Initial Thoughts On 2003 Avensis

[uumode]

Finally got my 1.8 T4 auto hatchback Avensis off the dealers forecourt (took about 3 weeks wait for the plate transfer)

Inital thoughts (Previous cars: Peugeot 205 / Rover Metro / Audi 90 / VW Polo / Mercedes E Class)

Good

Fantastic fuel economy!

Gutsy engine pulls very strongly from even low revs!

Nice feature set (Sat Nav/17 inch alloys/9 airbags etc)

Styling

Bad'ish (only the 1st point irritates me really, as I do a lot of unlit B roads)

Headlights don't have very wide reflectors and are very dim on unlit roads - the sales literature says these lamps are a selling point and aid safety with their bright light?? Not even brighter than my Polo.

Rear hatch body rigidity not as good as my Polo on bumpy B roads, I can hear some minor squeaking and rattles on roads with the 'wrong type' of frequency of bumps. Most of the time it's OK though.

The ride from most points of view is OK, and ride is quiet'ish, but some particular roads seem to intrude rather noisly and there appears to be a (very quiet, but just noticable) high frequency engine whistle when accelerating.

[JAHill]

Finally got my 1.8 T4 auto hatchback Avensis off the dealers forecourt (took about 3 weeks wait for the plate transfer)

Inital thoughts (Previous cars: Peugeot 205 / Rover Metro / Audi 90 / VW Polo / Mercedes E Class)

Good

Fantastic fuel economy!

Gutsy engine pulls very strongly from even low revs!

Nice feature set (Sat Nav/17 inch alloys/9 airbags etc)

Styling

Bad'ish (only the 1st point irritates me really, as I do a lot of unlit B roads)

Headlights don't have very wide reflectors and are very dim on unlit roads - the sales literature says these lamps are a selling point and aid safety with their bright light?? Not even brighter than my Polo.

Rear hatch body rigidity not as good as my Polo on bumpy B roads, I can hear some minor squeaking and rattles on roads with the 'wrong type' of frequency of bumps. Most of the time it's OK though.

The ride from most points of view is OK, and ride is quiet'ish, but some particular roads seem to intrude rather noisly and there appears to be a (very quiet, but just noticable) high frequency engine whistle when accelerating.

The 17s do add to the road noise. Mine's only got 16s on it and it quieter than my mates T4. I think this is probably due to the car being tested in France, on decent roads. ;) I think I remember posts mentioning a kit you can get to stiffle the rattling from the dealer under warranty. You shouldn't have to put up with rattle and squeaking on a new or even nearly new car. Mines nice and muffled really and I've got the diesel. The tyres make more cabin noise than the engine does!

[Rene]

You speak about good pull at low revs. Can you tell me what the rpm are at 100km/h (62mph)? Just to compare with th 2.0 VVTi.

[silverarrow]

can upgrade headlights and also if the headlights have been changed due to the fog problemthen as with mine the headlights were not set correct ie aim too low any garage can check this also you will fail mot on headlight aim

also the computer software can change th e voltage to the bulbs som people have reported the bulbs not lasting long thus mr t said to reduce the volts ???

[Vincentus]

Gutsy engine pulls very strongly from even low revs!

only 129 brake plus autobox and it's gutsy ? :o

[uumode]

Gutsy engine pulls very strongly from even low revs!

only 129 brake plus autobox and it's gutsy ? :o

Yeah... it's the 'way' it delivers the power. The torque curve is pretty flat.

I find I can drive around with the engine revs not passing much past 2000 rpm

It's more amazing it only has 4 gears too.

My E240 bigger engine - more torque on paper and more BHP (170) than the 1.8 toyota unit, but it is gutless low down and doesn't really accelerate until the revs are past about 4000 rpm

..and it has FIVE gears.

OK.. so it is heavier I think, but it's about the same length give or take a CM or two - parked up on the drive side by side. (Avensis feels like a much smaller car to drive due to it's smallish windscreen (Even a Polo has a taller windscreen to give the impression of a big car) and the relatively short bonnet compared to an E Class.

[Vincentus]

Yeah... it's the 'way' it delivers the power. The torque curve is pretty flat.

I find I can drive around with the engine revs not passing much past 2000 rpm

Good, so it must be quiet then ?

[Bosnjo]

You speak about good pull at low revs. Can you tell me what the rpm are at 100km/h (62mph)? Just to compare with th 2.0 VVTi.

1.8 VVTi 2005 Saloon

2600 rpm on 100 km/h in 5th gear

[uumode]

Yeah... it's the 'way' it delivers the power. The torque curve is pretty flat.

I find I can drive around with the engine revs not passing much past 2000 rpm

Good, so it must be quiet then ?

It's a quiet engine at low and medium revs, but very noisy when revved hard, (foot to the floor).

Noiser even than the Polo 1.4 I had.

The engine also sounds quite strained as a result when it is being revved. Some cars are noisy at the red line but they make the right (sporty) noise. The 1.8 makes the wrong noise to my ears.

My E240 in comparison sounds like it is just getting into it's stride at the red line (OK it is a 6 Cylinder engine :) )

Summary, the 1.8 auto is a good car to drive around slowly in, but not good when driven hard as it lacks refinement at the top end. (I feel).

[Vincentus]

1.8 VVTi 2005 Saloon

2600 rpm on 100 km/h in 5th gear

That's the manual...

And the auto ... ?

[uumode]

1.8 VVTi 2005 Saloon

2600 rpm on 100 km/h in 5th gear

That's the manual...

And the auto ... ?

The 4 speed 1.8 auto is approximately just a little over 2200 rpm at 62mph/100km/h

/EDIT it's hard to gauge as there are no inbetween calibrations on the rev counter, but I guess it looks to be something like 2230 rpm

[uumode]

The air con doesn't seem that cold.

My E-Class and Polo with the fan speed set to max and the temperature to it's coldest,

the blast of cold air that would come out would mean that holding my fingers on the air vent for a few minutes would start to numb the hands - and infact the temptation to remove my fingers from the air vents would rise with the coldness being slightly unbearable (cold air + wind chill as fan set to max). My mum's 1995 BMW it is intolerable, almost impossible to keep my hand on the air vent for 5 minutes - as I feel my fingers turn into popsicles!

The air from my Avensis doesn't seem that cold. Is it supposed to be like that? All new BMWs seem to be that way. My brother has had 3 new BMWs (He gets a new one every 9 months) and BMW air con isn't that cold, just slightly chilled. Perhaps Toyota air con is at the same level - in the literature the air con compressor is optimised to be mpg friendly - so maybe at the expense of air con 'performance'?

/EDIT today it seemed OK. I think the other day it was extremely hot, so the system struggled :-)

[Steve84]

If my Air con is set to low my fingers seem to freeze it is very cold i use mine at around 19.5 with auto button on and air recirculate on.

[Vincentus]

The 4 speed 1.8 auto is approximately just a little over 2200 rpm at 62mph/100km/h

Hmm, not bad...