1.8 TR Valvematic Manual

Fine, really

I've owned this car for three and a half years, following on from a BMW 325ci which was, by comparison, punishingly expensive to run. The Avensis felt underpowered at first but, if I'm honest, I don't have any problems keeping up with the traffic in it. It performs and handles adequately, for what it is. It's missing a few features such as auto-wipers and auto-lights which I would have expected from a mid-range 2010 car in its category. It has satnav but having bought the car "nearly new" I don't know whether that was an option or standard. There are no parking sensors; instead a small camera above the rear number plate shows you what's behind you on the satnav screen - this takes some getting used to as the camera is off-centre so be prepared to park wonky the first few times you use it.

Real world MPG for me in the 1.8 Manual is about 35 - most of this is my 30 mile a day commute which ranges from short fast dual-carriageway sprints to crawling traffic jams. Coasting along the motorway at 70 will return over 40mpg.

The satnav/stereo user interface was clearly designed by someone who has never had to use a satnav - just finding the option to "forget" the location it was guiding you to is an ordeal. I also suspect it is using the fact that I am in a traffic jam to work out that there is one - typically it'll report traffic problems to me shortly after I start to experience them.

I've had one warranty claim which was when the airbag light came on. There was a fault in a side airbag which meant the entire passenger seat back had to be replaced. The dealer (who honoured the warranty without even the hint of a quibble) said that the part alone would have been £1000.

10000 mile service intervals seem to roll around surprisingly quickly. Many cars seem to manage longer intervals than that. Build quality seems ok - there are no real squeaks or rattles, even after 4 years of potholed roads, but it doesn't ooze luxury either. The interior is pleasant enough but Japanese in feel.

Aside from the airbag thing it has been faultlessly reliable. I haven't had to replace even a bulb or a fuse and it doesn't feel like it's going to start costing money any time soon.

All in all it's a solid, reliable, dependable if uninspiring vehicle.

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