T27 Tourer -1.8 Manual Or Md-S?

[Heidfirst]

Hi folks,

Thinking of coming back to the fold & been looking at 2012 Tourers. Not yet had a chance to drive an MD-S version but would be interested in the experiences of those that have & particularly those who own one. Points I'm looking for are real world mpg, overtaking performance (according to spec it's about 1 second slower 0-62 than the manual but I don't know if that's pure auto or using the paddles) & has anybody had problems requiring remedial maintenance?

Thinking of staying away from DMFs, DPFs, turbos etc. but even at my lowly mileage a 2.0 D4D might just pay for itself over 3-4 years ...

[Whitewagon]

For real world figures check here: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/toyota/avensis-2009

As you can see the only significant advantage of diesel over petrol for MPG is the 2.0 D4D. There is no automatic available with this engine. An automatic is available with the 2.2 engine.

My MPG is a constant 38 to 39 MPG no matter how I drive it. I am not a boy racer but neither do I hang around and like to get where I want to go as quickly as possible. The MPG I get is in line with the real world MPG in the link above.

If you want to avoid a DPF, DMF and a Turbo in a modern car then the only option is petrol (discounting Hybrids of course)

I own a 2010 1.8 MD-S which, as you probably know, is a CVT auto not a conventional torque convertor auto. The only conventional auto available in the Avensis now is for the 2.2 Diesel engine. The difference between a 2010 and a 2012 model is basically cosmetic.

The wife and I have owned automatics for years and wouldn't now consider anything else. Before buying the Avensis I did a lot of research on automatics and in particular the CVT and DSG style boxes. There are numerous reports of problems with the DSG style boxes and some early CVT's. However I was unable to find any report of problems with Toyota's CVT.

I find the Avensis Tourer CVT a superb value for money car. It is comfortable, quiet and a good but not sporty drive. Having said that you can make it move rapidly by using the paddle shifts and/or Sport mode. The gearbox is a joy to use with all the options you have. Just stick it Drive for normal everyday motoring, use the paddles if you want to hold it in a lower gear or use sport mode if you want to accelerate quickly such as for overtaking. I moved to the Avensis from a 2.4 Auto Honda Accord and find no difference in acceleration or overall power when driving. The official figures do show the Honda as being quicker but in real world driving the difference is not noticeable. If you haven't been used to autos then I would recommend a long test drive before deciding, there is a learning curve but it is a more relaxed way of driving and after a while you do adapt to it. There have been reports of the Avensis being noisy on the road. From the test drives I did before buying there was a noticeable difference according to the tyres fitted. Goodyears were much quieter than Bridgestones, both of which were fitted as standard at that time.

My Avensis is now three years old, has been serviced by Toyota dealers and has been faultless except for the electronic parking brake actuator. It became noisy in operation and was replaced under warranty at two years.

As a previous Toyota owner you don't have to be told what the advantages are. Of course the main advantage is the 5 year warranty which can be extended. This is my first ever Toyota and so far am extremely pleased with it and will definitely consider another when it's time to change.

[alan333]

I recently got a 2012 1.8 cvt auto saloon and get about 43mpg driving serenely (although the computer shows 47-48). My daily commute is 20 miles each way on mainly A roads, and one way is on empty roads in the middle of the night. I would say that high 30's mpg would be easily achieveable if my driving was a bit more spirited.

I previously had an 09 T27 2.0 d4d which returned 50-55mpg on the same running and driving style. I do about 10k miles/year. I reckon the diesel would be about £1200 per year where the petrol would be £1400, and if you add a bit extra for the dearer road tax then my petrol costs about £300 more per year to run. Or a quid a day. I spend more than that on the coffee machine at work lol.

Performance wise I haven't really kicked it's nuts in but I find it more than adequate for day to day driving, and it has plenty pep at the lights etc. The gearbox performs seamlessly and response is instant.

Hope this helps :)

[Whitewagon]

Alan, would be interesting to know why you changed from diesel to petrol and was your 2.0 D4D an auto too?

I considered diesels of all makes before I decided on the 1.8 petrol but decided that the extra cost risks of DMF, DPF and Turbo failures were too great especially when the extra cost of purchase of a diesel over petrol was taken into account too.

[Heidfirst]

Thanks for the answers so far, folks.

Alan, I too would be interested as to why you went from a diesel to a petrol. I too reckon that the petrol version would cost me ~£350-400 more per year in fuel & RFL (it's quite a drop from £175 to £30) at current prices & fuel is only going to go one way :( . Over 5 years that would about pay for the difference in purchase price of the cars that I've been looking.

& being very cheeky where in Stirlingshire are you & would it at all be possible to maybe meet up & have a look (I'll be in Stirling this Saturday). Dealers aren't always totally representative as somebody who has lived with the car.;)

[alan333]

I changed from diesel to petrol so I could get back to an auto. The only diesel auto offered in the Avensis range is the 2.2 and I reckon the 1.8 valvematic would return the same/better mpg (for me) and doesn't have a severe risk of head gasket failure or other expensive repairs like dmf/dpf/turbo/intercooler/injectors etc. Marry that to silly things like a quicker heater in the winter, not needing to put on plastic gloves when refuelling, quieter and smoother etc. It also feels lighter and more responsive to drive, but remember I'm comparing a pre-facelift diesel to a post-facelift petrol so maybe there were some tweaks in the design.

To put all this in context I previously had two T25's - a 1.8 vvti manual which I owned for 2.5 years and which steadily returned 45+ mpg, and during my ownership, apart from standard servicing, cost me the pricely sum of one rear wiper blade and one tail bulb. Seriously, in about 25k it didn't even need brakes or tyres! I only had the 1.8 vvti auto for a year (it returned 36-40mpg at best) and it got sold cos it had a "hum" from somewhere that I never figured out, and I was disappointed with the lack of oomph from it at normal speeds - it was flat as a salt plain at about 60mph unless you kicked it down some gears and had it screaming it's head off. Also, both these cars had a tick for the first five mins when the weather was cold so I reckoned they probably had the beginning of the piston bore wear problem, although neither used any oil.

That led me to buying a T27, but as I didn't plan to spend as much on a car I compromised and bought the diesel for running costs reasons. After about 7 months I traded it for my auto which, with the benefit of hindsight, I should've bought in the first place. I reckon I would rather spend twenty quid more on fuel every month and have something I like driving, and which shouldn't have unexpected bills. Even the road tax isn't really that expensive, the diesel was £120 (or was it £135 or something), so I'm a pricely quid per week more expensive for my precious auto lol.

Heidfirst I'm afraid I'm pretty busy with work etc so don't really have the time to show you my car, but I'm pretty sure if you're straight with a dealer they'll spend some time on you. I pretty much told the salesman that I didn't want to waste either of our's time, so let's see if we can work out a deal then I'll buy the car if I like it (and it's mpg) on a test drive, but the test drive isn't going to be 5 mins round the block - it'll be a reasonable drive on the type of roads I regularly drive so that I could get a feel for the car and it's real world mpg. TBH if that didn't suit him I'd have went elsewhere. He seemed to appreciate my honesty and was keen to spend a couple of hours on that sale.

Hope this helps :)

[Whitewagon]

Thanks Alan, interesting read and usefull information for those trying to decide which fuel to go for.