You can see exactly where Toyota is going with this engine from the moment it starts. Even when stone cold it sounds and feels unusually quiet and small for a relatively large capacity four, and once warmed up it really is commendably refined – no wonder its higher-powered brother was the first diesel deemed fit for inclusion in a car wearing a Lexus badge. Its secret is not only that low compression ratio, but also a balancer shaft fitted to iron out secondary vibrations.
Performance, however, is merely average for the class. Despite the best efforts of the delightful and very sweet shifting new six-speed transmission, the Avensis still needs 9.3sec to reach 62mph. That makes it a smidge faster than the Accord, though the Honda gets its own back with a 131mph top speed, a scant mile per hour higher than the Toyota. The benchmark Mondeo is significantly quicker than either.
For most people most of the time, this will bother them not at all. Of much more use to them will be the engine’s exceptionally smooth running and the long distance comfort it provides. Toyota has tried so hard to get this element right, it has even fitted this Avensis with an acoustic windscreen to further reduce noise levels.
It is also an impressively frugal vehicle, using just 47.9mpg on the combined cycle and emitting a mere 156g/km of CO2. Admittedly the extraordinary Honda motor can eclipse both these figures with ease but you’ll pay £19,100 for the cheapest Accord to use it, compared to just £18,145 for this Avensis. A 60 litre fuel tank provides a suitably massive range: 550 miles should be possible before the reserve light appears.
The Avensis has capable handling with good grip, but this is offset by a rather firm ride by class standards which lets a few too many lumps and bumps puncture the peace in the cabin at high speeds.
