No Hybrid Option For New Avensis

[Grumpy Cabbie]

The new Avensis is coming out in a couple months yet there's no hybrid option;

http://www.toyota.co.uk/new-cars/avensis/newavensis

Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Toyota going to hybridise their range on a rolling basis and when the 'old' Avensis came out about 2009 they said it wasn't possible to offer a hybrid option due to design restrictions but the next version would have one.

It appears the next version doesn't have.

I'm curious why not as even Ford have a hybrid option on their new Mondeo and 1 in 4 Toyotas are a hybrid too.

[Heidfirst]

It's not a new Avensis but another facelift (& replacing the Toyota diesels with BMW-designed ones) of the T27. The BMW engines should improve mpg & be Euro VI.

The T27 wasn't designed to allow for being a hybrid (Battery etc.) & Toyota have said that there would not be a hybrid Avensis.

Tbh I was surprised, given current sales levels (30,000 throughout Europe in 2014), that they spent the money on another facelift at all rather than discontinuing & replacing with a crossover. Perhaps they simply haven't yet had time to design & engineer the replacement?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota did say last year there would be no hybrid version of the Avensis, but did say they would have a hybrid in the D market sector.

Enter the next generation Prius.

The current Prius already has the same size wheelbase (2700mm) as the Avensis, and it's overall length (4481mm) is closer to the Avensis (4520) than the Auris (4275) - 39mm difference in length (or in Imperial terms, approx 1.5 inches). New models seldom go down in size, so I see the next Prius being Toyota's hybrid competitor in the Avensis/Mondeo/Passat market sector.

With the sector shrinking in terms of sales, it makes little sense in Toyota re-engineering the Avensis as a hybrid when it already has a hybrid of equivalent size. Giving the current Avensis a major re-work is similar to what they did with the Auris in 2012 (the current Auris retained the Type Approval of the 2007 model), the 2012 Rav 4 (new Rav 4 due in 2016) and the 2012 Verso - and it gives Toyota more time to develop new models using their Toyota New Global Architecture modular platform, the first of which is supposed to be the next Prius.

[johalareewi]

Trouble is, the prius is hybrid only.

There are no petrol, diesel, or manual versions.

And you can't tow with a prius (but you can with an avensis).

Will the next generation prius have these options?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Trouble is, the prius is hybrid only.

There are no petrol, diesel, or manual versions.

And you can't tow with a prius (but you can with an avensis).

Will the next generation prius have these options?

If you want a petrol or diesel car in this sector you go for the Avensis, if you want a hybrid you go for the Prius !!!!

[Heidfirst]

what if you want a hybrid estate (& there is a difference between an Avensis Tourer & an Auris Touring Sports)? :P

Estates are ~30% of the market in Europe & possibly more in this sector.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Prius+ ?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Prius+ ?

Ah the Price +, erm I meant Prius +.

[Cyker]

While the external dimensions are similar, the Avensis feels noticeably roomier inside. Given that that's their luxury/high-end model, maybe they didn't want to compromise on the internal space with all the extra equipment - I know the Auris HSD sacrifices a good chunk of boot space for the Battery alone vs the petrol and diesel versions...

What I want is a hybrid version of the GT86...

(Or if they fix the Yaris Mk3 and make it more Yarisy, that would be acceptable too... :P)

[FROSTYBALLS]

The wheelbase tends to dictate things like the amount of legroom available - and the Prius shares the same size wheelbase as the Avensis at 2700mm. The Auris' wheelbase is noticeable shorter at 2600mm.

[Chris Dance]

I have owned an Avensis and had a Gen 2 Prius and two Gen 3 prius. I had a few faults on the Avensis; it is a nice car but the Prius for me is much the better car, Running costs are more for the Avensis. The new Avensis models will have improved since I owned one.

[Duffryn]

Yes, my 07 Avensis gave me that nice touch of 'cossetedness' that the Prius never will I'm afraid. Much more perceived comfort, luxury and nice toys came with the Venny.

Against that the Prius offers a flimsy hard plastic interior, uncomfortable seats, squeaks and rattles galore, excessive road noise, and expensive buying costs - offset with exceptionally low running costs and a certain 'uniqueness' (which I actually find quite enjoyable).

Still love both the Prius and the Avensis though, be nice if they could produce an offspring combining the best qualities of both.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Still love both the Prius and the Avensis though, be nice if they could produce an offspring combining the best qualities of both.

The RHD Aussie built Toyota Camry Hybrid?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota is ending all Australian production by the end of 2017, which, with the similar withdrawals of Ford and GM, will leave Australia with no home-based volume car production.

[johalareewi]

Prius+ ?

That could work. It looks more like an avensis than a prius.

[Heidfirst]

don't think that a Prius+ would do me (but I would need to actually look at a physical car & see the various loadspace configurations that are available to give a definitive answer).

[Cyker]

The Prius+ is basically a hybrid Verso as far as I can tell.

[Seamaster73]

Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Toyota going to hybridise their range on a rolling basis and when the 'old' Avensis came out about 2009 they said it wasn't possible to offer a hybrid option due to design restrictions but the next version would have one. It appears the next version doesn't have.

The irresistible conclusion is that the game is up for the Avensis and this is the last one we'll see.

The Prius is Toyota's D segment car now.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Toyota going to hybridise their range on a rolling basis and when the 'old' Avensis came out about 2009 they said it wasn't possible to offer a hybrid option due to design restrictions but the next version would have one. It appears the next version doesn't have.

The irresistible conclusion is that the game is up for the Avensis and this is the last one we'll see.

The Prius is Toyota's D segment car now.

I'd like to believe you but with Toyota bunging the price up so much, the Prius is just no longer competitive. Might be why they sold less than 3,000 of them last year (including the PIP), the lowest since the gen2 came out in 2004.

There are many other cars out there that offer low running costs and/or great fuel economy for much less than a Prius. I was a fan, I sang the praises, but I also no it's time has come and gone. The gen4 (if it ever gets released in the UK) had better be a game changer.

[Seamaster73]

Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Toyota going to hybridise their range on a rolling basis and when the 'old' Avensis came out about 2009 they said it wasn't possible to offer a hybrid option due to design restrictions but the next version would have one. It appears the next version doesn't have.

The irresistible conclusion is that the game is up for the Avensis and this is the last one we'll see. The Prius is Toyota's D segment car now.

I'd like to believe you but with Toyota bunging the price up so much, the Prius is just no longer competitive. Might be why they sold less than 3,000 of them last year (including the PIP), the lowest since the gen2 came out in 2004. There are many other cars out there that offer low running costs and/or great fuel economy for much less than a Prius. I was a fan, I sang the praises, but I also no it's time has come and gone. The gen4 (if it ever gets released in the UK) had better be a game changer.

Aye, the CT200h Luxury I just ordered is going to cost me less than my Prius, which is just crackers.

[theoilburner]

We've got both in our household - our beloved Prius (best car we ever bought) and (new to the family) a rather nice Avensis Tourer with toys galore.

In truth, the Prius works perfectly well as a family car most of the time, and the extra space you get with the Avensis could be made up by buying a Prius+ or the Auris Hybrid Tourer - if that's what we wanted.

BUT- we have a caravan, so we really need a diesel (which I'm really not fond of BTW, much prefer the Hybrid drivetrain). Therefore, for us the Avensis still has a purpose. I looked at the Rav4 before buying the Avensis, and for me the boot in the Rav was just not suited to my needs. The higher prices didn't help either. So Avensis it was.

I can see this is a shrinking market though - my car is a 2012 T Spirit - one of only about 500 sold that year, or thereabouts. I wouldn't be surprised if the current Avensis facelift will be the last - unless the BMW diesel sparks some interest. So many cars in this segment are history now.

[FROSTYBALLS]

I can see this is a shrinking market though - my car is a 2012 T Spirit - one of only about 500 sold that year, or thereabouts. I wouldn't be surprised if the current Avensis facelift will be the last - unless the BMW diesel sparks some interest. So many cars in this segment are history now.

This is the real issue - the volume of Avensis sales doesn't justify a new model. Toyota have done an extensive facelift of the existing model, which presumably either cannot be engineered into a hybrid or the costs involved, given the sales volumes, aren't viable for this to be done.

Mitsubishi, Nissan and Honda have already withdrawn from this market sector.

Nissan replaced the Almera and Primera with the Qashqai, and pioneered the Crossover market sector, which has further eroded the D market sector (Mondeo/Passat/Avensis). Toyota is currently working on bringing a crossover to market - which is presumed to be Auris based, and presumably this will also affect the Avensis in terms of sales.

[Heidfirst]

Why would the crossover be Auris based & not TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture)?

[johalareewi]

BUT- we have a caravan,

Which is a problem with hybrid versions of toyota models.

No towing.

Would be useful if this was addresed.

In the USA, they tow with their hybrids but over here, we are not permitted to do so.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Why would the crossover be Auris based & not TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture)?

As far as I'm aware Toyota plans for TGNA to be the basis for half of their global line up by 2020. The Prius is rumoured to be the first model to use TGNA, and presumably the next generation Auris/Corolla will (due in 2018'ish).