Excel 1.8 VVT-i HybridSynergy Drive CVT 136 Auto 5dr Estate

Solid, easy, comfortable

Having had five Toyotas (mostly middle aged) since 1997 with minimum problems I went for this car for economy, automatic gearbox, comfort, safety and reliability.
Economy: It is doing 51mpg, mostly on quite short journeys in the middle of winter which I am happy with (don't take any notice of advertised figures). I would expect high fifties in the summer and average mid fifties overall, like my last Prius. Zero road tax is a bonus.
Automatic: I am very surprised to hear complaints in reviews about the CVT auto gearbox. What do you want? This gearbox (if you can call it that) has no discernible jumps or jerks, is very quiet so you can forget about it. I suppose if you are a boy racer you might be dissatisfied, but this car wasn't made for you. I just use "Eco" mode, giving me all the acceleration I normally want. "Power" mode has plenty of oomph for overtaking if you really want to try but you generally don't need it. Reviews say the car is under powered. I have lived with an under powered car (VW Golf) and this car is not underpowered.
Comfort: Very comfortable to sit in with lots of flexibility in the seating position of the driver. It has taken me a month to get it right with my bad back but now I have it.Lumbar support, heated seat and moveable steering wheel are boons.
The displays give a lot of information but two things Toyota should note:. in UK you need to have 30mph marked on the speedometer. Drivers should not have to estimate that between 20 and 40. Also the numbers need to be bigger, the distance to the instruments is difficult for many people who wear glasses, so size is important. Personally, I like the big digital number just under the windscreen as in the Prius and Yaris.
The screen for media is also small, low and a long way for your eye to go from the road. I will be using my own satnav. Pity, because the Toyota one looks much improved. There are knobs for heating etc so you can feel for them without taking your eyes off the road, better than using a screen.
Why do Toyota have a great big din telling you that you are going backwards? I have just put the car in reverse and I can see it moving that way! The noise also drowns out the more important buzzer from the reversing sensors. I think I can change that.
Pockets, box etc not as big as previous cars.
The car is wide enough for three adults in the back comfortably or two child seats and an adult as we have.But the leg room in the back is not as much as you would expect, especially when the driver's seat is back. They could have reduced boot length for this.
All these points I can overcome because the driving is comfortable, very smooth, taking bumps well on 17 inch wheels, and assured.
Safety: There are enough airbags to float a battleship and it has all the automatic gadgets you might want or don't want. Visibility is more limited than in some cars because of thick pillars, so you have to move your body sometimes when taking sharp right hand bends in town and when looking back to start off.
Take some time to work out exactly what you have to do when you want to get out. I walked off when I first had it and it still had running lights on and I could not work out what I had done wrong. If the mirrors have gone in, you are OK.
Reliability: It's a Toyota. I have done approximately 366 000 miles in Toyotas since 1997 and non wear and tear problems have been: water pump and McPherson strut replacement (Carina, under warranty), engine wear (Avensis, at 143.000 miles) and front exhaust with catalytic converter. No non wear and tear problems whatever with two Priuses over 66 000 miles.
Toyota seem to me to prioritise what goes on under the bonnet against inside the cabin. You can sometimes be a bit miffed with the cabin compared to the quality of the mechanics and electrics. I will take it, basically I agree with that priority.

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