Strong And Silent Type
by Mike Grundon (11 Oct 04)

If a car says something about its driver - something more than simply that he or she needs all that space, all that speed or all that off-road ability - then the Toyota Avensis five-door tells the world you're the strong and silent type. It neither demands that the world looks at you in awe, nor tells it to watch its mouth because you're a bit dangerous. What it does is quietly suggest, to anyone who feels they'd like to take a moment to listen, that you know quality, you appreciate comfort, you can spot a good deal, and you are happy wearing a smart suit.

And, oddly enough, I think the lower the specification level on your Avensis, the cooler you probably are. You're that man or woman in the British Airways magazine, immaculately dressed and quietly sipping coffee in a high-ceilinged hotel room, gazing enigmatically and purposefully out over a European square.

The Avensis T2 five-door with the two-litre D-4D turbocharged diesel engine and five-speed manual gearbox is almost the entry model for the range - you can get a 1.8-litre petrol version for about £700 less - but it's far from being spartan. It represents tremendous value for money, coming as it does with a comfortable selection of useful internal equipment and more than adequate accommodation.

Parked at the roadside it looks slightly anonymous, functional and solid, and just gently gives off a whisper of class and quality. It looks like it should be worth over 20 grand, but in truth you can own it for a little over 15.

The best part of the story is told from the driving seat. The renowned D-4D engine is incredibly smooth and quiet even from a cold start. It pulls away without any hint of clatter and, thanks to the 206lb/ft of torque pumped out from as low as 2000rpm, it just surges out along the road even if that is  winding up the side of a hill. You'll find there's almost no road noise coming up through the springs either, and just the merest whisper from the air passing at greater and greater speeds outside.

As with most Toyotas the suspension is nicely tuned, coping with the 1.4-tonne vehicle in a way only dreamed of just five years ago. As you press out along the main A-roads it gives virtually no body roll through the long and sweeping bends, and yet it soaks up every bump and ridge along the flat. Take it out onto the back roads for some spirited testing, and the springs will cushion you through the deepest yumps, catch you off the lumps, and cradle you through the twists and hollows, as if you were the most important thing in the world to it.

Perfectly weighted steering puts you exactly where you want to be on the road, whatever the conditions, and the gear change is so ultra-smooth with just a little click into all five gates, that it just begs you to keep playing with it. The disc brakes on every corner are comfortable to use at any speeds, in that they aren't snatchy at low speeds through town, and they're aided in their heavier-duty tasks by a sophisticated anti-lock system with electronic brake distribution to make the best of the available grip.

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