We say A solid, comfortable workhorse that makes an impressive motorway cruiser and load-lugger. A bit dull, obviously.Performance There’s a basic engine range with the Avensis Tourer comprised of four petrols and two diesel units. The flagship unit is the 2.2-litre D-4D diesel worth 180bhp. That’s enough for it to clear 60mph in 8.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 137mph.Emissions All diesel units in the range return decent fuel economy and CO2 emissions figures of around 40mpg and between 160 and 170g/km in CO2 emissions. The leading unit is the 147bhp 2.0-litre D-4D diesel unit which returns 52mpg and emits 140g/km in CO2. That’s decent for an estate but lags behind other manufacturers.Driving The Avensis estate will not have you screaming for more in terms of drive and it’s understandably more comfortable than exciting. There’s nothing untoward about the way it handles; it’s quite controlled around corners and there’s enough grip there’s just a vague feel to the steering. You can feel the weight of the car around corners as well.Feel The Avensis is a born cruiser and is supremely comfortable and smooth over long distances and at motorway speeds. You won’t notice bumps in the road too much but you might notice some road noise.Space There’s plenty of space for five passengers to travel comfortably in the Avensis Tourer and there’s also a large 442-litre boot. When the split-folding rear seats are called into action, that increases to 1,609-litres of load space as well.Equipment CD player and aircon are standard, as are electric windows. Leather, satnav and auto box at higher specs.Price Pricing for the avensis Tourer starts from a little over £19,000 and peaks at almost £29,000. It’s relatively cheap to run for a large estate but there are cheaper, more efficient alternatives on the road.Quality Toyota has a strong reputation in terms of reliability and there should be no issues regarding engine or cabin quality. Everything onboard the Avensis is solidly put together and the interior is neat, robust and uncluttered; it’s not even that boring for a Toyota but it lacks the sophistication of other estates.Safety Seven airbags and ABS are standard. Traction control comes as standard across all models, as does ABS.Pros The Avensis Tourer is a fantastic load-lugger and a brilliant motorway cruiser because of its practicality, large boot space and refined engine line-up.Cons The petrol engines are a token offering which forces buyers towards the more expensive diesel options. It remains one of the most boring models on the market despite its improvements in design in recent years.Alternatives Vauxhall Insignia Estate, Mazda6 Estate
