New Avensis Tourer, 1.8 Petrol Or 2.0 Diesel?

[eustachio]

Hi all

New member here, about to take the plunge into Toyota ownership. I currently drive a VW Golf 2.0 TDI, which I quite like, despite some niggles, but the time has come for a bigger car (babies on the way). I bought the Golf from a Toyota dealer and was extremely impressed by the service they provided- gave a full one year warranty which I ended up needing to sort some suspension issues. The Golf has been mostly trouble free apart from that but has suffered minor electrical gremlins and random extra oil usage. I also was more than miffed at having to change the timing belt and water pump a year after I bought it for a cool £800, as part of the standard service maintenance. Ouch. Anyway, I found myself looking longingly at Toyotas, mainly for their reputed reliability and the excellent dealer service I'd received.

So, I'm just looking for an opinion on which engine variant you'd go for in the new 09 Avensis Tourer. I'm deciding between the 1.8 Valvematic petrol, and the 2.0 diesel. The petrol is at least £1000 cheaper, but I'm used to the torquey characteristic of diesel engines, so worry it would feel a bit gutless. I want a car that's somewhat enjoyable to drive, and I'd worry that the petrol will be a tad underpowered. Obviously I'll test drive each, have it booked for this weekend, but was just interested in any of your opinions. I should add that our annual mileage is lower than average- so the only reason I'd be buying the diesel is for the better performance. My wife couldn't care less either way :)

And a tangential question re the diesel- is it now timing chain based? I read that the earlier models had timing belts. And has the DMF issue largely been banished in the later models? (VW have more than their share of problems in this area)

Many thanks in advance.

[Pat2u]

Just my personal opinion, we own a T180 tourer diesel from new never had a problem with it other than two rear end bangs none of which was our fault, my wife and i drive ours and we both are very happy with it, was going to trade it in for the newer model but to be honest the only thing going for the new tourer was the boot area being slightly bigger so decided not to go for it.

Our vehicle is due its first MOT next month, and in my opinion it will sail through it, maybe new front tyres will be needed in about 6 months time i think tyre wear on the avensis tourers is and can be an issue, i think i would go for the diesel its a dream for town/motorway work and very comfy for long and short journeys. Welcome to the forum, i am sure you have looked through the many posting here this group of owners are very helpful, good luck with your choice of vehicle.

[eustachio]

Thanks for the feedback. The T180 sounds like a sweet engine. We want to buy a car from mid-2008 onwards to avail of lower road tax here, and if we're going for 08 or later, it seems worth the slight extra outlay to buy the new model. But that means we're limited to the entry level engine configurations. My only slight concern is the fact that it is a new model, and I'm aware that's a tad riskier than a model that has had all its kinks ironed out. But I'm willing to take that chance. How do you find the handling of the T180? Most road tests I've read are not too complimentary regarding the Avensis' handling, although a few say it actually handles rather well within reason. I'm not looking for a car to take on a racetrack, but I like a bit of feedback from the car on twisty roads.

[Pat2u]

My wifes drives my car on urban roads i do motorways, so i will tell you how i feel about the way it handles when i drive it.

I get 44mpg on long runs "over 300 miles" wife gets a little less around 30/5 when i need the extra power from it i get it overtaking ect, my car is a 57 plate it was treated with supergaurd at new and is still in mint condition it was tested for oil burning over the 1000 miles test that the main dealer requested no problem found and its never lost a drop from new.

I find the car is quiet other than tyre road noise and is louder on concrete road surface it can roll a bit on corners but not to an extent to worry me or my wife. Interior is very good 3 kids on back seat mobility scooter in boot and still space for wifes shopping, air con works great and sat nav screen handy position to read whilst driving "some say disc are expensive yes they are" and a tom tom is cheaper i guess, plus all dials in right position for driver all in all we very happy with the car, our ages are 63 but don't think that puts us in the category of a sunday driver the car can offers more than the motorway speed limits and handles well at speed, i might be wrong but when i went in to view the new T180 i don't think it was a 2.2 as mine is and i don't think toyota do the 2.2 now, so all i have said is based on the T180 2.2 and some say the handbrake on the new car can take some getting use to.

As you can tell we enjoy the vehicle, and can only praise it and our dealership is the best i have ever dealt with and i have had some naff ones, ford lost my custom due to bad attitude relationship.

Well not much more i can add, the choice is yours to make test drive the cars and be sure to give them a full work out and listen to that engine feel the gearbox engaging first can be strange at first but should slot into all smoothly once mastered.

[Pat2u]

Deleted duplicated post

Edited September 22, 2010 by Pat2u

[Tynesider]

We have a June 2009 Avensis Tourer TR 2.0 Diesel,why buy new? we saved £3.500.00 by having 2500 miles on the clock demonstrator.

The car is fine except for the stupid handbrake switch which is on the dashboard, apart from that it is very roomy with loads of boot space, for a diesel it's failey quiet and does not lack acceleration, the six speed box is also good.

On a motorway run we get 45/50mpg, we also tow a caravan and get 33 mpg.

The TR spec is good and you need nothing else unless you are into satnav's, we have a Map and saved a thousand £,and we get to where we are going!.

Only disappointing thing we find is Tyre wear, we will be lucky to get much more than 20.000 out of the front tyres (currently done 17.500 miles), our last Nissan X Trail tyres lasted 38.000 miles!

[RK123456]

I have a 2 litre diesel tourer T2 company car. Got it end of March 2009, now done 61k miles. Averages 55 mpg measured at the pump and front tyres lasted 37.5k miles. It swallows a huge load, got a single bed in it one day when my son was moving house. Got used to the electric handbrake after a few weeks but this type of handbrake encourages you to hold it on the clutch if stopped for a split second.

[Thermal]

I've seen many posts, where people complain about the T27's "handbrake".

Well, it has no handbrake, it's an electric parking brake.

Operated either by a switch on the dashboard, or automatically by a combined movement of the accelerator- and clutch pedal.

It needs some pratice, but personally I think it's a clever system once you get used to it.

Works perfectly, also on steep hills, and it saves a lot of space in the interior.

That said, the electric motor/mechanism on mine makes an eerie creeking noise which it did from new.

I went to the dealer last week for their opinion and they compared the sound with that of a new T27 that was just being prepared for delivery.

They will order a complete new parking brake assembly, to be fitted during next service.

[eustachio]

Thanks for all the replies.

By all accounts the diesel sounds the one to go for if budget will allow. I certainly won't be buying new, currently looking at 09 TR spec models. In my opinion the new Avensis is one of the nicest looking Toyotas I've ever seen, especially in Tourer form. The saloon is nice too, it reminds me a little of the Honda Accord, which is a good thing, but I'm not really a fan of the saloon shape in cars generally.

Anyone else out there that drives the 1.8 and would favour it over the diesel?

[eustachio]

Well, drove both cars today. To my surprise, the petrol actually was quite torquey low down, more than I expected at least. It's a nice engine, and I'd be happy to own an Avensis with this engine, but on balance I preferred the diesel overall. The diesel unit is very, very smooth, with very linear power delivery, which will take a bit of getting used to. I guess this is a common rail characteristic? My VW 2.0 tdi has more of a noticeable kick at 2000 rpm, but power on paper is almost identical to the Toyota. An aside, I found the handling on the few bends I encountered actually very good, much better than journalists would have you believe.

So overall, very impressed with the car. Only slight complaint is that the doors/boot felt a bit light/flimsy compared to my Golf, but I guess this is just a characteristic of the car. My Golf is from 2004, perhaps the materials are just lighter now- certainly the Avensis has an excellent safety rating. I also found some of the switchgear a bit clumsy, specifically the cruise control stalk- it just looks a bit of an addendum rather than an integrated part of the controls, if that makes sense. Oh, one other thing, why only one cup holder? I know that seems nit-picky, and the dealer said there is a cup holder insert for under the armrest, but myself and the wife regularly use our 2 cup holder in the Golf.

Anyway, excellent car- if the dealer can get me the price I want I'll go for the diesel, or find one somewhere else at the right price.

[gn_london]

Hi All

I currently own 2000 corolla, and looking to buy bigger Avensis Tourer (2011 or 2012).

Our yearly mileage is around 3000 miles, and most of it is city driving.

What would be a better engine? 1.8 petrol or 2.0 diesel? Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

[FROSTYBALLS]

With an annual mileage of only 3000, has to be petrol

[Valvematic]

Hi I drive the 1.8 petrol vmatic, I love the engine regularly getting over 48 mpg on a run. Engine doesnt have the diesel torque low down but once you rev it you will find it quicker. I came from private diesel ownership, too many diesel related issues that cost a fortune to fix. Great car in tourer form swallows all my families gear with ease.

[Whitewagon]

If you are doing mainly town driving you might like to consider the 1.8 petrol with the CVT automatic gearbox. Have had mine now for around 18months and the combination has been faultless. MPG is around 38 with a combination of town and motorway driving which is, in my opinion, excellent for a car of its size. For your mileage petrol would be best.

[giffardo]

I have just bought a 2012 tourer with 1.8l petrol. I have come from a Citroen 2.0 hdi engine. you just have to rev the engine more but it is just as fast 0-60 as the diesel and it doesn't sound like a tractor !!

the turbo was on its way out on the C5 so a petrol should be cheaper to maintain