Toyota Avensis Touring Sports (2015 – 2019) Review

The Toyota Avensis Touring Sports (or just plain Tourer) is a mild facelift of the previous Avensis, which was not the last word in good looks or thrills either. Designed to take on other big estates like the Skoda Superb, Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mondeo, the Avensis Touring Sports sticks rigidly to the Toyota formula of safe, sensible and not too exciting. The upside is that it is easy to live with, a breeze to drive and comfortable too, it just can’t match the space, the quality or the driving experience that is available from the best in the class.

The anonymous Toyota Avensis has now been dressed in a sharp new suit, as Toyota aims to give it a more noticeable presence on the road. But the changes are more than skin deep. An updated cabin with plusher materials and new BMW-sourced diesel engines add some much-needed appeal, making the Avensis a solid, rational choice of family car.

There are two new D-4D diesels joining the existing 1.8-litre petrol – a 1.6-litre with 112PS D-4D and a 2.0-litre with 143PS, the latter of which can also be found under the bonnet of the BMW 318d.

Toyota hopes these new engines will put the Avensis on the radar of company car buyers, thanks to lower emissions from as little as 109g/km in the case of the 1.6 D-4D. 

Unfortunately the 1.6-litre engine lacks the oomph you might expect of a diesel, with a flat spot low down the rev range. You need to keep the engine revs in a fairly small sweet spot to get any useful performance, meaning hills and overtakes need some forethought and a gear change or two. Thankfully the gearbox is smooth and the clutch light.

The 2.0-litre D-4D is much better suited to the Avensis, with more power, more torque and less noise. That’s not to say the 1.6 is loud – it is impressively quiet on the motorway – but the 2.0-litre doesn’t need to be worked as hard, so simply whirs along effortlessly.

As a long distance motorway car it’s very good indeed, plus it is almost as frugal as the 1.6-litre. Emissions for the 2.0 D-4D are from 120g/km and economy is 61.4mpg.

The revised Avensis doesn’t really offer much in the way of driving pleasure. That said, there is plenty of grip through twists and turns plus the steering is accurate, but there’s no real sense of involvement – the car just goes where it is told with quiet, assured confidence. In fact, that is an apt description of the Avensis full-stop; it's very easy to drive and should prove painless to live with.

The cabin has been heavily updated with a new dashboard layout and plush, soft-touch materials. It’s neat, simple and user-friendly – but doesn't feel quite as classy as a Volkswagen Passat. Most models get a large, clear touchscreen infotainment system that is intuitive to use and all cars have an electronic parking brake, which makes for a neat centre console with useful storage space.

Toyota offers the Avensis with more or less everything a driver needs, providing you opt for a Business Edition model over the entry-level Active grade. Business Edition models come with the touchscreen infotainment system, DAB radio, USB connectivity, alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning and artificial suede seat inserts.

Business Edition Plus adds high-tech features including LED headlights, while the top-of-the-range Excel trim gets larger alloy wheels, an improved 10-speaker audio system, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat and full leather upholstery. Though they are well equipped, Excel models are only offered with the 2.0 D-4D engine and they are quite expensive, with estate models priced at more than £28,000.

Competition from the impressive new Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mondeo is strong. The Avensis might not have the prestige of a Passat or the dynamism of a Mondeo, but it’s still a very sensible choice of family car.

The suspension is quite clearly set up to absorb bumps, and while the softness of the ride means it does a good job of hiding the state of the road from you, it also moves around quite a lot both when the road is undulating but also should you decide to start cornering you’ll find it moving around quite a bit too, with more bodyroll than you might hope for.

This does discourage you from hurrying the Avensis a great deal, but underneath the bodyroll there is a decent car trying to get out.

The steering is quite responsive to what you do with the wheel and there’s no shortage of grip either. What that means in everyday driving is that you’re unlikely to get much fun in the process, but that if you choose to take the B-road home instead of the motorway you’ll in a safe car to do it in.

The 1.8-litre petrol is the cheapest option to buy, and is competent in most areas without being exceptional in any. It’s pretty quiet unless you rev it hard, which is necessary if you want to get where you’re going in a hurry - with 147PS but only 180Nm of torque, acceleration is adequate at best.

The 1.6-litre diesel is the most economical engine in the range, but that also translates into a lack of pace. Many of its rivals also have a 1.6-litre diesel option that is similarly slow, but with so few engine options available the Avensis Tourer only really becomes a worthwhile option when fitted with the 2.0-litre diesel.

The 2.0-litre diesel is the best option by a decent margin, with much more acceptable acceleration without a dramatic impact on fuel consumption. It’s a capable cruiser and is strong enough to carry heavy loads or tow them too.

The Toyota Avensis was awarded five starts by Euro NCAP in 2015, with 93 per cent for adult protection, and a similarly strong score of 86 per cent for child protection.

All models get front airbags including a knee airbag for the driver, side chest airbags for the front seat passengers and curtain airbags for front and rear passengers. The driver assistance package is good too, with ESC as standard as well as automatic emergency braking for city and interurban environments.

Speed assistance and lane assist are also fitted as standard on all grades except the entry level Active model. Hill start assist and LED daytime running lights and tail lights are also standard features on all trim levels.

The Avensis Touring Sports has an unladen weight of 1,405kg to 1,610kg depending on the specification, giving an 85 per cent figure of 1194kg to 1368kg. The maximum trailer weight rating is 1800kg braked and 500kg unbraked. 

Inside the Avensis Tourer has been updated, although the amount of space in here has not changed significantly. It’s still quite spacious, if not as good as the giant Skoda Superb in here, but it’s big enough that adults can get comfortable. Those in the front get the best deal, with generous head and legroom that should suit most adults.

There are no complaints in the back row either, where adults can sit comfortably, plus the boot is spacious and practically shaped on the Touring Sports (estate, to your or I) models tested here.

Load capacity is 543 litres with the rear seats in place, expandable to 1609 litres with them folded. The load deck itself is flat and low, so loading and unloading is easy, plus there is an underfloor compartment for odds and ends, or to store the retractable load cover when it isn’t needed. Additionally there is a ski hatch for loading longer items.

There are more soft-touch surfaces than before, but you will still find plenty that are hard or certainly not very yielding, and the virtual monotone finish doesn’t help. 

What is clear though is that the Avensis is built to last. The materials might not always be the best, but the way it is put together is exactly what you’d expect from Toyota, and as a private buyer it is reassuring to know that it should be able to cope with everyday life with ease.

On the entry-level Active model you get a radio/CD with Bluetooth, but on Business Edition models and upwards this is upgraded to an 8-inch touchscreen that includes DAB radio, navigation and smartphone connectivity. The basic system is a bit underwhelming for a car in this price bracket, while the more sophisticated system is fine but far from perfect. There are hard keys around the screen to shortcut to certain functions, and when you’re driving this is often easier than the touchscreen itself. The graphics look somewhat dated and are not a particularly high resolution, and you don’t always get the response you are after.

The Toyota Avensis Touring Sports was discontinued in 2018 having been on sale since 2015, so the amount of cars on the used market is not as great as some of its rivals. The most recent models from 2018 are still relatively young but prices are good from the buyer’s perspective, so there is good value to be had.

The Active model is the entry point into the range but is a little short on equipment, so Business Active models and upwards are the better options - DAB, USB input climate control and the touchscreen system are all added on this spec.

The most recent Avensis Touring Sports models are currently priced at around £16,000-£17,000. We found a 1.8-litre Business Edition Plus - which adds leather seats, LED headlights, keyless entry and rear privacy glass - with less than 20,000 miles for £16,500, and a car in the same spec but with 30,000 miles for £15,000.

As for the earliest cars, they are now approaching five years old, are past the manufacturer warranty period and have had an MoT test or two, so you can find examples for £10,000 or less.

We found a 2016 Business Edition Plus with the 1.6-litre diesel engine and 60,000 miles on the clock for just over £9000, or a car in the same spec but with half the mileage for just over £10,000.

The 1.6-litre diesel tends to be more popular than the 2.0-litre diesel, but there are examples if you are patient. We found an early 2.0-litre in Business Edition trim with just over 30,000 miles for £10,500, so it pays to be patient and go for the specification you really want.

The 1.8-litre petrol has a claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 46.3mpg under the old NEDC rules, with the 1.6-litre diesel is the most economical at 67.3mpg. The 2.0-litre diesel claims 62.8mpg - not as good as the 1.6-litre but a better real-world compromise.

As for insurance, the 1.6-litre diesel in Active trim manages to get into group 8 while the 1.8-litre petrol in the same trim fits into group 13. The 2.0-litre diesel is only in group 15 in Business Edition spec and 16 in the higher grades, so you can spoil yourself a little and go for the spec you want.

On the VED front you can take advantage of Avensis Tourer’s registered before the April 2017 rules changes.

An early 1.6-litre diesel registered before April 2017 will cost you £20 for the year, while the 2.0-litre diesel qualities for a £30 rate if it is pre-April 2017. The 1.8-litre petrol is the same price or even more expensive before April 2017 on account of its relatively poor CO2 emissions, but all versions cost £150 per year after this date.

The entry-level Active trim has some useful features like a pre-crash safety system and  autonomous emergency braking, but it is worth moving up to the Business Edition as a minimum to add automatic lights and wipers, lane departure warning, the touchscreen infotainment system with DAB radio, reversing camera and climate control, and should be enough to suit the needs of most buyers.

Business Edition Plus adds more niceties rather than useful features - leather and Alcantara upholstery and bigger alloy wheels, although it does add automatic headlight levelling which may be useful if you plan to tow or carry heavy loads on a regular basis.

The top-spec Excel model generally commands a significant price premium and has more luxury features, but is only really worth it if you want the highest spec possible.