Toyota Avensis Tourer

OK so it isn’t toxic, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the Toyota Avensis Tourer is an outdated and dull repmobile. With an extra bit stuck on the back.

• Comfort

  This is a fine place to while away a long journey. A soft ride and lack of road noise lull you, and there's room to stretch whether you've got the front or back seat.

  

• Performance

  It might be new, but the Avensis comes with a familiar line-up of engines. There's 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrols, plus 2.0 and 2.2-litre diesels (the latter with either 150 or 180bhp). On the road, the Avensis really is boring. Whereas the Mondeo and Insignia feel alert and involving, this does not. The 2.2-litre diesel is noisy, but the auto 'box doesn't help things. It has flappy paddles, but they're just redundant, stalky ornaments. Upshifts are fairly smooth, but kickdown is sluggish, giving it the feel of an olde-worlde slushbox. There is a seven-speed CVT 'multidrive'option, but only on the petrol engines. That's better, as the response is more instant and predictable, but you're probably best off with a simple old manual.

  

• Cool

  An absurd question.

  

• Quality

  The instrument panel borrows cues from the IS, which gives it a quality feel. This happy bit of interbreeding makes the cabin this car's strongest point. And it's a Toyota, so it feels solidly put together (in Britain, as it happens).

  

• Handling

  Good for munching through the motorway network, because that's the job description - though it doesn't like cross winds. Drive it through corners and you find initial liveliness but detached steering and strange inconsistent sogginess as it loads up.

  

• Practicality

  Huge and flexible in its boot space, this is definitely an estate that doesn't sacrifice room for style.

  

• Running costs

  Not that great, because you're going to be hit by that perennial rep-car disease, depreciation. The Avensis gets replaced soon, which will only make things worse.