Aiming for class-leading quality (and perhaps putting into practice some of the things Toyota has learned with its luxury brand, Lexus) the Avensis represents a major leap forward over the original. The interior feels up-market and the Avensis is comfortable drive. The diesel offering was restricted to one 114bhp engine until summer 2005, although three became available, ranging from 124bhp to 175bhp, from summer 2006.

The Avensis scores highly for comfort and should prove to be exceptionally reliable, but does not offer such an engaging drive as the Ford Mondeo, Mazda6 or Peugeot 407.

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