2010 1.4 Corolla or 2.0 Avensis for reliability

tcow

Hi

I'm looking at buying a diesel corolla or avensis, probably a 2009 or 2010 reg.

Can anyone advise which is best for reliability - the 1.4 d4d corolla or the 2.0 d4d Avensis?

Any known problems with any of them from that era?

Leonard Hofstadter

The Avensis has problems with the check strap in the front doors - the doors can collapse if it's not attended to. My parents have one and fortunately Toyota covered the cost of it. They've also had (several) problems with the airbags - to do with sensors and stuff like that.

On the mechanical side it has been faultless and there's over 150,000 miles on the clock now.

I'd still have the Avensis over the Corolla though - it's a much nicer car.

That said, I'd be looking at alternatives - the Mondeo, Superb, Insignia are vastly superior to the Avensis.

tcow

captainspeed wrote: »

That said, I'd be looking at alternatives - the Mondeo, Superb, Insignia are vastly superior to the Avensis.

Superior in what way though? I'm looking for something that will last the test of time. . . Not something that's wonderful for about 2 years, then brings nothing bit misery!!

bazz26

1.4 D-4D is probably more reliable and refined than the 2.0 D-4D. Top spec Luna model Corolla is a nicer place to sit than a base Terra model Avensis though.

If it were me and you didn't particularly need the extra space of an Avensis I'd look at the Hyundai i30 1.6 diesel. Other ones to look at would be a similar year Renault Megane or Laguna 1.5 dci. Both can be bought for reasonable money these days and they don't suffer the horrific issues the previous models had.

Leonard Hofstadter

tcow wrote: »

Superior in what way though? I'm looking for something that will last the test of time. . . Not something that's wonderful for about 2 years, then brings nothing bit misery!!

In every possible one! There is no comparison between a Mk3 (2009 onwards) Avensis and one of its rivals - the Avensis is hopelessly outclassed. Try one and drive it, I think they're a very poor effort by Toyota. The only reason they sell is because they're Toyotas and because the previous generation car was so good. If I was going for an Avensis I'd be looking at the previous generation model (03-08 reg), they're a great car and were more than a match for a Mondeo or Passat of similar vintage (much more reliable than a similar vintage Passat as well), they're better made than the newer one and the ride is better as well. I've driven the Mk2 Avensis extensively and I'm a big fan of them, they're still a good car even by today's standards - although the 1.6 petrol is far too underpowered and the lower grade models aren't half as nice inside as the Luna spec is. The electric parking brake in the 09 onwards Avensis is a real pain to use, it's in an awkward location for starters, it doesn't engage automatically and is nowhere near as smooth pulling away as the equivalent system in a VW Passat.

tcow

bazz26 wrote: »

If it were me and you didn't particularly need the extra space of an Avensis I'd look at the Hyundai i30 1.6 diesel. Other ones to look at would be a similar year Renault Megane or Laguna 1.5 dci. Both can be bought for reasonable money these days and they don't suffer the horrific issues the previous models had.

thanks Bazz26

so you think the 2009-2010 laguna would be of the same reliability as the toyota?

Does anyone agree with that?

bazz26

The Laguna III is a good car and they can be bought alot cheaper than an Avensis because of the previous model's poor image.

tcow

bazz26 wrote: »

The Laguna III is a good car and they can be bought alot cheaper than an Avensis because of the previous model's poor image.

anyone else????

Leonard Hofstadter

tcow wrote: »

anyone else????

Bazz is right. Write off the newer Renaults at your peril. The ones from the early to mid-2000s were dreadful, always going wrong, but the ones over the past 5-8 years are a massive improvement and are no less reliable than anything else out there. They're not my cup of tea (too soft and squidgy for my tastes), and based on driving 1100 km in a 1.6 TDI Passat (which has a similar amount of power to a 1.5 dCi Laguna), I'd say they're anaemic performance wise, but they're every bit as reliable as anything else. Remember they are owned by Nissan and use a lot of the same parts these days.

166man

Avensis from 2009 on was a dismal effort. Quality was not there and it was so short of the competition it was laughable.

The problem with Toyotas these days is they never really improved or changed enough and now the competition has caught up drastically. There's a lot to be said for nifty marketing!

ofcork

I have a 12 diesel avensis while it has been very reliable i would agree the build quality is lacking compared to my previous mk2, wouldnt agree with the parking brake issue find its location no problem.

tcow

Are the Citroen C5 1.6 Diesel known to be any good? 2010 reg or thereabouts??

colm_mcm

as with anything with the 1.6 HDI, it needs to have been meticulously serviced.

Leonard Hofstadter

colm_mcm wrote: »

as with anything with the 1.6 HDI, it needs to have been meticulously serviced.

QFT. Don't buy one unless it's got a full (and verifiable) service history. They're temperamental yokes otherwise.

njburke

I changed to a C5 recently, I have it two weeks and 3000KM done it so far. Advice on here was to go for a 2L.
Compared to my old car (also a 2L diesel estate) the fuel economy is excellent.
On the 68KM commute I'm getting 5L/100KM.
Build quality feels pretty good, it'll be few years before I can given an opinion on reliability.

tcow

Thanks all.

Were any of the Early 2009 a mk2? Or are all 2009 avensis a mk3??

Is there really that much of a difference between mk2 and mk3 avensis?

bazz26

Yes have a look on carzone there are plenty of MkII sold in 2009.

There is a difference, the MkII was better build than the MkIII but by 2009 the MkII was outdated. The MkIII was more modern but there were alot of cost cutting measures put into the MkIII. The first facelift in 2012 was improved but it was still behind the competition. Second facelift in 2015 made major improvements especially to the interior but it's still so behind the competition now. 2.0 litre D-4D engine was pretty much carried over from the MkII to the MkIII until the 2015 second facelift when all diesel engines were replaced with BMW ones.

Did you consider the Kia Ceed/Optima or Hyundai i30/i40? Better thought out cars than the Avensis imo.

tcow

bazz26 wrote: »

Yes have a look on carzone there are plenty of MkII sold in 2009.


Did you consider the Kia Ceed/Optima or Hyundai i30/i40? Better thought out cars than the Avensis imo.

Thanks for that. Bmw?? Is that wise?

Kia ceed too small. Optima too dear (budget about 11k), i30 too small. I40 too dear !!

2l Insignia - seems too risky, wudnt trust it for reliability after few years (I cud b wrong).

2l mondeo - like but prefer avensis over it (just)

bazz26

A Ceed and i30 are similar in size to a Corolla though.

colm_mcm

There were a few old shape Avensis left in 09, but I think all the diesels were gone by February, still plenty petrols around at that stage.

A ceed or i30 would be bigger than a Corolla inside. Boot in Corolla is probably a little bigger though despite being more akward,

buzzing147

captainspeed wrote: »

The Avensis has problems with the check strap in the front doors - the doors can collapse if it's not attended to. My parents have one and fortunately Toyota covered the cost of it. They've also had (several) problems with the airbags - to do with sensors and stuff like that.

On the mechanical side it has been faultless and there's over 150,000 miles on the clock now.

I'd still have the Avensis over the Corolla though - it's a much nicer car.

That said, I'd be looking at alternatives - the Mondeo, Superb, Insignia are vastly superior to the Avensis.

The insignia? Are you joking? Yea as long as you have plenty of money stored away for a new engine when the knocking sound occurs...