Toyota has not achieved its status as a global automotive superpower without being innovative. The Prius hybrid is probably the best-known vehicle in a sector which most manufacturers have not yet fully entered, the iQ is the result of a remarkable rethink on what a small car should be like, and the company's introduction of airbags to parts of a car where they have never been fitted before has to be applauded.But the fact remains that most Toyotas are best suited to people who are not particularly interested in cars, and who consider them to be different in price but similar in kind to washing machines and vacuum cleaners.Richard Dredge made a similar point (somehow invoking Mariah Carey and Ryvita in the same sentence) when he reviewed the Avensis range as a whole in his launch report late last year, and it applies equally well to the high-specification diesel estate tested here. I drove this car for a week, was never greatly enthralled by it and did not miss it when it was taken from me, but I certainly have no strong reason for not wanting to own one.There are several estates of similar size in the market, and the Avensis is up with the best of them in terms of practicality. Luggage volume is 543 litres with the rear seats in place (that's a 34-litre improvement over the Avensis saloon) and 1609 litres when they're folded; the first figure is almost exactly the same as for the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia estates, and the second puts it ahead of the Insignia but behind the remarkably spacious Mondeo.Like most estates these days, it looks better than the car on which it's based, at least in my view. The major problem with the styling is that it takes almost no account of the need to see behind you when you're reversing. The lack of visibility is horrifying - or at least it would be if the rest of the motor industry weren't going the same way these days - but you can't argue with the amount of available space, the flat load area and the conveniently low sill.The Avensis also scores well for comfort, both in how pleasant it is to sit in and in how it covers the ground. It is absolutely not, repeat not, an interesting car to drive (for example, it doesn't seem to make much difference to the handling when you decide to apply power in mid-corner, which is rather dull for an enthusiastic driver) but it gets from A to B smoothly enough, and the ride is not entirely spoiled by the 18" wheels and low-profile tyres fitted as standard to the T Spirit tested here.Other unique T Spirit features include rear parking sensors (just as well considering how little glass area there is at the back), the best audio system in the range, adaptive headlights with their own washers and a panoramic sunroof.Like the slightly lesser T4, it also gets leather upholstery, rear privacy glass, heated front seats and a keyless entry system, and like the still cheaper TR it has cruise control, automatic air-conditioning, front foglights and automatic headlights and wipers.The T Spirit's extra equipment makes quite a difference to the price. It costs about £2500 more than the T4 and £4000 more than the TR, which is enough of a hike to make the TR seem like quite a bargain by comparison.There's also a more basic T2 trim level, but that's not available with the 148bhp 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine. If you're feeling adventurous, the T Spirit and T4 can also be specified with a more rousing 175bhp 2.2 diesel which certainly perks things up a bit. At the same time, though, nothing about the test car made me feel I wanted to use all the power it had, never mind another 27bhp on top of that.For that reason it seems unlikely that anyone would ever get themselves into serious trouble when driving an Avensis, but in case such misfortune should befall you it's reassuring to note that the car gained a five-star rating from Euro NCAP in the recently-revised crash test programme. And no wonder - quite apart from having a stiffer structure than the pre-2009 Avensis, all current models are also fitted with ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, traction control and an advanced Vehicle Stability Control system which provides extra steering effect in emergency situations. Engine 2231cc, 4 cylinders Power 150bhp Transmission 6-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 42.8mpg / 174g/km
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