2007 Avensis

maidhc

Toyota definately are the masters of subtle!

http://imgs.pravda.sk/sk_aaktual/A060513_P21_AVENSIS07-01_V.JPG

Any word when we will be seeing them in Irish showrooms?

Tipsy Mac

Very mild facelift, I think the proper new one is coming in 2009, the new Corolla is out in 2008.

bazz26

maidhc wrote:

Toyota definately are the masters of subtle!

http://imgs.pravda.sk/sk_aaktual/A060513_P21_AVENSIS07-01_V.JPG

Any word when we will be seeing them in Irish showrooms?

Your link seems to be dead but I have seen a few pictures from a Toyota website a few months ago:




As far as I know it goes on sale at end of June. Major changes under the bonnet are that the 2.0 D4-D engine goes from 116bhp to 122bhp or 125bhp. Mp3 reading cd player and possibly IPOD Aux port upgraded sound system. Front headlights have been completely redesigned as they had alot of issues with the originals. Not gone on the new front grill myself. I'll wait until I see it in the flesh though.

ek942

I think they need some new blood in the design room or something.What a boring looking car.

colm_mcm

it's a minor change on an existing car. they could hardly go nuts could they?

nothing worse than facelifted models being overly tarted up to keep it fresh looking, the Avensis facelift is different, without affecting the residuals of the existing Avensis,

bazz26

ek942 wrote:

I think they need some new blood in the design room or something.What a boring looking car.

Your not going to get a major change to a model that will be replaced with a complete new car in about 2 years time.

ek942

The existing one is boring looking too so why bother with a facelift at all if it's not that much of an improvement.

bazz26

ek942 wrote:

The existing one is boring looking too so why bother with a facelift at all if it's not that much of an improvement.

Not too many interesting looking cars in this market segment anyway. Passat, Mondeo, Vectra, etc all bland designs too. The Mazda 6 is probably one of the better looking cars in this class but it is getting on a bit and let down by poor interior plastics. At the end of the day they are family cars that do exactly what it says on the tin.

maidhc

ek942 wrote:

The existing one is boring looking too so why bother with a facelift at all if it's not that much of an improvement.

I would agree with bazz. It is at least as good looking as:
Passat,
3 Series,
Mondeo,
Citroen C5,
Audi A4,
Saab 9-3,
Octavia,
Jetta,

Parents will probably buy one later in the year or early next year. Despite the few problems they have suffered with the present one it seems the customer service makes up for it! As well as the fact they hold their value so well.

unkel

Looks like it has indicators in the side mirrors - copy cat Mercedes, which is a good thing. Apart from that it looks even worse and more bland than the original Avensis II imho. That said, it will probably be extremely reliable. Why else are so many continental taxi drivers switching over from Mercedes to Toyota (or Skoda, Nissan, etc.)

unkel

maidhc wrote:

It is at least as good looking as:
Passat,
3 Series,
Mondeo,
Citroen C5,
Audi A4,
Saab 9-3,
Octavia,
Jetta,

Sorry mate, I fail to agree with you there. It is way worse looking then any car in your list by quite some margin. The worst in your list gets a 6 out of 10 from me. The Avensis would not even get a 4. In my humble opinion of course. Beauty and beholder and such

bazz26

unkel wrote:

Sorry mate, I fail to agree with you there. It is way worse looking then any car in your list by quite some margin. The worst in your list gets a 6 out of 10 from me. The Avensis would not even get a 4. In my humble opinion of course. Beauty and beholder and such

Ah Unkel you just don't like Toyotas or Jap cars in general do you? They must have pissed you off or something in a previous life.

colm_mcm

It's quite a well proportioned car. not overly fussy, and it will date well. can't see too much wrong with that.

dubtom

I would go for one, I drive a taxi and it's not so much the looks but the reliability that attracts. Actually it kinda looks like the 96 Jap Camry I drive at the minute although a little curvyer.

unkel

bazz26 wrote:

Ah Unkel you just don't like Toyotas or Jap cars in general do you? They must have pissed you off or something in a previous life.

LOL, must look up reincarnation in the dictionary again. Or see a shrink maybe?

I admit, from a looks point of view alone, that I'd give a 6 out of 10 or higher rating to the majority of European cars and the minority of Asian cars

That said, I have a lot of respect for some Asian car makers, like Toyota, now the biggest car manufacturer in the world, who produce ugly but very reliable cars

bazz26

unkel wrote:

LOL, must look up reincarnation in the dictionary again. Or see a shrink maybe?

I admit, from a looks point of view alone, that I'd give a 6 out of 10 or higher rating to the majority of European cars and the minority of Asian cars

That said, I have a lot of respect for some Asian car makers, like Toyota, now the biggest car manufacturer in the world, who produce ugly but very reliable cars

Becareful so or you may come back reincarnated as a "reasonably priced" Suzuki Liana on Top Gear.

Curran

bazz26 wrote:

Becareful so or you may come back reincarnated as a "reasonably priced" Suzuki Liana on Top Gear.

That wouldnt be so bad - could be worse - could be a Liana on the back roads of Mayo

Nothing against people from Mayo, its the roads I'm on about....just to clear that up!!

unkel

bazz26 wrote:

Becareful so or you may come back reincarnated as a "reasonably priced" Suzuki Liana on Top Gear.

LOL

Just as well I don't believe in reincarnation. I'm an atheist. Thank God for that

G Luxel

The Corolla for Hong Kong has been featuring those indicators in the door mirrors since last year as a standard item. Looking at the Avensis estate, it reminds me of a Morris Marina or Ital estate from the 70s/80s. The outline of the design is very similiar. The fact that the Avensis is made in Britain may be showing off Toyota's attempt at showing the "Britishness" of the car.
Although I notice that the hatchback and the estate are rarer here than the saloon. Is there much of a price difference?

maidhc

G Luxel wrote:

Is there much of a price difference?

When we bought the mk1 hatch there was €600. I think the estate was another €400 again.

The hatch is worth the extra money IMO.

colm_mcm

Estate is a dirty word. Toyota prefer "Tourer"

€600 extra for the liftback over saloon, justified as liftback currently also adds a wiper, a folding rear seat and a rear armrest.

The fairest comparison between saloon and tourer models price wise is the 2.0 D-4D Aura. On this you pay a premuim of €1,650 for the tourer body.

The resale value on the hatchback won't be higher than the saloon, and in many cases it is a slower second hand seller than the saloon. That said, a dealer never has a used one sitting around for long.

maidhc

colm_mcm wrote:

Estate is a dirty word. Toyota prefer "Tourer"

So it is.

I don't know why there are so few around and why people have such a negative image of them. It is probably the best looking Avensis too. I didn't realise the premium was so high though.

Saloons are a curse if you are trying to carry anything apart from the shopping.

knifey_spoonie

The new Corolla is due out early 2007 (end of january).The salon will be called the corolla while they will change the name of the 5dr and 3dr, just to give the car a younger image.

The new facelifted avensis should be in dealers by next month, as far as i know it will lose the tape deck, thats all i can remember.

colm_mcm

In South Africa they call the hatchback the RunX. the late 80's Corolla still on sale there is called the Tazz.

Apart from losing the tape deck. it gains an MP3 player, Trip computer moved to speedo. folding rear seats, new Optitron gauges, and new rear suspension. also better plastics in the interior

digitaldr

maidhc wrote:

I would agree with bazz. It is at least as good looking as:
Passat,
3 Series,
Mondeo,
Citroen C5,
Audi A4,
Saab 9-3,
Octavia,
Jetta,

Parents will probably buy one later in the year or early next year. Despite the few problems they have suffered with the present one it seems the customer service makes up for it! As well as the fact they hold their value so well.

Where's the Accord??

bazz26

maidhc wrote:

When we bought the mk1 hatch there was €600. I think the estate was another €400 again.

The hatch is worth the extra money IMO.

The Avensis hatch is about €600 more than the saloon. Unless you really need the practicality of the hatchback I don't think it is worth the extra money, come resale time you will get the same trade-in value as the saloon. Also the hatchback looks a bit odd from certain angles.

The estate (Tourer) is almost €4k more expenisve than the basic 1.6 saloon, the smallest engine available is a 1.8 litre. Both hatchback and estate don't sell in big numbers in Ireland as Irish people generally prefer saloons. Quite the opposite in the UK where 95% of cars sold are hatchbacks.

bazz26

digitaldr wrote:

Where's the Accord??

The Accord is priced above the Avensis type class and below the junior executive class of the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, etc.

colm_mcm

bazz26 wrote:

The estate (Tourer) is almost €4k more expenisve than the basic 1.6 saloon, the smallest engine available is a 1.8 litre. Both hatchback and estate don't sell in big numbers in Ireland as Irish people generally prefer saloons. Quite the opposite in the UK where 95% of cars sold are hatchbacks.

Like for like it's not a big difference. if you consider that the 1.8 has stability control. and if you compare 1.8 with 1.8 or D-4D with D-4D. not exactly fair to compare 1.6 with 1.8

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote:

Like for like it's not a big difference. if you consider that the 1.8 has stability control. and if you compare 1.8 with 1.8 or D-4D with D-4D. not exactly fair to compare 1.6 with 1.8

Sorry I was only comparing the basic models.

Anyway found a few more photos for anyone interested. Not gone on it myself:

Henry Ford III

Devoid of inspiration. Dull as ditchwater.

Future chariot of choice of minicab drivers.

Driving a fridge freezer will be more exciting

bazz26

Henry Ford III wrote:

Devoid of inspiration. Dull as ditchwater.

Future chariot of choice of minicab drivers.

Driving a fridge freezer will be more exciting

Perfect alternative to the Mondeo man (no conection with Mondeoman on this forum) then.