2 litre T4 CVT tourer

Utterly dependable and fault free, does everything comfortably

We bought this at three years of age on the strength of the 'Which' review which indicated trouble-free motoring.

I had asked my wife what she wanted, and she replied "A car that starts every time". This has always been the case though I have needed to trickle charge the battery during the Covid shutdown.

This is a CVT automatic which makes me wonder why I ever bothered with gears before.

It just goes along in comfort, wherever you are and at whatever speed. And it has held it's good looks (as far as I am concerned). Some cars I have owned have been difficult to drive within a 30mph limit because they had the tendency to break away and to go faster. This one is totally stable, and, except when going downhill, stays at the current speed

The media say it is boring, If efficient, comfortable and no surprises meaning boring, then 'Yes', it is. People don't tend to tell you when their car breaks down and costs them thousands, but many cars do. I service this once a year, renew tyres from time to time, and pay tax and insurance. There have been no surprises, apart from when the front number plate fell off. Not Toyota's fault, I'm sure.

The large loading area means that it acts as a r****** truck (using a tarpaulin to keep it clean), a transporter for moving house, a timber lorry for bringing home building supplies, and the loading area being dead flat, anything within reason can be slid in by one person. There is plenty of room for a couple of big dogs in the back for dog walkers.

Being an old heap (the car, and me), I am not troubled by new-fangled phones and the like, but what there is (DVD, radio, air-con) works well and I am glad not to have the rest. There's bags of room for a Tom-Tom on the top of the dash, and a dash-cam hanging down.

Aha! I have just remembered a fault! In very hot weather the electronics in the front interior roof light assembly fries and the car alarm sounds. I (and the Toyota main dealer) have tried insulating to fix this but unsuccessfully. Pressing the rectangular button next to the light in the front interior roof light assembly switches off the electronics that controls the internal car alarm (the bit that goes off when flies walk across it or some one smashes a window) and solves the problem.

Naturally we also have to store the keys, when not in use, in a biscuit tin with a well-fitting lid, so that the very convenient keyless opening does not enable the car to be stolen or robbed.

I have owned it for over 10 years and have no doubt that, should I come to sell it, the local taxi drivers would queue up to buy it.

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