a five-year warranty, so appeals in a zero-hassle kind of way.

In fact, this ethos seems central to the Avensis, because while it should prove easy to live with, it’s unlikely to make your life more exciting. Staid looks, a functional interior and comfortable suspension means this Toyota is more of a tool to get from A to B than something you covet.

Performance

The best all-round engine is the 2.0-litre D-4D diesel with 124bhp and a six-speed manual gearbox. It offers reasonable pace and works well on the motorway, reaching 62mph in a respectable 9.7 seconds, with a top speed of 124mph.

There’s also a 2.2-litre diesel boasting 148bp, with either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox, although the real-world performance gains over the smaller engine are quite small.

A 1.8-litre Valvematic petrol engine makes up the rest of the line-up, with 145bhp and a 0-62mph sprint of 9.4 seconds with a manual gearbox or 10.4 seconds if you choose the CVT automatic gearbox.

It’s a reasonably quiet engine and suits the Avensis, so could be a good choice if you plan on short trips or town driving where a diesel’s economy gains are less important.

We’d avoid the auto, however, because its single variable gear ratio with no shifts adds up to a disconnected driving experience.

Ride and Handling

Along narrow, twisting and often bumpy roads, the new Avensis's steering felt taut, responsive and direct.

Along narrow, twisting and often bumpy roads, the new Avensis's steering felt taut, responsive and direct, the driving position was spot-on, and the ride was both composed and comfortable. Our test car’s six-speed manual 124bhp two-litre D-4D Tourer's engine wasn't the quietest we've heard, but we'd have had absolutely no qualms about driving it over a long distance, had the need arisen. Driven in isolation the Avensis is a perfectly good car then, it’s just that it finds itself in a particularly tough segment. Both the Mondeo and Mazda 6 are equally comfortable but also offer a sharper driving experience when required, with less body roll.

Interior and Equipment

The Toyota Avensis is built at the Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, the first factory to build a Toyota in Europe in 1992. Its 1.8-litre petrol engine is built in Deeside, Wales.

The Avensis has a resolutely traditional cabin, with a horizontal swathe of black plastic broken up by a vertical centre console painted silver. The climate control and central sat-nav screen (where fitted) are functional but look slightly dated. Importantly though, this simple layout does make the controls straightforward and intuitive to use. There’s as much space as you’d expect from a car of its size, with plenty of adjustment for front passengers and enough room for two adults to sit in the back. Our only complaint is the fairly flat seat bases, offering little support in sharp bends. The boot is a sizeable 509 litres, but because only the bootlid opens, the hatchback design of the Mondeo and Insignia makes loading bulky items easier. The rear seats can fold down increasing space to 1,320 litres. Trim levels are called Active, Icon, Icon Business Edition and Excel. Standard kit includes air-con, Bluetooth a leather steering wheel and seven airbags, so is fairly comprehensive. Upgrading to Icon adds 17-inch alloy wheels, DAB, cruise control, auto headlights and wipers and a touch-screen with sat-nav. Leather and Alcantara seats are included if you choose the Icon Business Edition, while Excel gets enhanced sat-nav, electric and heated leather seats, rear parking sensors and an upgraded stereo.

Cost

We’d recommend the 2.0-litre diesel manual, returning 62.8mpg and emitting 119g/km of CO2, making it cheap to run.

Prices for the Avensis span from around £17k to just under £27k, making it slightly cheaper than the Mondeo. We’d recommend the 2.0-litre diesel manual, returning 62.8mpg and emitting 119g/km of CO2, making it cheap to run. The larger diesel returns between 45mpg and 51mpg, so is considerably thirstier, with emissions of 145-165g/km costing between £145 and £180 in annual tax. The petrol is also fairly expensive to run, with figures of around 42mpg and a £180 tax bill. The Insignia can top 76mpg in its most economical guise.

Our Verdict

While the Avensis is comfortable, economical (so long as you choose the 2.0-litre diesel) and easy to live with, it struggles against fierce competition like the Mondeo, Mazda 6 and Insignia. Choose it if you want a reliable car with a long warranty and to keep costs down.