Toyota Freshens the Avensis now for the second time. The mid-range model will have to last a few more years in the difficult German market before a completely new successor comes. The mission is to help new diesel engines and more equipment at the same price. The basic model will be available from mid-July for 23.640 Euro.
The Japanese mid-range model then comes with full safety equipment including autonomous emergency braking as standard. There are also a few optical modifications such as a clearly sharpened front section. And improvements have also been made to the rear - with chic tail lights and striking lighting design. Depending on the equipment, LED headlights illuminate night streets. Inside, the focus is on better material quality.
When driving the new 2,0-liter diesel with 105 kW / 143 PS is the most important innovation. The engine purchased from BMW so far is known from models of the subsidiary brand Mini and is the new top engine of the Toyota series. The entry-level diesel is an 1,6-liter engine, also made by BMW, with 82 kW / 112 PS. The gasoline offer consists of the two known suckers with 1,6 and 1,8 liter capacity and 97 kW / 132 PS or 108 kW / 147 PS. For power transmission, only the six-speed manual transmission is available in all variants. The lack of automatic is justified by economic arguments.
The Avensis also offers a little electronic gimmick: From now on, there is a camera-based traffic sign recognition, which displays its results in the TFT field between the instrument scales. And the windshield wiper rack can be optionally heated in winter. Overall, the Avensis continues to emphasize its utility even after the facelift. Even the engines of the emotionally charged home BMW can not change that.
Author: Patrick Broich / SP-X