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 turbo 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 gearchange 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.But what about that equipment I was talking about? Well, like I say, despite being at the bottom of the range the T2 has everything you should want in a car. The built-in audio system will play radio, cassette or CD; there's a fairly standard, manually-operated, climate control air-conditioning unit; and there's a stem-operated computer to give you a running commentary on your fuel consumption, speed and distance, and the range left in the tank.This would probably be a good time to put the icing on the cake and mention that, according to the computer, I was getting, even through the rigours of a test drive, over 40 miles from a gallon of diesel. More sensible daily driving should - according to the official figures - get you an average of 48.7mpg. In such a big car that is impressive by anyone's standards, and means that you could travel almost 650 miles between fill-ups. You could get from Aberdeen deep into Cornwall at a cost of about 50 quid at today's fuel prices.While making that trip you could be comforted to know it was in one of the safest cars on the road today, because the Avensis was given five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests. The diagram of the airbag system makes the interior of the Avensis look like a big cushiony area that would be lovely to sleep in. Oh, and you should also happily get all the luggage you need into the cavernous cargo-hold. If there are only two of you going, you could even fold the rear seats flat to improve the space to opera-house dimensions.Where this particular car is slightly let down is in the plastic-ware, which I think feels, rather than looks, a bit cheaper than it really needs to. Invest a few quid in a nice steering-wheel cover that didn't obscure the music controls that are mounted on it, and the whole driving experience would leap forward immeasurably. I would also suggest, just for safety's sake, not using the fold-out cupholder that's mounted above the CD player. I can imagine one unguarded slosh resulting in some depressing fizzing in the electrics.But I'm just being niggling here. In general there is absolutely nothing to complain about on this car. It's one I could happily live with for the rest of my life, thanks to the performance, the excellent build quality, the economy and the no-nonsense attitude it has to motoring. Engine 1995cc, 4 cylinders Power 114bhp Transmission 5-speed manual Fuel/CO2 48.7mpg / 155g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 11.4 seconds Top speed 121mph Price £15,345 Details correct at publication date
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