T4 Hybrid 1.5 VVT-i 5dr Auto Hatchback

An economic, reliable car that is pleasant to drive

Like all the Toyotas that I have owned the drive train (including battery for the electric motor) has been completely reliable. Toyota manufacture the important components very carefully. It is economic depending on circumstances: 52 mpg on a motorway at 70mph, 57 mpg on an A road at varying speeds, 60mpg on slower roads. Much depends if the engine is warm, so lots of little journeys bring down the figures. They have tried to keep weight down so it is a bit plasticy inside and I have had one or two bits around the seats that have failed.
It is pleasant to drive although I like more legroom. (It has less than an Avensis and surprisingly, less than an Aygo I tried despite being a fairly long car.) Not too wide so it is OK for parking, the installed camera or sensors work well. Estimating where exactly is the front end is my main problem! Ride is a little hard but not as hard as the first Avensis. Some people criticise the steering for lack of "feel" but I find it goes where I point it without too much effort. That will do me. It has plenty of oomph! The petrol engine is 1.5 litres and the electric motor is 0.7 litre equivalent so you have 2.2 available if you really want it with a fairly light body. It looks a very innocuous car but that belies the its power.
The automatic gearbox is the smoothest I have ever had. I don't notice any gear changes at all. Sometimes you can get a bit mixed up with the little gear change knob but the car will not let you make a serious mistake.
I don't bother with "EV" mode (electric motor only) unless I am about to run out of petrol! The computer is programmed to control it best.
I have read about the battery longevity on the internet. The earliest taxi that needed attention was at 130000 as far as I could see but some went on to 200000 and beyond. That is OK, I am at 63000.
Like all dealerships I find Toyota dealers can be a bit sharp, always wanting work and using the most expensive parts, although usually quite fair in the buying/selling area. You can get it serviced and repaired at your own independent.
I like it: an economic petrol automatic that is easy on the environment that should last a long time.

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