I'm the right, honourable Steve - at your service... OK - when did I mention subservient?
I'm the right, honourable Steve - at your service... OK - when did I mention subservient?
Member since:02.08.2004
Reviews:10
I’d owned a ’97 2L Carina for 4 years and I liked that – but it was getting old. Despite having given solid service I wanted to replace it – with a budget of £10K plus the Carina. Initially I wanted a low mileage 6th generation Toyota Celica or a recent Honda Prelude – but those proved far too rare. I considered a 2.5L Galant (but they had shoddy interiors – which put me off.) I considered an Accord which I liked from the outside but inside lacked equipment – specifically a factory standard full alarm (and it seemed noisy on the test drive.) I stumbled across a 2 year old Avenis 2.0 CDX and – despite painfully ugly headlights, horrible front grill and uninspiring rear styling otherwise impressed me.
The standard dashboard looks well-made and I like the layout of controls (similar to the Carina.) I am especially a fan of the satellite navigation system… It is only a basic model (it only accepts addresses and not postcodes for example) and the user interface is slow… but now I’ve used it a few times I would never voluntarily return to using an A-Z on the passenger seat! On longer journeys I find sat-nav the most comforting driving aid I’ve ever used… Glance down and see how many miles to the turn off when travelling by motorway – and reminders for which lane to use at roundabouts before you see a sign helps to avoid last-minute lane-change stress… (OK – I admit – I am the UK’s worst driver-navigator!) I’d have liked an integrated Bluetooth phone kit as standard – but I guess this is me being overly demanding as no manufacturer seems to have done this in 2002!
My CDX model comes with all the bells and whistles – including a “full-leather” interior… there’s nothing wrong with this interior per-se, but I think I’d have preferred good quality velour… like the standard seats in lower-spec models. The CDX won me over for its other features. In 2002 only the CDX hatchback had a sunroof as standard – and while this has developed a rattle when I drive over rough surfaces – I wouldn’t give up the light and airy cabin. The other killer extra in the CDX model is traction control… which I like because it reduces the skill required when you’re in a rush. If I were to put my foot to the floor when accelerating from a junction in the Carina the front wheels would spin; I’d draw lots of attention and slowly pull away – in the Avensis the same trick launches you like a rocket, no fuss, even in the wet with just an orange squiggly “SS” shape lit on the dashboard to let you know you’ve activated the “anti-idiot mode.”
The Avensis is an extremely capable motorway cruiser – I think it is hard to beat. The Avensis isn’t strong on straight line acceleration – it doesn’t feel as fast as the Carina it replaces - but it makes up for this with great suspension and brakes which means the Avensis can comfortably corner much faster than the Carina ever did.
The stereo is fantastic (though others might find the standard in-boot 6 CD changer limiting.) Security is good too (much better than that on the other cars I considered) with a full alarm activated from the key. This is a car you grow to like – for the little things too – like its enormous capacity washer bottle! The unexpected bonus with this 150Bhp car was group 10 insurance – 3 groups lower than the 130bhp Carina it replaces. Maybe this is because boy racers aren’t impressed by the lack of spoilers?
In summary – I was uninspired by nearly-new cars available when I decided to buy – and I still think the Avensis looks ugly front and back… but it has grown on me. I still think it is the best compromise car I could have found.
[Update... Something I forgot...] Fuel economy... The Avensis Vtec engines used in the 2002 models are reputedly among the most efficient available today (I believe the 1.8Vtec won an award for being the most economical 1.8L petrol engine) but I advise against blindly extrapolating running costs from the official figures (35mpg for my manual 2.0Vtec according to Parkers). I've managed almost 400 miles from a tank of fuel (~50L) one week but only 250 miles another... an average ranging between 35mpg and 22mpg. The Vtec engine gives best acceleration between 4000 and 6000rpm - but this uses a lot of fuel. If you accelerate gently and keep below speed limits fuel economy improves dramatically.
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Aug 2nd, 2004
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